It's no secret that Vice President Dick Cheney has a growing reputation for stealth. His latest claim that he is technically not part of the executive or legislative branch of government is another obvious attempt to circumvent the checks and balances that have served this country since its inception.
The controversy, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, stems from an order signed by President Bush in 2003 that required all executive agencies and "any other entity within the executive branch that comes into the possession of classified information" to report on what it had classified. Cheney has not disclosed that information to the Information Security Oversight Office since 2003, after complying in 2001 and 2002.
Cheney, who also is the presiding officer of the Senate, claims that he is neither part of the executive branch nor the legislative branch and, therefore, is accountable to neither.
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How convenient for him.
"I know the vice president wants to operate with unprecedented secrecy," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., told reporters. "But this is absurd. This order is designed to keep classified information safe. His argument is really that he's not part of the executive branch, so he doesn't have to comply."
Democrats have leveled harsh criticism at Cheney's claim
On Tuesday, a Cheney spokesman accused House Democrats of playing politics. But it's hard to play a fair game of politics against a vice president who can step into and out of the executive branch at his own whim - not having to be accountable to anyone.
Cheney's refusal to comply with an order governing the care of classified documents and his assertion concerning his government branch status are completely at odds with other instances in which being a member of the executive branch suits his covert needs.
In 2001 Cheney claimed that a congressional probe into the workings of his energy task force "would unconstitutionally interfere with the functioning of the executive branch."
He resisted surrendering information on the grounds of "executive privilege."
He also commands executive branch funding.
This isn't a partisan issue. It should infuriate everyone. Or at least infuriate some and embarrass others.
The constitutional checks and balances that have defined this republic cannot be circumvented, not even by - or perhaps especially by - those holding the nation's most powerful offices.
The citizenry of this country elected a president and a vice-president, not a president and an information-gatekeeper-in-chief.
The Office of the Vice President is an important and necessary cog in our government. It should not be treated as a loophole.