pudge's Journal: Senate Democrats: Stupid, or Dishonest?

Led by Dick Durbin, the Senate Democrats want to cut funding to the VP's office until Cheney complies with an executive order that, by definition, cannot possibly apply to Cheney.

Executive orders are not Constitutional documents or laws, they are just one of many ways the President can express his orders to the people who operate under his sole authority. The President has all executive authority, according to the Constitution, which necessarily includes all authority to make and interpret -- and even ignore -- any executive orders.

So if Bush says this executive order does not apply to Cheney, it therefore does not. That's the law. That's the Constitution. And there's no two ways about it. There's no "yeah but." It's simply that.

So when Durbin says, "Neither Mr. Cheney or his staff is above the law or the Constitution," he is either stupid and doesn't understand that what Cheney is doing (or not doing) does not in any way violate any law or the Constitution, or he does understand that simple and incontrovertible fact and just doesn't care, because he believes that you won't understand it.

Durbin continued: "For the vice president to believe that he has no responsibility to meet this requirement of the law is a dereliction of duty." Except, it is not the law, it is merely an order from the President, and because the President said Cheney didn't have to follow that order, he therefore has no responsibility to do so.

So, which is it? Is Durbin stupid, or a liar?

Exactly

[mwlewis]

I have applied this exact question to nearly everything these guys have done for years.