Vice-President Dick (Darth) Cheney’s attorney claimed that Congress “lacks the constitutional power” to provide oversight of his office and what many of us believe is criminal behavior. LINK The United States Congress has broad subpoena power, and to be frank, there isn’t a soul alive in the United States that Congress cannot legally subpoena and demand that they appear before Congressional hearings - and that includes any citizen living within or even outside the boundaries of the United States. I can’t cite the exact statute that grants Congress that power - but was something I learned in high school, and since I’m 57 years old, that was a very long time ago.
Has the law changed? In order for Cheney to be exempt from Congressional oversight, it is the writer’s opinion that he would have to be a diplomat from another country claiming “diplomatic immunity” or in the alternative, perhaps a visiting foreigner that may be exempt from the power that the Constitution grants Congress broad subpoena power - and once a foreign national steps foot in this country, I believe that under most circumstances, especially if it’s an issue of national security, even foreign nationals who do not have diplomatic immunity are also bound by the subpoena powers of Congress. On that issue, I’m no expert in constitutional law, so it’s my opinion that’s being expressed, not fact.
Furthermore, recent evidence and speculation demonstrate that Darth Cheney is attempting to widen the conflict(s) in which we are already engaged, and in this regard alone, I believe that it’s not only within Congress’s power of oversight to inquire into any action that the VP’s Office may be involved in, but a necessity in order to prevent our warmongering Vice-President from embroiling us in another war and increasing tensions throughout the world:
Ominous Signs That White House Advisers Want More WarsBy Jim Lobe, IPS News. Posted April 28, 2008. (Excerpts)
That Vice President Dick Cheney, whose opposition to engaging both North Korea and Syria and support for ‘regime change’ in both countries is both well known and of long standing, had pushed hard for the briefing to take place has added to speculation that a major power play by the hawks to reverse the diplomacy that has dominated Bush’s second term is underway.
Rumours that the State Department’s point man on North Korea, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill — whose latest accord with Pyongyang negotiated in Singapore earlier this month has been the target of fierce right-wing attacks led by Cheney chum, former U.N. Amb. John Bolton — has told associates that he will resign next month have added to concerns that the hawks have regained the initiative, at least on that front.
Add the promotion of Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq who has overseen the past year’s ’surge’ of U.S. troops, to take over the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) this summer, as well as the increasingly harsh charges against Iran’s alleged interference in Iraq that have been coming out of the Pentagon in recent days.
All these developments are seen by some as an answer to the prayers of neo-conservatives, in particular, who had largely given up hopes that Bush could be persuaded to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities before leaving office. MUCH MORE
Cheney’s fingerprints are all over this, and if Congress doesn’t intervene and exercise their power of oversight and once again, abdicate their duty to protect the American public, rest assured, we will be embroiled in more conflicts before Bush leaves office. If Cheney still refuses to comply with legal requests from Congress, since they are too cowardly to impeach him, maybe they should just treat him as what he seems to believe he is; an entity that is a power separate from Judicial or Congressional oversight which does not have to abide by the rule of law, or any law, domestic or international - which would seem to indicate that he does not believe he is an American citizen - so pull his citizenship, deport him to another country that would accept one of the most hated men on earth, and be done with it! The problem is, who in the heck would agree to accept “Dick”?
Oh heck, I forgot, there is a country that would gladly accept Mr. Cheney, even in spite of his criminal and warmongering behavior; Maybe Congress should inquire if the Netherlands would accept “Dick”; my guess is that they would welcome him with open-arms, and even offer him free room and board at The Hague!
William Cormier
