4th Branch? Palin Ain't Sayin'

The comparisons between Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney have been mostly contained to the similarities arising in light of Troopergate: stonewalling and blocking investigation, lack of transparency, refusing to allow state employees to testify (reminiscent of phony claims of executive privilege), and attacking the investigators as on a "partisan witch hunt". But today, The Hill reports we can add another tenet of the Cheney Doctrine to Sarah Palin's governing philosophy.

Vice President Dick Cheney has said his office only partially belongs to the executive branch. Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden disagrees and Republican rival Sarah Palin isn’t saying.

[snip]

“Unlike Dick Cheney, Joe Biden won’t have to create a full employment plan for lawyers and scholars to clear up something that was unquestioned for about 200 years. The vice president is part of the executive branch, period. End of story,” said Biden spokesman David Wade.

We all remember the laughable legal conclusion Cheney came up with in order to justify withholding information and avoiding disclosure: essentially, that the Vice President doesn't really belong to the executive branch because he serves as President of the Senate. Constitutional scholars were left with mouths agape and "fourth branch of government" jokes permeated late night talk show scripts.

In turn, a spokesman for the Republican presidential campaign did not answer the question [of whether Palin believes the vice presidency is solely in the executive branch]. Instead, he e-mailed remarks Palin gave at a campaign rally in Golden, Colo., on Monday.

Palin did not say what branch of government she believes the vice president’s office is part of in those remarks. Instead, Palin said she and Republican presidential nominee John McCain had discussed what responsibilities she would take on as his second-in-command.

“My mission is going to be energy, security and government reform and another thing near and dear to my heart: It’s going to be helping families who have special needs and children with special needs,” said Palin.

Avoiding questions and sticking to tangential, empty talking points to mask your contempt for the Constitution? That's not change. That's more of the same. This is just another example of how McCain's judgment will bring us four more years of this nonsense - by picking a VP who leaves the door open to mangling, twisting, or just ignoring the Constitution to fit her politically expedient needs.