Vice President Cheney had a little fun at his successor-to-be's expense today, telling Fox News Sunday that he didn't take Joe Biden's criticism of his tenure too seriously because Joe Biden doesn't know the Constitution from a hole in the ground.
Bill Sammon reports that Cheney said: "Joe's been chairman of the Judiciary Committee, a member of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate for 36 years, teaches constitutional law back in Delaware, and can't keep straight which article of the Constitution provides for the legislature and which provides for the executive. So I think I'd write that off as campaign rhetoric. I don't take it seriously."
Cheney was referring to Biden's VP debate gaffe (discussed here), in which he confused Articles of the Constitution addressing the authority of the Legislative Branch (Article I) and the Executive Branch (Article II).
Biden "bit back," according to Sammon, but unfortunately, he seems to have bitten himself.
According to Biden, Cheney's "notion of a unitary executive, meaning that, in time of war, essentially all power, you know, goes to the executive, I think is dead wrong."
Well, once again, Mr. Biden, that's no one's notion of the unitary executive except confused Democrats. The unitary executive is simply a recognition, from the first sentence of Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution, that the "executive Power shall be vested in a President of the
For the umpteenth time, it is not a theory that the president's power is somehow enhanced, at the expense of Congress, during wartime. It is merely a recognition that there is only one (i.e., uni-tary) executive and that any efforts by Congress to give executive authority to someone other than the President is unconstitutional.
It is not a theory about the balance of power between the branches, but a statement about the authority of the president within the Executive Branch.
The "notion" that a "unitary executive" means that "in time of war, essentially all power, goes to the executive," is indeed dead wrong. But it's Biden's misconception of that theory that is wrong, not Cheney's.
Keep it up, Joe. At this rate, you'll know more about the Constitution than your non-lawyer predecessor in, well, never.
Three Questions:
Does the Vice-president elect remember to take his shoes off before he puts his feet in his mouth?
Does he appreciate how lucky he is to have mostly fawning Democratic MSM to play down or ignore his many misstatements?
Does he know whether Caroline Kennedy thinks NY’s Rep. Charlie Rangel should step down from his
4 comments:
I think Joe Biden is the Reagan everyone's been looking for.
-XC
Even my poorest students (when I taught American history and government) knew which article of the Constitution dealt with the executive branch. It does make one question what other bits of misinformation Joe Biden has imparted in the classroom.
cks
I have found that Democrats--especially the far-left variety--have a poor understanding of the Constitution. They are particularly ignorant of the Bill of Rights. Worse than that, they refuse to be educated. Biden is quite typical of the effete snobs who populate the left wing.
Tarheel Hawkeye
Sorry,I don't follow your reasoning,EX.I.and many others,would be overjoyed if Sen Biden could topple dictatorships,curtail a union whose political clout is destroying its industry,cut taxes and restore a faith in America.But ,I just don't see it happening.
But I do have a Joe Biden Quiz of sorts.
What do you consider a bigger mistake?
Claiming he graduated in the top half of his class(76 of 85)
Or talking of FDR's fireside TV talks?I vividly remember him pre empting "Happy FAys" for those.
Corwin
Post a Comment