At this point, we can finally agree that Cheney is the Vice President, and the Vice President is part of the executive branch, right? Apparently not. Cheney’s reclusive chief of staff, David Addington, told the House Judiciary Committee this afternoon that the VP is “attached” to the legislative branch.
In fact, Addington had all kinds of odd things to say today, including his inability answer questions about torture policy because "al Qaeda may watch C-SPAN," and his alleged unfamiliarity with the Unitary Theory of the Executive, which Addington has used for years to justify all kinds of shameful behavior.
Just as an aside, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen any government official express the kind of contempt for Congress as I’ve seen from Addington today. Every response to every question is soaked in pure revulsion. I keep expecting him to spit at the members of the committee after every exchange.
It made for an interesting afternoon. We'll have more videos up shortly...