There is no better way to display the hypocrisy of this administration than to point out that the Vice President of the United States of America has tried to hide his misdeeds from the Oversight Office of the National Archives by:
Cheney's identity crisis
He claims executive privilege when it suits his secrecy
Vice President Dick Cheney is apparently undergoing a bit of an identity crisis. Perhaps there is still time for Congress to help him find himself.
During his tenure as the nation's second-in-command, Cheney has periodically cited "executive privilege" in defending his refusal to release documents for public review or submit to congressional requests for information.
In one of the most widely publicized cases, Cheney withheld information about an energy task force that he chaired shortly after taking office. More recently, he ended a long-running practice of providing public access to visitor logs at the vice president's residence.
Cheney, in those cases and others, contended that releasing even the most basic details would jeopardize his ability to receive candid advice and, in turn, offer it to the nation's chief executive.
He says his records -- from the energy task force to the list of people entering and leaving his residence -- are presidential records and therefore exempt from Freedom of Information requirements.
But Cheney is trying a different tack in his dealings with the National Archives and its Information Security Oversight Office.
The vice president contends he doesn't have to provide the data to the National Archives' oversight office because he is not part of the executive branch.
At issue is an executive order requiring officials in the executive branch to provide basic data about classified information that they have in their possession.
The order was first issued by President Clinton in 1995 and reaffirmed by President Bush in 2003. It's designed to safeguard classified records and track their whereabouts.
Cheney, however, insists that he does not have to comply because he is president of the Senate -- and thus a member of the legislative branch, not the executive branch.
When officials at the National Archives began pressing for the data, Cheney recommended shutting down the troublesome oversight office, according to Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
Bush, it appears, has no inclination to stop his vice president from toying with an executive order or with other measures designed to increase government accountability.
But no matter how many games Cheney plays with the question of where he works, there is one unquestionable fact: He works for the American people. As hopeless as the cause may be, Waxman and others need to continue reminding him.
'Nuff Said.