Echoes of Nixon

If you've watched much television at all lately, you've probably seen the advertisements for the movie "Frost Nixon". Included is the following famous exchange:
Frost: Are you really saying the President can do something illegal?
Nixon: I'm saying that when the President does it, that means it's not illegal.

It's a chilling statement of Nixon's megalomania, of his blatant disregard for rule of law.

Well today we have echoes of Richard Nixon from the mouth of Vice-President Dick Cheney in his interview with Chris Wallace.

Wallace: This is at the core of the controversies that I want to get to with you in a moment. If the president during war decides to do something to protect the country, is it legal?

Cheney: General proposition, I'd say yes.

Cheney goes on to defend the administration's actions in the war on terror and point out that the President doesn't need to check with anyone to launch a nuclear assault. Shortly thereafter he claims that the War Powers Act, which provides for some measure of Congressional oversight of the executive branch's use of the military, is unconstitutional. The full transcript is here.

Vice-President Dick Cheney continues to have a gross disregard for the checks and balances of our three branch system of government. He is unrepentant and even proud of violations of the law, the Constitution, and international treaty as evidenced by his continued defense of such abuses as warrantless wiretaps and torture. He should be prosecuted in a US court of law and if found guilty, imprisoned. Our nation suffers every day that Dick Cheney and people like him remain in power. We can at least be thankful that his time in office ends soon.