VP calls the shots

You may recall that Cheney recently asserted that the Vice President's office is not part of the executive branch, and I read with delight that Democrats are talking of cutting funding to that appendage of government to which rules apparently do not apply. The Washington Post tells how Cheney suspended habeas corpus with hardly any review and gives a detailed look into the workings of the Cheney branch of government. (Wash Post part 2)

Vicious Cycle

(The conversation started here.) Is it a "sick picture?" Not so much as a sad one. It's a shame the coffins were there. It's telling that Haliburton sold weapons to Iran and Iran arms Iraq and Haliburton supports counter-insurgence in Iraq. Maybe they're not directly connected, but it's certainly enough to make it look like a war machine.

What's really interesting about the picture is it comes from a German blog. What does that say about our international cachet? The former State Department head of media affairs opines.