Ah - the face of power. This was what Whittington saw when he took a face and chestful of shot.

As Scott Clemons explains in beautifully in his blog, this vicepresidency has grabed an unprecedent amount of power using secrecy to hide its own influence the most important being Bush's Executive Order 13292, of March 25, 2003.

Briefly, in the amended Executive Order, Dick Cheney and presumably future VPs are affected by this National Security Information order in the following ways:

1. The Vice President, in the context of his duties, has the authority to "classify" information;
2. The Vice President, in the context of his duties, can give a "top secret" classification to information;
3. The Vice President can give a "secret" or "confidential" classification to information;
4. Like in the previous 1995 Executive Order, the automatic, 25-year declassification of national security information can be preempted if it would impair the ability to "protect" the Vice President from physical harm;
5. Mandatory declassification review (by a designated process) is required of information originating from the Vice President;
6. Mandatory declassification review is required from the Vice President's staff;
7. Access to certain national security information can be provided to individuals who occupied policy-making positions appointed by the Vice President (or President of course)
   
8. Rules barring access to certain classified national security information will be waived for the Vice President;
9. Waivers to rules of access to classified national security information will only apply to Vice Presidential appointees in areas of their policy work while working as an Executive Branch appointee;
10. This mention of the VP only relates to the above line saying that access to classified national security information will only be provided to Presdidential and Vice Presidential appointees in the area of his or her policy work that was done during the tenure of that respective President or Vice President;
11. "'Original classification authority' means an individual authorized in writing, either by the President, the Vice President in the performance of executive duties. . ." This is a definitional item in the Executive Order.

What does this matter to the Average American? It matters because it puts a government, which is supposed to be by and for the People, unaccounatable, which of course affect who? Us, the People. There is a Oregon case in which the justices in interpreting the state law regarding public meetings and government documents stated "The Public Business is the Public's Business." As citizens in a democracy, we need hold our public officials accountable -that is why they are PUBLIC OFFICIALS. Right now, we unfortunately are relying on the Congress and Courts that should make them accountable. However, with Rubber-stamp Republicans in control of both the House and Senate and a federal court system that is now overwhelming conservative republican, the is little hope before the next election. However, what we can do now is make a record in sufficient numbers that cannot be ignored that WE the People do not agree with their actions.