August 01, 2007
Hotline After Dark -- One Man, Double Duty
VP Cheney was on "LKL" last night, where he discussed Iraq, reiterated his support for AG Gonzales, didn't rule out another post in a GOP admin, and stayed out of WH '08 (except to take a swipe at HRC):
Asked if, in retrospect, he would still go to Iraq: "Yes, sir."
Asked if he belongs to the exec or leg. branch: "As vice president, obviously, I'm next in line to succeed the president if something happens to him. I have an office in the West Wing of the White House. I advise the president. I'm a member of the National Security Council. Those are all executive functions granted to me basically by the president. At the same time, I have responsibilities under the Constitution for certain things up on Capitol Hill in the Senate. I am the president of the Senate, the presiding officer of the Senate. I cast tie breaking votes there. My paycheck actually comes from the Senate. So the fact is the vice president is sort of a weird duck in the sense that you do have some duties that are executive and some that are legislative."
On the current Hill investigations: "With respect to the U.S. attorneys, there has been, I think, a bit of witch-hunt on Capitol Hill, as they keep rolling over rocks, hoping they can find something. But there really hasn't been anything come up that would suggest there was any wrongdoing of any kind."
Asked about the Defense Dept. letter to HRC: "I agreed with the letter Eric Edelman wrote. I thought it was good letter."
More: "To get into the business now where we have got all of these contingencies, we always have got a lot of contingencies, where we are going to start shedding those to respond to political charges, such as those that Senator Clinton made, I think would be unwise."
On WH '08: "I'm totally neutral in the upcoming presidential contest. I will support the Republican nominee. And the fact that others have signed on with Fred or John McCain or Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, they're all good men. I hope one of them is the next president of the United States. But I haven't gotten involved in any of those efforts."
Asked if he would take a post in another GOP admin: "Probably not. I can't think of one."
On where he'll be in Feb. '09: "I have no idea. I haven't given it any thought" (CNN, 7/31).
ENOUGH SAID
There was also a lot of talk on the investigation of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK):
CNN's Bash caught up with Stevens in the Capital. She explains on the "Situation Room":
Bash: "He did attend the Republicans' weekly lunch in the Capitol, but he slipped in and out a back door, down a back stairway in the Capitol. I found him at the bottom of those stairs and really had to kind of run after him to get some questions to him. He was pretty angry. Take a listen."
Stevens: "I put out a statement and I'm not saying anything to anybody beyond that statement."
Bash: "Can you say, sir, why the federal agents went to your House or what they took?"
Stevens: "Can you understand English? That's the only statement I'm going to make" (7/31).
Anchorage Daily News' Mauer: "I think Senator Stevens' well-crafted comment that he paid for all the renovations that he was billed for suggests that maybe there were renovations that he wasn't" ("NewsHour," PBS, 7/31).
MSNBC's Shuster: "When prosecutors subpoena somebody's financial records, and are not satisfied by what is in those records and demand testimony from a person who pays the bills, that is often the sign of a grand jury investigation that is headed in a very serious direction" ("Countdown," 7/31).
FNC's Garrett: "Senate Republicans, it turns out, have rules governing this kind of thing. If you are indicted, you must step down from a powerful committee post. Short of that, nothing happens" ("Special Report," 7/31).
NOT THAT HE'S PLANNING OR ANYTHING
And ABC's Snow travelled with ex-Pres. Clinton during his visit with Africa and filed a report about it for "Nightline":
Clinton, on what happens if HRC becomes POTUS: "In general I'll do whatever she asks but I am strongly committed to continuing my foundation work."
Snow: "Can you have an office in the East Wing and do the foundation?"
Clinton: "And in Harlem and keep my work up? Sure. ... I could do a lot of double time. Like if she wanted me to go some place to work on some problem I could also do my foundation work. ... I also think she wants me to help her but not also not get under her foot to much. I don't want to get in her way" (7/31). [EMILY GOODIN]
Posted at 09:48 AM
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