Cheney says 9/11 changed the rules (IHT/NYT)

(This is one very scary...ahhhh Vice-President)

Cheney says 9/11 changed the rules

By Richard W. Stevenson The New York Times

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2005
MUSCAT, Oman Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday explained and defended the administration's assertion of broad presidential powers, saying that executive authority had become dangerously constrained before President George W. Bush took office and had to be restored to fight the threat from terrorism. "I believe in a strong, robust executive authority and I think that the world we live in demands it," he said.

Speaking with a small group of reporters on Air Force Two as he flew from Pakistan to Oman, Cheney laid out more fully and explicitly than any senior official the administration's thinking on the need for a stronger presidency. And he directly linked the effort to strengthen it under Bush to the nation's safety since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "You know, it's not an accident that we haven't been hit in four years," he said.

Cheney acknowledged that the disclosure last week of a secret administration program to eavesdrop on a limited number of international phone calls might reopen debate over whether Bush had taken too expansive a view of presidential power. But he was unapologetic about the program and suggested that it was well within the bounds of what he considered an appropriate use of executive authority.

"I'm sure there is going to be a debate," he said. "It's an important subject. Again, I would argue that the actions that we've taken there are totally appropriate and consistent with the constitutional authority of the president."

Cheney has long been seen as an advocate of an assertive presidency. In response to questions about the roots of his thinking and his role in shaping the administration's policy, he made clear his strong views on the issue.

<http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/20/news/policy.php>
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