Sunday, February 03, 2002

COMMENT

It's Cheney's turn to do a Nixon.


US Vice Pres. Dick Cheney refuses to divulge to the US Government Accounting Office the work of his energy task force in connection with the Enron scandal. He told the Today Show that he wants to "protect the ability of the president and the vice president to get unvarnished advice from any source we want." Yeah right, it also helps that they received millions in campaign contributions and probably quid pro quo deals with the Enron Group. It sounds like America really elected a pair of lemons to head their country. More analysis from Findlaw here.There is also an engaging explanation on the Enron scam here.

In U.S. v. Nixon, a constitutional law case that is staple in every Philippine law school, Pres. Nixon refused to release his secret tapes by invoking the same arguments that Cheney is now saying -- i.e., executive privilege blah blah blah. What is curious is Cheney knows how U.S. v. Nixon was decided. What makes him think the courts will reverse its ruling now, especially that we know he and Georgie have gone to bed with Enron officials?

I vaguely remember Mr. Cheney getting involved with US-Philippine relations in the distant past but somehow I can't get the details. Nevertheless, let's see if an impeachment trial will ensue on this fiasco. Impeachment is becoming a field of specialization in law since Kenneth Starr did it to tobacco smokin' Bill Clinton (with cigars made in the Philippines). Ex-Pres. Estrada got impeached too. But like most cases in the Philippines, it never reached a legal conclusion when the prosecutors walked out on Congress after a controversial vote on opening an envelope. Of course, Pres. Estrada was ousted after having "constructively resigned". But going back to Cheney, I am pretty sure he is on his way there and Georgie is waiting to join him.

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