Answering to No One (Former Veep Mondale Has Bad Case of Cheney Envy)

The Washington Post ^ | Sunday, July 29, 2007 | Walter F. Mondale

[kristinn]

The Post's recent series on Dick Cheney's vice presidency certainly got my attention.

SNIP

But it wasn't until Jimmy Carter assumed the presidency that the vice presidency took on a substantive role. Carter saw the office as an underused asset and set out to make the most of it. He gave me an office in the West Wing, unimpeded access to him and to the flow of information, and specific assignments at home and abroad. He asked me, as the only other nationally elected official, to be his adviser and partner on a range of issues.

SNIP

Our relationship depended on trust, mutual respect and an acknowledgement that there was only one agenda to be served -- the president's.

SNIP

Whatever authority a vice president has is derived from the president under whom he serves. There are no powers inherent in the office; they must be delegated by the president. Somehow, not only has Cheney been given vast authority by President Bush -- including, apparently, the entire intelligence portfolio -- but he also pursues his own agenda. The real question is why the president allows this to happen.

Three decades ago we lived through another painful example of a White House exceeding its authority, lying to the American people, breaking the law and shrouding everything it did in secrecy. Watergate wrenched the country, and our constitutional system, like nothing before. We spent years trying to identify and absorb the lessons of this great excess. But here we are again.

Since the Carter administration left office, we have been criticized for many things. Yet I remain enormously proud of what we did in those four years, especially that we told the truth, obeyed the law and kept the peace.

[kristinn]

Poor Walter Mondale. If only he were endowed like Dick Cheney, intellectually of course, history might have turned out differently.

Mondale is proud of his record of being a punching bag for the Soviets and Islamic radicals. The man still hasn't learned after all these years.

[Doctor Raoul]

WHine, whine, whine....

[MNJohnnie]

American people accuse former VP Mondale of serious case of senility.

[stylin19a]

Our relationship depended on trust, mutual respect and an acknowledgement that there was only one agenda to be served -- the president's.

ah...nary a "USA" agenda in the quote...

[basil]

Oh yeah-—if we could only bring back the Carter/Mondale years—they were almost Utopiarian!

[johnny7]

Wally “I'm gonna' raise your taxes” Mondale...

[nathanbedford]

Mondale neglects to mention that there is a fifth column operating within our own government, especially in the CIA, determined to destroy this administration and undo most of its foreign policy initiatives. The guerrilla warfare in the CIA has become so notorious that it is scarcely to be denied. The Democrat Congress with its 300 investigations is conducting open warfare against the administration even to the point of abandoning any legislative initiatives of its own.

Under these circumstances, Cheney's modus operandi is a very rational and prudent policy. The left has denied the elective representatives of the people the ordinary institutions which winning an election normally puts at the disposal of our elected representatives. Small wonder Cheney and Bush have found ways to get around the institutions which have been corrupted by the leftists so that they can do the people's business.

Rather than whinge about overreaching by Vice President Cheney, Walter Mondale might better examine the near traitorous behavior of his own party.

[richardtavor]

What an absolute loser...an idiot of all times

[Savage Beast]

"Jimmy Carter...asked me...to be his adviser and partner..."

One would not expect a moron to choose a wise adviser or partner. One would expect a moron to choose another moron. So it was with Jimmy (Father of the Iranian Theocracy) Carter and Walter ("We're gonna tax their a$$ off!") Mondale.

Carter has demonstrated his stupidity time after time after time. So have his fans.

Mondale, no doubt has also. He's less high-profile than Carter; this may be because he's slightly smarter (which isn't hard to be), smart enough, at least, to keep a lower profile.

However, choosing Geraldine Ferraro as Vice President nominee was a stroke of imbecility.

The Left LOVES useful idiots. In fact, that's what most Leftists are.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

When Mundale turned up wearing those Junior Soprano glasses in the replace Wellstone race, I knew he was a pure idiot.

[sauropod]

Three decades ago we lived through another painful example of a White House exceeding its authority, lying to the American people, breaking the law and shrouding everything it did in secrecy. Watergate wrenched the country, and our constitutional system, like nothing before. We spent years trying to identify and absorb the lessons of this great excess. But here we are again.

You mean like the White House of the 1990's eh Walter? Facilitating missile technology transfer to the Chicoms, Fascist EPA, Elian, selling the Lincoln Bedroom, etc. etc.

It just went on and on Walter. And if Cankles gets back in, it will go on and on again.

[Experiment 6-2-6]

We do have Mondale to thank for having free lawyers for all accused...

Back when he was the Attorney General in Minnesota, you only got an appointed lawyer for hard felonies... And then not in all jurisdictions...

Walter Mondale.

He filed an amicus brief against Gideon..

[halran]

Mondale who?

Well, at least now we know of something the Carter Administration accomplished. My God, what a no body and to claim that HE defined the Vice Presidency.

[Captain Culpepper]

I guess Mondale still isn’t over the fact that his daughter played a supporting actress role in the Starr Report.

[t2buckeye]

So....the Post will print this crap from Mondale, but won’t print an article written by Condi Rice.

Typical of course.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

I’ve been watching the reruns of “From the Earth To the Moon” on the Science Channel. I was pleasantly surprised at what an uniformed dork they made Mondull out to be when he was a Senator sitting on the investigating committee for the Apollo 1 tragedy. Art imitates life!