Call Cheney's Bluff

The Washington Post reports on the Vice President's novel approach to violate an Executive Order to comply with the National Archives and Record's Service's rules about reporting classified. Tricky Dick Jr. is claiming that, as the President of the Senate, he is not bound by executive branch regulations.

Call his bluff.

The Senate is the judge of its own rules and I am sure that it has rules about dealing with classified. The Majority Leader must then take it upon himself to order the Sergeant of Arms to enforce those rules. If the rules are inadequate to the task of forcing its presiding officer to behave himself, the majority can be more specific and order compliance. If the presiding officer does not wish to comply, the majority should revoke his security clearance. This might take sixty votes, but with enough popular outrage, sixty votes may be available.

If perchance sixty-seven votes are available we can begin to talk of other matters.