Some more on Cheney not being in the Executive Branch

Bush's spokesmen have tried to defend Cheney's refusal to comply with the order by stating that Bush never meant for it to apply to him. They've tried claiming that there's some textual basis for this random assertion in the executive order itself, which isn't true. And the administration is having some problems with its arguments, sometimes claiming that it doesn't apply to Bush either, and sometimes saying Bush is in complete compliance.

Anyways, Congressman Rahm Emanuel has some issues with Cheney's assertion.

Washington, D.C. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel issued the following statement regarding his amendment to cut funding for the Office of the Vice President from the bill that funds the executive branch. The legislation -- the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill -- will be considered on the floor of the House of Representatives next week.

"The Vice President has a choice to make. If he believes his legal case, his office has no business being funded as part of the executive branch. However, if he demands executive branch funding he cannot ignore executive branch rules. At the very least, the Vice President should be consistent. This amendment will ensure that the Vice President's funding is consistent with his legal arguments. I have worked closely with my colleagues on this amendment and will continue to pursue this measure in the coming days."

Now if only somebody would say "You're not in the executive branch? Which means you're not covered by executive privilege? Then about those subpoenas we issued...." Then we'd be golden.