Number 2 More Important Than Number 1

If you've been following the "Dick: The Fourth Branch of Government" saga unfolding in Washington, D.C., then already know about Vice-President Cheney's claim of being seperate from the Executive Branch of our federal government. This is making every political science and constitutional law professor in the country uneasy and excited all at the same time, what with giving them something original and brand new to deal with in the classroom while at the same time nearly shreading what last bits of the Constitution we have remaining.

But on Hardball yesterday during a debate about whether or not Cheney is running a shadow government, Melanie Sloaner from Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington made an interesting statement involving Google Earth.

"We saw this example on Google Earth. He had his house, the Vice-President's Mansion, taken off Google Earth even though the White House and the Captiol are on there." - Melanie Sloaner

Really? Cheney got Google to block out the satelite to his house? Well that's at least one fact that can be checked out. Here are the results:

The White House

Number One Observatory Circle (Vice-President)

The Pentagon

Sure enough, Google Earth does not allow for detailed images of the Vice-President's residence. But the White House, the Capitol, even the Pentagon are all in crisp detail. So while we political junkies get out our copies of the US Constitution and reread the section on vice-presidents, evidence of Cheney's shadowy powers can already be seen thanks to the help of Google.