Get Money

This ship has sailed, but nobody has launched the follow-up, uh, dinghy. The vessel, USS Obfuscatory Assertion, is captained by the venerable Dick Cheney, who claims that his paycheck comes from the legislative branch and thus he is in the executive branch but not of it. Ridiculous, as all agree.

George Bush is paid $400,000 a year to be president. His check is not drawn on the Bank of the Executive Branch, but rather on the US Treasury (as Cheney's is). But shouldn't some Republican hack (the dinghy pilot) be arguing that, since the president's salary was established by an Act of Congress, and is part of the federal budget, that the president himself is technically part of the legislative branch, too? If it's the origin of the check that counts, then is this not so?

Or would that be too absurd? As if there is such a thing to a Republican...