http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080820_A_statesman_too_old_to_r...

To the editor:

To those of us who feel that Vice President Dick Cheney has usurped
powers that even presidents dared not in the past taken, Thomas
Schwartz's ringing endorsement of Cheney -- on the grounds that he is so
politically enfeebled that he poses no threat to the president -- seems
both ironic and ignorant of recent history. The Vice President's office
has enabled the shredding of the constitution. It has revealed the
identity of covert CIA operatives. Cheney was added to Bush's ticket as
a check on Bush's youthful exuberance, and extravagant claims to
competence. In that role, both Bush and Cheney are eminent failures.

Ben Burrows
406 Shoemaker Road
Elkins Park, PA 19027
215-266-2029