Cheney Codifies His False View Of Veep’s Office Into Official ‘Plum Book’ Of Federal Jobs

Thinkprogress:

Every four years, the federal government produces the “Plum Book,” listing “more than 7,000 government jobs that are likely to open up with the presidential transition.” This year, the book was published by the Senate Committee on Government Affairs (publication duty alternates between the Senate and the House Committee on Government Reform), which is chaired by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Lieberman described it as “essential reading for anyone interested in pursuing public service in the executive branch of government.”

For those interested in the executive branch, however, the 2008 and the 2004 versions of the Plum Book offer a startling — and erroneous — assertion: The office of the Vice President is not in the executive branch. Both versions put the description of the VP’s office last under Appendices,” rather than in the Executive Branch section:

The Vice Presidency is a unique office that is neither a part of the executive branch nor a part of the legislative branch, but is attached by the Constitution to the latter. The Vice Presidency performs functions in both the legislative branch (see article I, section 3 of the Constitution) and in the executive branch (see article II, and amendments XII and XXV, of the Constitution, and section 106 of title 3 of the United States Code).