Last month, Vice President Dick Cheney made the absurd claim that his office is not part of the Executive Branch in an attempt to avoid having to hand over classified documents to the National Archives. To paraphrase Time's Washington editor, perhaps next he'll declare that he's not subject to the law of gravity.

The Constitution is pretty clear about which branch of government to which the vice president belongs. According to Articles II and XII, that would be the executive.

Cheney's declaration concerning the nature of his office is but the latest instance of his willingness to flout the laws of the land to preserve his power. In this case, he's obstructing justice. For more examples of clear and incontrovertible law-breaking by both the vice president and the president, visit www.strengththroughpeace.org and follow the "Video Gallery" link to watch "The Indictment of Bush and Cheney."

Although there are only 18 months left in the reign of President Bush and Cheney, it is important that Congress begin impeachment proceedings against them for their criminal behavior in order to set an example for future executive branch officeholders. If Congress fails to act, we can expect worse abuses of executive power in the future. Is that what we want?

Kevin Cross,
Fort Collins