Correct

Welly, well, well the Los Angeles Times just today became the first major newspaper to not just call for the replacement of Defense Secretary "Henny Penny" Rumsfeld, but to also call for the resignation of Vice President Richard "Lon" Cheney.

Their argument is methodical and serious. I wouldn't exactly call it cautious, but more generally, aren't newspapers supposed to tell us things we don't already know?

In any case, it's the correct call, but it's never going to connect. I've come believe there are just four (4) real partners in this Administration, the core "Deciders": Dick Cheney, George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Karl Rove.

Donald is Dick's man and Karl is George's, but they're all four cornerstones: Foreign Policy i.e. Energy (Cheney), Civilian Military Control and Black Ops (Rumsfeld), Media Control (Bush), Party Patronage (Rove).

Everyone else is just an employee. Secretaries of State Rice and Powell, Scooter Libby, GOP head Ken Mehlman, former Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Attorney Generals Gonzales and (to a lesser degree) Ashcroft, Treasury Secr'y Snow -- they may have occasional influence, but does anyone actually think they control anything?

Another thing I've finally figured out (dense, I know) is that when the LA Times writes something like:

Unlike most vice presidents, Cheney does not aspire to be president, and he is the consummate Bush loyalist.

All I can think is, that's because he already is President, and the Bush loyalty is just a tool to retain that office.

Hell, would you be surprised to see Bush go before Cheney?