Guest Blogger: Abir M.

The other day I pulled up behind a Prius with a bumper sticker proclaiming “George W. Bush: The President Quayle we never had.”
Bahahahahaha. A Prius. Oh, and the bumper sticker was pretty funny too.
But it did get me thinking about the vice president and- ah- what does he do again?
The Constitution has plenty to say about the President. He has Executive Power; he is Commander in Chief; he can make treaties with other nations; he can sign or veto a bill. The president can do pretty much whatever he wants, as long as it’s within reason (and sometimes it doesn’t even have to be that).
But when it comes to the VP’s job description, the ambiguity is ridiculous- he’s president of the Senate, he takes over if the president of the U.S. becomes incapable of leading any further… and that’s it.
That’s it! And he gets paid $221,000 a year to do it!
Joe Biden tries to explain the other parts of the job to us little children here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqlGmBMjo1E
I suppose it makes sense.
However, it also really depends on who the VP is and who he’s serving under.
Joe Biden? Sometimes I think I might forget he is the vice president at all. Seriously. What is he up to these days?
Maybe Obama’s trying to veer away from his predecessor's footsteps; we poked some fun at the Bush regime the other day, saying it was Dick Cheney who was really president for 8 years. But ultimately it’s true that Cheney was one of the most powerful vice presidents the U.S. has ever had.
On the other hand, I haven’t been able to find a proper article about what Dan Quayle actually did during his term as vice president. I have, however, amassed a list of quotes by him that seem like they might have come from Jack Handey trying his hand at serious political commentary. Why was Quayle vice president? I have no idea. And I don’t think anyone else does either.
The vice presidency, it seems, is one of those weird positions where the president gives you however much power he deems necessary, and your duties depend on the power you are given. You usually don’t end up getting much of the spotlight; you do end up doing stuff, but oftentimes most of your constituents have no idea about what you’re actually doing. Constitutionally, though, you’re really only required to preside over the senate and, more importantly, wait around in case the president kicks the bucket.
And when he does, it’s your turn to have all the fun.