VP: What is it Good For?

An update to my earlier note about Palin's description of the vice-presidency during the debate...she elaborated further on the issue during an interview with Fox News. Think Progress has a good overview of the discussion along with some gratuitous shots at Palin, so here is the relevant section from the interview transcript:

CAMERON: One of the things you talked about last night was the flexibility of the vice presidency (INAUDIBLE)

PALIN: Yes.

CAMERON: What do you mean by that?

PALIN: That thankfully, our founders were wise enough to say, we have this (INAUDIBLE) and it's Constitutional. Vice presidents will be able to be not only the position flexible, but it's going to be sort of this other duty as assigned by the president. It's a simple thing. I don't think that was a gaff at all in stating what the truth is.

And that is we've got flexibility in the position. The president will be directing in a lot of (INAUDIBLE) with the vice president does.
The vice president, of course, is not a member -- or a part of the legislative branch, except to oversee the Senate. That alone provides a tremendous amount of flexibility and authority if that vice president so chose to use it.

CAMERON: One of the criticisms of Vice President Cheney is that he is (INAUDIBLE) the power and influence of the office and that during the Bush/Cheney presidency, the power of the executive has been a standard beyond perhaps that which is good for a country that wants to make sure that we don't have an imperial presidency.

Would you change any of that, (INAUDIBLE) than the Bush/Cheney administration in terms of the power of the executive?

PALIN: Well, again, as I tried to explain last night, our executive branch will know what our job is. We have the three very distinct branches of government. You know, we might be bleeding our authority over to the Legislative or Judicial branch to do our job in the Executive branch as administers.

Um...excuse me? "Bleeding our authority over" to the other two "distinct branches of government"? Has the meaning of "distinct" now changed? Does Ms. Palin believe that she would have the authority to actually set the Senate's legislative agenda? And, pray tell, exactly what executive authority will now "bleed over" to the judicial branch?

The only thing bleeding over here is the Constitution.