Biden Set to Inherit Expanded Vice Presidential Powers After Cheney Era

GWEN IFILL:

With so much focus on change underway in the Oval Office come January, less attention has been paid to another perhaps as consequential transition underway at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as Dick Cheney, the most powerful vice president in history, hands over the reigns to Joe Biden.

The outgoing vice president has been candid and unapologetic about his role.

U.S. VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY:

We set out to do what we thought was necessary and essential for the country. That clearly was the guiding principle with respect to the aftermath of 9/11. I feel very good about a lot of the things we've done in this administration.

GWEN IFILL:

And in spite of a cordial post-election meeting between the two, Biden has been critical of his predecessor.

U.S. VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN:

His notion of a unitary executive, meaning that in time of war essentially all power, you know, goes to the executive, I think is dead wrong. I think it was mistaken.

I think it caused this administration, in adopting that notion, to overstep its constitutional bounds, but at a minimum to weaken our standing in the world and weaken our security.

GWEN IFILL:

The two men see the vice president's job very differently. Cheney spoke this past weekend to "Fox News Sunday."

DICK CHENEY:

Especially given the kind of conflict we're faced with today, we find ourselves in a situation where I believe you need strong executive leadership.

What we did in this administration is to exert that kind of authority. We did it in a manner that I believe and the lawyers that we looked to for advice believed was fully consistent with the Constitution and with the laws of the land. And there's, I say, ample precedent for it.

GWEN IFILL:

Biden on ABC's "This Week" said he leans the other way.

JOE BIDEN:

I think we should restore the balance here. The role of the vice president of the United States as I see it is to give the president of the United States the best, sagest, most accurate, most insightful advice and recommendations he or she can make to a president.

CHRIS WALLACE, anchor, Fox News: Biden has said that he believes you have dangerously expansive views of executive power.

DICK CHENEY:

Well, I just fundamentally disagree with him.

GWEN IFILL:

On Cheney's watch, the vice president supported harsh interrogation of detainees and a domestic wiretapping program.

JOE BIDEN:

I think the recommendations, the advice that he has given to President Bush and maybe advice the president already had decided on before he got it — I'm not making that judgment — has been not healthy for our foreign policy, not healthy for our national security, and it has not been consistent with our Constitution, in my view.

DICK CHENEY:

If he wants to diminish the office of vice president, that's obviously his call.

GWEN IFILL:

Biden has said he's told the president-elect he wants to return to the role of chief presidential confidante.

JOE BIDEN:

I said, "I want a commitment from you that, on every important decision you'll make, every critical decision, economic and political, as well as foreign policy, I'll get to be in the room."

GWEN IFILL:

It will be up to the president to decide what "being in the room" really means.