It’s been a couple of days now since we first learned of the surgical implantation of a ventricular assist device to keep former Vice President Dick Cheney alive. Given that his horrendous policies also won’t die, it seems only natural that he should join the undead, too.

How appropriate is it that the same week we learn about Cheney’s pump that keeps him alive without a pulse we also learn of the insatiably growing and definitely never to die network of private contractors playing huge roles in our nation’s intelligence gathering?