"The Bush administration contends that it is not trying to make government less open. Ari Fleischer, the president's press secretary, said, 'The bottom line remains the president is dedicated to an open government, a responsive government, while he fully exercises the authority of the executive branch.' " - Adam Clymer, The New York Times, 01/03/03

The actions of Howdy's administration, however, show this statement for the outright lie that it is.

In 2001, Herr Ashcroft issued a directive which encouraged federal agencies to reject any and all requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act if there was even the most tenuous legal reasons for doing so, with the promise that the DOJ would back them up in court.

We see the ongoing struggle between the GAO and "Bunker-Boy" Cheney over the transcipts of meetings he had with representatives from the energy industry regarding national energy policy. Such public policy and the process of its formulation must be open to public scrutiny. From the information that has been made available, Cheney basically bent the American public over a brass rail so the energy industry could have its way with us.

Then you have that walking corpse, Donald Rumsfeld, threatening Pentagon officials who discuss military operations with reporters. "I don't think the American people want to know anything that's going to cause the death of any one of these enormously and talented and dedicated and courageous people that are here today." he said before the troops at the Army Special Operations Command in November of 2001. What I want to know is how Rummy, or anyone else in Bush's cabinet, know what Americans really want. They are, after all, so divored from the everyday experience of the average person that there is no connection.

And we have the White House order to the National Archives not to release 68,000 pages of records from the Reagan administration. This, undoubtedly, was based on the fear of the skeletons that would come shambling from that closet.

Let's not forget Howdy's transfer of records from his days as Governor of Texas to his daddy's Presidential Library and, in effect, disappeared.

"Mr. Fleischer contends that there is no secrecy problem. "I make the case that we are more accessible and open than many previous administrations — given how many times [Secretary of State Colin L.] Powell, Rumsfeld and Ashcroft have briefed," he said."

Yeah, and shit don't stink either.

For the full text, go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/03/politics/03SECR.html?tntemail0=&pagewanted=print&position=top