Hush -- The Secret Presidency

Secrecy has become the name of the game in the Bush White House, from Dick Cheney's secret meetings with oil companies to the secret spying on Americans, the Bush hallmark is keeping things from the people. This topic is taken up in a Boston Globe editorial regarding the recent firings of US Attorneys. What Bush has forgotten is that this isn't a dictatorship -- he serves at our behest and should honor the requests of those we've empowered to give oversight the proper respect.

Here is part of that column entitled Let in the Light.

The White House offer of closed-door, unsworn interviews, with no transcript, was slapped down by congressional leaders yesterday almost as fast as it deserved to be. White House spokesman Tony Snow said weakly that the officials shouldn't be required to give sworn testimony since it is a crime to lie to Congress whether under oath or not. But if that is the case, what is the argument against Rove, Harriet Miers, and the others raising their hands, as thousands of other citizens, and a number of top White House aides, have done in the past?

Bush's clutching reliance on secrecy has been a stain throughout his administration. Even as Gonzales is now twisting in the gale of outrage over the US attorney scandal, his FBI is conceding abuse of the records checks allowed by warrantless national security letters not a few times but perhaps thousands. Secret prisons, secret memos justifying torture, secret meetings with industry leaders producing pro-industry policies, unprecedented attempts to keep public
documents from the public -- these have been a Bush hallmark.

This is hardly government of, by, or for the people; it is an affront to the nation's proud democratic principles.

And especially in the case of the fired US attorneys. There is no national security issue here, no reason for secrecy -- other than shame. If Rove and company refuse to testify voluntarily,
Congress should follow through on its threat to subpoena them.