Other Crap

Cheney's energy task force case: A Vision of Power. I believe that this essay is exactly correct, and gets right to the heart of the matter. It states that there are three possible reasons why the administration is defending its right to privacy in this matter. (1) there is a smoking gun hidden in the records (2) the records will show the cozy relationship between the administration and big oil (3) the executive is acting on principle.

• The essay goes on to state that, contrary to what you are probably thinking at the moment, it is not the first two but the third one that should frighten you.
• After all, what could that principle be? There is no question of separation of powers (it is about public access, not Congressional access), and there is no question of national security (there are no revelations that could aid America's enemies), so the only possible principle to be defended is the right of the President and his advisors to act as they please, and to take secret counsel, with the public having no right to know what they are doing.
• Think of the implications of that. Assume for a moment that Dick Cheney has done something very awful in those proceedings, whatever it might be. Probably not true, but assume it as a hypothetical. If he is allowed to keep that info from the American public on the grounds of secrecy and confidentiality alone, it means that any elected official at a high enough level can do any dirty deal he pleases, and can never be caught, because the American public has no right to know about those proceedings. Do you believe that? I surely don't, and I don't believe Madison and Jefferson would have either.