Bush Administration fights to keep records secret

[ck4829]

In the past year, lawyers for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney directed the Secret Service to maintain the confidentiality of visitor logs, declaring them to be presidential records.

The drive to keep secret the lists of visitors to the White House complex and Cheney’s home, the administration says, is essential to ensuring the president and vice president receive candid advice to carry out their duties. The decision made the logs exempt from a law requiring their disclosure to whoever asks to see them.

The latest part of the strategy emerged this week when the government disclosed a letter from Cheney’s counsel placing visitor logs for his personal residence on the Naval Observatory grounds in the category of presidential records.

Lawsuits are bringing to light new details about the White House push to make sure the public doesn’t learn who has been meeting with top Bush administration officials.

http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/06/02/news/national/doc466105e626636538308263.txt

[napi21]

1. I want to know WHO is that much of a criminal, mobster, crossdresser,

or drug dealer that they are soooo afraid someone finds out they've actually visited Shrub or Cheney?????

Really, who or what could possible warrant such secrecy? Hell, Shrub didn't seems to mind his pic being taken holding hands with Bandar Bush, and IMO, that was more damaging than some visitors could be.

[Hangingon]

2. I know there will be those who disagree...

These gate logs should be Presidential Records. It is a bipartisan issue. Clinton has the gate logs in Little Rock. It goes to the President's ability to obtain confidential advise. The big stumbling block to this is that the logs are made by Secret Service - an executive agency - and would usually be Federal Records. I see the logic in making these Presidential records because of the confidential advise provision. The records should be available i the 5 year provision of the PRA.

[aquart]

3. Clinton wasn't allowed one confidential moment.

These are PUBLIC records. They belong to us. The REASON they are being kept is that there are LAWS REQUIRING that they be kept. SO THAT THE PEOPLE MAY SEE THEM. Why? Because this isn't the first time we've had a corrupt administration. And our laws were written in an attempt to prevent another. But, to work, laws must be followed or the lawbreakers punished. Cheney is in violation by concealing his records. He is protected, however, by corrupt courts deliberately put in place to protect criminal activity by Republican thieves.

Bi-partisan my ass.

[Hangingon]

5. Both Presidential records and Federal records

are public records. The people are able to see each record. The issue of confidentiality is essential to the President receiving advise. If we cut that off we actually lose history. Already much has been lost. A President would be crazy to keep a personal diary today. Calendars, telephone notes and meeting notes kept by Presidents and staffers are also not kept or reduced to the barest essentials. Future historians will not have telephone recordings kept by FDR, JFK, LBJ and RMN to add flavor to the written record. Partisan anger can be blinding if it isn't controlled.

[rubberducky]

4. Don`t we as employers deserve to know

what our employees are up to?? Our employees are into national security. Isn`t it our right to know who is influencing our employees??