The U.S. in 2007: No one has the right to know anything the President is doing, ever

For staunch supporters of President Bush and his policies, how often can you say “Oh, he would never take advantage of this rule” or “They’d never abuse that new law” or “We can trust them” or “If you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about”?

Because by my count, those terms have had to be bandied about on a loop for the past six years. And every day, the government gets less and less transparent.

Congressman Denied Access To Post-Attack Continuity Plans

WASHINGTON — Constituents called Rep. Peter DeFazio’s office, worried there was a conspiracy buried in the classified portion of a White House plan for operating the government after a terrorist attack.

As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, DeFazio, D-Ore., is permitted to enter a secure “bubbleroom” in the Capitol and examine classified material. So he asked the White House to see the secret documents.

On Wednesday, DeFazio got his answer: DENIED.

“I just can’t believe they’re going to deny a member of Congress the right of reviewing how they plan to conduct the government of the United States after a significant terrorist attack,” DeFazio said.

Homeland Security Committee staffers told his office that the White House initially approved his request, but it was later quashed. DeFazio doesn’t know who did it or why.

“We’re talking about the continuity of the government of the United States of America,” DeFazio said. “I would think that would be relevant to any member of Congress, let alone a member of the Homeland Security Committee.”

Bush administration spokesman Trey Bohn declined to say why DeFazio was denied access: “We do not comment through the press on the process that this access entails. It is important to keep in mind that much of the information related to the continuity of government is highly sensitive.”

–WKW

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