For four years Dick Cheney has resisted routine oversight of his office's handling of classified information and when the National Archives unit that monitors classification in the executive branch objected, the vice president's office suggested abolishing the oversight unit. That according to documents released yesterday. Looks like "Mr. Go Fuck Yourself" is aiming for the academy award in the category: ARROGANCE.
After repeatedly refusing to comply with a routine annual request from the archives for data on his staff's classification of internal documents, the vice president's office in 2004 blocked an on-site inspection of records that other agencies of the executive branch regularly go through.
The National Archives is an executive branch department headed by a presidential appointee, and it is assigned to collect the data on classified documents under a presidential executive order. Its information Security Oversight Office is the division that oversees classification and declassification.
Cheney's argument? He's not part of the executive branch, so he doesn't have to comply. Let me repeat that for effect: Cheney is not part of the executive branch, so he doesn't have to comply.
Cheney's position is based on strong assertions of presidential power and the importance of confidentiality. This from the guy who has recently had problems protecting secrets.
In fact, Cheney's office may have the worst record in the executive branch for safeguarding information.
Cheney's penchant for secrecy has long been a strking feature of the Bush administration, beginning with the fight to keep confidential the identities of the energy industry officials who advised his task force on national energy policy in 2001.
How many months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, are left under the influence of this corruption of power?
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