[BlackBird]

The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring that records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to the public.

The Bush administration didn't reveal the existence of the memorandum of understanding until last fall. The White House is using it to deal with a legal problem on a separate front, a ruling by a federal judge ordering the production of Secret Service logs identifying visitors to the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.

In a federal appeals court filing three weeks ago, the administration's lawyers used the memo in a legal argument aimed at overturning the judge's ruling. The Washington Post is suing for access to the Secret Service logs. http://rawstory.com/showarticle.php?...2F16392915.htm

Okay, let's hear you guys rationalize this. Let's hear it from the apologists. What would it be this time? National security interests? Vital war information needs to be kept secret? I don't know.. hit me with something new. I look forward to the excuses.

[Vemnagelignc]

Marilyn Monroe?

[Unjucky]

You got to love this, because this screams "Have a hearing and subpoena the visitor log".

This is going to be an interesting time for historians, there is more known about the inner workings of the Nazi government in Germany, because when it fell, 80% of it's records were intact, and made available to scholars.
I'll bet the Bush administration has plenty of stuff on record that they never thought would see the light of day, after all, the Democrats looked like a permanent minority party just a few years ago, so no one worried about subpoenas or hearings.

[Eromereorybig]

I guess they could shred the records.

[Angeheade]

Well, this adminsitration is known for being extremely secretive, but an action like this certainly begs the question, what are they hiding?

from the story on the ABC site:

The five-page document dated May 17 declares that all entry and exit data on White House visitors belongs to the White House as presidential records rather than to the Secret Service as agency records. Therefore, the agreement states, the material is not subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. You known, this really stinks. Are all visitors to the White House actually visiting the President? Of course not. But to call them "presidential records"??

In the past, Secret Service logs have revealed the comings and goings of various White House visitors, including Monica Lewinsky and Clinton campaign donor Denise Rich, the wife of fugitive financier Marc Rich, who received a pardon in the closing hours of the Clinton administration. So if Clinton was a devious as Bush, he might have taken the same action to close the White House visitor logs and saved himself a whole lot of trouble, eh?

And the kicker....

The memo last spring was signed by the White House and Secret Service the day after a Washington-based group asked a federal judge to impose sanctions on the Secret Service in a dispute over White House visitor logs for Abramoff.

[Dr. Shon Thomson]

I fully agree - this is not appropriate.

Matt

[annouhMus]

I still say: ??????????????????

[Vemnagelignc]

I still say: ??????????????????

I think that several of us are sort of wondering that.

[Heliosprime]

I have to agree, there is it appears, no good reason for this, one can only ask why? Its stupid and just creates more trouble than it may be worth..or does it? Is there something he is hiding? He doesn't own the WH, we do.

[Eromereorybig]

Can the democrat majority do anything about getting the records made public? Or are we shit outta luck and the President is now the King?

[Dr. Shon Thomson]

Sure - they could pass legislation making those records the province of the Secret Service once again.

Matt

[Heliosprime]

IF he has the law behind him and has jurisdiction over the records he's not a KING...jeez...change the law if you don't like it.........since when did rule of law make anyone a "king"?

[fabrizioitwloch]

I does seem that someone has something to hide.
Wouldn’t the Congress have to be involved to pass an argreement to withhold the visitor list ?

[Angeheade]

Can the democrat majority do anything about getting the records made public? Or are we shit outta luck and the President is now the King?

There has already been at least one suit filed - by the Washington Post - and there may be more, trying to gain access to the Secret Service logs. But that takes time.

Personally, I think a whole lotta shit will be revealed in the years after Bush leaves office.

[Eromereorybig]

I think so too Curly. I think these next two years are going to be not at all boring on this site and in the news about politics.

Perhaps some of the people that think American Idol is more interesting will start to take notice. I hope so.

[annouhMus]

My real question is Who the hell cares about White house visitor lists????? Just possible troublemakers,?? looking for something to say "AH HA" about???

[BlackBird]

My real question is Who the hell cares about White house visitor lists????? Just possible troublemakers,?? looking for something to say "AH HA" about???

doniston, what the hell? You thinking alright today? LOL

It was an obvious move to create an obstacle in the Democrat's ethics agenda. Visitor logs reveals names of lobbyists and details the interaction. The "ah ha!" was made with abramoff. What's wrong with you? LOL

[fabrizioitwloch]

It was an obvious move to create an obstacle in the Democrat's ethics agenda. Visitor logs reveals names of lobbyists and details the interaction.

There is no such thing as ethics in "any" politics today.
The list should be made available no matter who the visitor visited.

[primaveraloler]

According to the article alone, this appears to be entirely a political move aimed at greater government secrecy. I'm a little confused as to why the White House is making a big deal out of this, though - it seems as though the Secret Service would be able to edit or destroy some logs if certain visitors were harmful toward public relations or a court case.

[annouhMus]

doniston, what the hell? You thinking alright today? LOL

It was an obvious move to create an obstacle in the Democrat's ethics agenda. Visitor logs reveals names of lobbyists and details the interaction. The "ah ha!" was made with abramoff. What's wrong with you? LOL

Because I think it is much ado about nothing, there must be something wrong with me? Funny.

Since when do vistor's logs detail what the visit was about, and why should they.??
And If they don't, then people nosing about in them are simply curious (that's OK) or perhaps "troublemakers" (and that's NOT OK)