Obama Increasingly "Bush Lite"? Secrecy & Signing Statements

by Bartleby the Scrivener | So much for these promises too:   it worked for W, and the Obama administration isn't about to let go of the privileges claimed by the Bush administration.

Invoking an argument used by President George W. Bush, the Obama administration has turned down a request from a watchdog group for a list of health industry executives who have visited the White House to discuss the massive healthcare overhaul.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sent a letter to the Secret Service asking about visits from 18 executives representing health insurers, drug makers, doctors and other players in the debate. The group wants the material in order to gauge the influence of those executives in crafting a new healthcare policy....The Secret Service sent a reply stating that documents revealing the frequency of such visits were considered presidential records exempt from public disclosure laws. The agency also said it was advised by the Justice Department that the Secret Service was within its rights to withhold the information because of the "presidential communications privilege." (More at L.A. Times)

Even more worrying is the administration's claim that Obama can ignore legislation by Congress if he thinks it "oversteps the Constitution."  (Breitbart.com)

In a letter to the president, four senior House members said they were "surprised" and "chagrined" by Obama's statement in June accompanying a war spending bill that he would ignore restrictions placed on aid provided to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund...

Obama said he wouldn't allow the provisions to interfere with his authority as president to conduct foreign policy and negotiate with other governments.

The rebuff was reminiscent of Bush, who issued a record number of "signing statements" while in office. The statements put Congress on notice that the administration didn't feel compelled to comply with provisions of legislation that it felt challenged the president's authority as commander in chief...Reps. David Obey of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, as well as Reps. Nita Lowey and Gregory Meeks, both of New York, who chair subcommittees on those panels. (Breitbart.com)

Jesus.  For a guy who ran on the promise of greater transparency, as well as many other capital -C changes, that's not so good. 

It's definitely time for Dems in general to take a stand.  As Barney Fife would say, "Nip it in the bud!"

More blogger commentary at Memeorandum.

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