Dean Says He's Now Considering Unsealing Vermont Files

[UpInArms]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/03/national/03DEAN.html?ex=1071032400&?en=13fe7e20734ce4da&?ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

NEWTON, Iowa, Dec. 2 — Facing criticism for another day over his decision on leaving office as governor of Vermont to keep many of his official papers secret for a decade, Howard Dean said on Tuesday that he was now considering unsealing some of the records.

"We're talking about trying to be accommodating," Dr. Dean told reporters here before a town hall meeting. "We think that transparency is important. But executive privilege is a serious issue, and there are private things in there that can't be let out. We are kind of having that internal discussion."

Mr. Dean, one of nine Democratic presidential contenders, made his comments shortly before Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, planned to go after him at a fund- raiser in Vermont, for refusing to open the records.

...more...

[Rose Siding]

1. Someone said they thought he'd do this in Dec

I don't remember where- at a meet up or on one of the boards there was speculation that they'd be opened as late as possible, not because there is anything damaging but because *whatever* there is will over spun.

I'm glad to hear this, as long as it isn't detrimental to any of his former constituents. He should wait as long as possible.

[papau]

33. Open Records in Texas are not open - Austin Chronicle article

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-11-07/pols_feature.html

SNIP..Closing the Door
"During recent years, state agencies have increasingly begun stamping documents as confidential or indicating that the work is subject to attorney-client privilege. The practice has a counterpart among federal documentation -- the "secret" classification, for example -- but even sensitive federal papers may be automatically declassified after 15 years, while no statutory time limit exists on the "confidential" papers of state agencies in Texas..."

SNIP..."At the Texas State Library the assumption had long been that once a state document reached the archives, it was open to public inspection, whatever the original nature of the document. Only those exceptions mandated by law (home telephone numbers of state officials, some Social Security information, e-mail addresses, etc.) would be blocked out, or "redacted." Gradually, however, because of the increasing number of state documents designated as classified, archivists have increasingly been required to seek attorney general opinions before opening them to the public...."

AND several other paragraphs, then this:
SNIP..In the future, if Gov. Perry, for example, decides that a document out of Gov. Bush's files -- an opinion by Al Gonzales might be a good example -- should be treated as confidential, it will now be submitted to the attorney general for a ruling (the same attorney general who just endorsed the idea of attorney-client privilege for state officials). In the past, there was a presumption of openness -- and with all due respect to his position, the governor would have been told to go fish. Now -- gradually, and then abruptly -- Gov. Rick Perry has laid his hands on the keys to Gov. George W. Bush's filing cabinet. ....."

A long read, but it is worth it to understand what is meant by "open" records in Texas.

[bluestateguy]

2. Oh, I'm sure that will appease his critics

Give them an inch and they will bitch and moan for more and more.

[creeksneakers2]

3. Dean Would Be Making a Big Mistake

Clinton tried to cooperate with the GOP witch hunters. They tried to destoy him for it. When the GOP gets records they distort everything they find. When they have no facts the right wingers say, "this raises questions."

Imagine if they found a note that said: "Dear Howard, You are such a sweetheart. I'm so glad you're around." Can you imagine what they would do with something like that?

Dean should just say that he'll open his files when Bush restarts the Senate WMD lies investigation and turns over all information regarding the White House and WMD claims.

[AP]

8. However, Clinton was very open. He NEVER would have made

secrecy a battleground.

[newyawker99]

34. Hi creeksneakers2!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[PROGRESSIVE1]

4. FUCK!!!!!

Nazis!!! This is how the Nazi GOP gets its way!

Bullying! :puke: :puke:

[Rose Siding]

7. He's taking hits from Dems

if you can call Lieberman a Dem.

[frustrated_lefty]

5. Good for him.

Ih he can stand honestly before the American people and say "the only records NOT open CAN'T be opened because that would violate privacy laws," he looks even better. The repukes are shooting themselves in the foot if they want to go toe-to-toe with Dean on honesty.

[JailBush]

6. I find this disturbing.

Is it routine for governors to seal their records? It sounds awfully fishy to me. This just strengthens my support for Kucinich, though I'll support Dean if he gets the nomination - which looks likely at this point.

But I don't like the idea of elected officials sealing official records. What have they got to hide?

[FrenchieCat]

21. Doesn't look likely too me...

He ain't no runaway train now!!! just cause the media said so.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

28. Are you really that naive? Just about EVERY elected official has some...

...records sealed prior to leaving office.

Would you like it if ALL of your records were made public?

[saskatoon]

36. where there's smoke, there's fire

and as you said, something just doesn't smell right about this hiding records. That stuff about protecting patients confidence---aint gonna buy that shit

[madfloridian]

9. How dare people here condemn him for opening them??

He has been condemned by Democrats all day and last night, over and over. Don't dare say a word. He could withstand the GOP, but not his own party, including Lieberman.

He has been attacked more by the Democrats than anyone else.

Don't say a word in criticism.

On Edit:
People know Trippi et al lurk here. They have been going after Dean on this since yesterday here at the forums. What the heck else do you think he would do? His own party.

[FrenchieCat]

22. Good for him!

[silverweb]

10. The Rethuglicans, endless hypocrites that they are...

... have been pushing this, and the other Dem candidates are obviously taking advantage of the opportunity to damage Dean before the primaries.

IF Dean can open some of those sealed records, that's fine. I just hope that he and Trippi and rest of the Dean camp are well prepared for the onslaught. No matter how trivial something may be, there will be inevitable attempts by the GOP and other Dem candidates to make mountains out of ant hills. The necessary task will be for Dean to deal with these quickly and efficently, then keep returning the focus to the real issues.

[w4rma]

11. I hope he doesn't. Bush's governor records will still be mostly classified

Are the "open" records really open.....or are other hands on the keys.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=813761

And Bush's presidential records are still, to my knowledge, totally classified.

[ibegurpard]

12. I liked the "I'll show mine if you show yours" response better.

Fuck the other Democrats who criticizing him...keep the focus on Bush.

[MaineDem]

24. He's not running against Bush.

People seem to forget that his opponents ARE the other Dems.

[LiberalFighter]

41. How about...

I will open the files after the primary and when Bush opens his files.

There is no point in his files being open unless he is the nominee for the Democratic Party.

[Egnever]

13. Bah!

He should stick to his guns and keep em sealed. Screw the pugs.

[madfloridian]

20. His own party is forcing it. That is the sad part.

He can not fight the Democratic Party on this.

[Cooley Hurd]

14. Good! Now everyone can...

...SHUT THE FUCK UP, ALREADY!

Candy "Jabba" Crowley said nothing about Bush's sealed papers from the time he was playing governor of TX, all the while complaining about Dean's papers. Well, not until Aaron Brown brought it up, to which Candy replied, "I called the GHWB Presidential library (the custodians of Gov Shrub's papers) and they said all of his documents were open for examination."

Ya think Candy double-checked this? Probably not...

I hate her...

[madfloridian]

15. Open for examination if not under one of many categories.....AND

not under the thumb of Governor Perry, the watchdog of records.

I think DU bears a lot of responsibility for his opening them. The candidates do have people lurking here, and they know exactly all the vicious attacks on Dean for this.

So do the reporters who lurk here, and they don't have to do their homework.

I don't think opening them will hurt Dean per se, but it could hurt others.

[Cooley Hurd]

17. The candidates would be insane not to tap DU for the pulse...

...of the party. And the media.

But it's a great time to force Shrub to shed some light on his papers, and Poppy's, and Ronnie's... Screw this double-standard stuff. Let's all call for a new transparency in govt!

(how's THAT for turning lemons into lemonade?)

[Cooley Hurd]

18. crazy DUpe

have the dupe posts been happening more frequently? seems so...

[WENSTJDON]

16. she also said

to get access to some of bush's* records as governor you had to get FOIA paperwork approved. In other words you have to go to a lot of trouble to access this info. She stumbled all over that one. I was glad to see Aaron Brown bring up Bush's* papers though.

[Cooley Hurd]

19. But I wonder if she even bothered to check it out...

She said she called GHWB Library and they said all documents are available. Documents requiring a FOIA request aren't considered sealed.

This could also mean they're done purging the records of anything incriminating and/or embarassing so they probably feel it's safe to throw open the doors of the DimSon Reading Room...

[mbperrin]

31. Actually, if you check, they will tell you that records

are available, but due to manpower shortages, nothing, not a scrap, can actually be retrieved "at this time" (for the last 3 years so far).

See, they're just shorthanded, not secretive assholes!

(Again, why are STATE records of the SON in his father's library??)

[Justice]

25. Candy Knew

she said, "with some effort" you can get them.

She threw in the qualifier because she knew the effort was significant -- and she also knew that many of the papers are stamped to prevent disclosure

[LiberalFighter]

42. Then someone should take up the GHWB library claim

[drfemoe]

23. I don't think he should until he knows this ..

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-11-07/pols_feature5.html
Where's Karl
... snip
A recent New Yorker profile of the president's special assistant, Karl Rove, noted the common D.C. presumption that Rove is responsible for everything that happens in the known political universe. Some Texans tend to think that way as well. Yet, to judge from the Bush gubernatorial papers, Rove barely exists. In the winter of 2001, when then-Attorney General John Cornyn's office was first deciding the fate of the Bush papers, Rove was cc'd as an interested party. Yet astonishingly (and suspiciously) thus far, after almost two more years of archival review, Rove's fingerprints are to be found literally nowhere on the papers themselves. Although Rove served George W. Bush during the governor's entire six-year tenure in Austin, not a single significant Karl Rove-generated document has yet been found in the Bush archives: not a letter, not a memo, not a position paper, not an e-mail.

Two possible explanations come to mind. Either someone scrubbed the archives before the two truckloads of documents were returned from College Station to state hands, or George W. Bush was extremely fastidiousness in separating the political/campaign side of his job from his role as governor -- as required by state law. (There's an interesting entry in one of the governor's daily calendars that could be used to defend the latter view. Toward the end of his time in the Governor's Mansion, Bush, speaking on a state telephone, was accidentally connected by an intern with Rove, presumably from his private office, since Rove was not a state employee. When the governor realized who was on the other end of the line, according to a secretary's entry in his calendar, he unceremoniously hung up on his political guru.)

It's certainly curious that the man often referred to as "Bush's Brain" makes his presence felt in Bush's gubernatorial archives only by his absence. Future biographers and historians can use that as an indicator: Whatever story the archives tell, it's not the whole story.

[dusty64]

26. Where is the fuckin "outrage"

over ALL of our regime's secrecy. The 9/11 documents, energy papers, reagan/poppy papers, chimp's own governor records, etc. I would hope Dean doesn't cave over rnc demands and give rove ANY ammo to use against him. Simply say as he did before, I'll release mine when the regime release all of theirs.

[seaglass]

27. Transparency is good. Good for Dean if he does this.

I don't understand why we can beat up on Cheney (energy policy) and Bush (Reagan records, his own) but support a Dem candidate who wants to keep his records from the public. Seems hypocritical. I'm not interested in the excuse, well Bush did it so why shouldn't we do it.

[truthisfreedom]

29. lock it up, Dean, and make them demand that it be opened.

then demand that bush release his military records. and the Harken records. and his old Texas license records. then ask him this one question point-blank:

Mr President, sir... may I ask... how many times have you been arrested? And on what charges?

[mbperrin]

30. I do believe that I'd tell Repuke Ed that

I'd bring mine ready to open as soon he brings Poppy's, Raygun's and Dubya's records ready to open.

Or if it it's just about governors, OK, then just pry Dubya's loose from his daddy's presidential library (why are STATE records there?) and I'll be there!

How the hell does Dumbya get a free pass on everything????????????

[Sperk]

32. shouldn't even consider opening them until he has the nominiation

then he can continue with "I'll open mine, if you open yours" with Bushie.

[CityDem]

35. Come clean Dean

We stand for full disclosure in government. We want Cheney to release the Energy Task Force records. Dean cannot seal his records while we demand info from Bush/Cheney. Dean needs to take the high road and release this information. Show the public how a person of integrity acts. Don't emulate the current crowd of misfits in this administration.

[Zhade]

37. STOP BUCKLING, DEAN!

First you apologized for a remark others chose to misinterpret, now this?

Keep your backbone, man. You won't be effective by caving in. Just ask the Dems who have, they can tell you all about it.

[Sterling]

38. I think he needs to.

I like him a lot and I am looking for leaders with nothing to hide.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

39. Dean should keep is record sealed.

It's a normal procedure.

[pinto]

40. Open 24/7

Oddly enough, there's a theory that global security and global human rights would be best served by open access to all information, whether that be print, telecommunication, video, audio, satellite, etc.