Insta-De-Classification

[appleannie1]

Well in 2001 and 2002, everybody in the government was reporting every time they classified something or de-classified something. So far, so good. However beginning in 2003 (perhaps coinciding with that energy task force thingy?) the Office of the Vice-president decided it wasn’t going to comply any more. Mind you, the Office of the President still had to comply, but not OVP. Odd? According to the SeattleTimes:

A standing executive order, strengthened by President Bush in 2003, requires all agencies and "any other entity within the executive branch" to provide an annual accounting of their classification of documents. More than 80 agencies have collectively reported to the National Archives that they made 15.6 million decisions in 2004 to classify information, nearly double the number in 2001, but Cheney insists he is exempt.



Bush has a partner — some say mentor — in Cheney, who from the start resisted all efforts to disclose the inner workings of a task force devising energy policy. He defeated an unprecedented lawsuit by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to unveil that task force and carried his fight successfully to the Supreme Court

In its 2005 report to the president released last month, the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), a branch of the National Archives, provides a quantitative overview of hundreds of thousands of pages of classified and declassified documents. But the vice president’s input consists of a single footnote explaining that his office failed to meet its reporting requirements for the third year in a row.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/03/17/insta-de-classification-and-other-bedtime-stories/

So in reality, who rules at the White House? And why do laws not apply to Cheney? Maybe, we are wrong in our thinking that Rove rules. Maybe he was put in place to push Cheney's message into the puppet he chose and Cheney is really the one in charge. There are a lot of interesting things at the link and instead of being on a blog, it should be front page on every paper in the nation.

[appleannie1]

1. EXECUTIVE ORDER 12958

EXECUTIVE ORDER 12958

CLASSIFIED NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
This order prescribes a uniform system for classifying, safeguarding, and declassifying national security information. Our democratic principles require that the American people be informed of the activities of their Government. Also, our Nation's progress depends on the free flow of information. Nevertheless, throughout our history, the national interest has required that certain information be maintained in confidence in order to protect our citizens, our democratic institutions, and our participation within the community of nations. Protecting information critical to our Nation's security remains a priority. In recent years, however, dramatic changes have altered, although not eliminated, the national security threats that we confront. These changes provide a greater opportunity to emphasize our commitment to open Government.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/clinton/eo12958.html

By law, Cheney is supposed to comply to this order, yet he has not done so for years, claiming he does not have to.

[valerief]

2. I wonder if there are any legal repercussions to Cheney breaking this law.

Hell, can he legally break any law? Looks like he can.