July 13, 2002
Cracks in the Wall
A federal judge's ruling against the administration's attempt to withhold information about its meetings with energy industry big wigs in the formulation of its energy policy is a hopeful ruling against the Bush grab for absolute power. (see The Washington Post) The administration wants to continue to keep secret the meetings of the task force through which the energy industry essentially dictated the country's new energy policy. A lawsuit filed by the conservative Judicial Watch and the Sierra Club demands access to the public records of the task force's proceedings.It's no secret that the administration is owned by the energy industry. And there is no question that the majority of the Supreme Court is under the thumb of the same corporate oligarchy. If it gets to the Supreme Court, the administration will probably get its way, regardless of the constitutionality of its case, as we have seen before. But at least there are some judges left in the system who will not roll over for the oily rulers.
U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said essentially that the administration was trying to re-write the constitutional system of checks and balances. The Justice Department now says its "considering its options."
Meanwhile, another suit by Judicial Watch is closing in on Halliburton's alleged misstatements of its revenues by $234 million over four years under the direction of Dick Cheney as chief executive officer. (see Business Week)
This is another extremely rank can of worms for the administration. Between that and Bush's Harken hanky panky, there is no credibility in the administration's posture as an opponent of corporate corruption. They are corporate corruption. -- By David Cogswell