Transparency Like You've Never Seen Before

October 30, 2009 3:57 PM

You like documents? We got documents:

1. White House visitor logs
2. Dick Cheney's FBI interview
3. SEC exhibits in Bernie Madoff investigation

posted by up in the old hotel (40 comments total)

What, no scans of the Warren Commission's report?
posted by mudpuppie at 4:07 PM on October 30, 2009 [5 favorites]

Is claiming amnesia a valid response to a detective? I can't imagine most detectives are okay with suspects answering with a "Gee, shucks, I forgot" to every answer.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:10 PM on October 30, 2009

In America, silence is a quite valid response to a detective.
posted by Wufpak at 4:24 PM on October 30, 2009

It worked for President Reagan.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 4:28 PM on October 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

(Selective amnesia that is. God forbid he would be silent about anything.)
posted by Nick Verstayne at 4:29 PM on October 30, 2009

Is claiming amnesia a valid response to a detective?

If TV has taught me anything, it's that a second blow to the head will clear that right up.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:30 PM on October 30, 2009 [7 favorites]

Then there's the amnesia of Alberto Gonzales -- maybe there was an office pool to see who could say they forgot the most about being in the Bush Administration.
posted by bearwife at 4:36 PM on October 30, 2009 [6 favorites]

Rictus grin for the camera!
posted by vectr at 5:04 PM on October 30, 2009

Regarding Cheney's statement that the CIA sending Joe Wilson to Africa was "amateur hour":

Does Cheney actually deny that Joe Wilson's findings from that trip -- to wit, that Saddam Hussein did not seek uranium from Niger -- is correct?
posted by Flunkie at 5:06 PM on October 30, 2009

Surely this will be the downfall of the Bush administration!
posted by Balisong at 5:19 PM on October 30, 2009 [7 favorites]

Flunkie, I believe that Saddam expressed an interest in buying yellowcake (dirt) from Niger, but they said no, and it went no further. Hardly something to trump up in a State of the Union Address.
posted by Balisong at 5:27 PM on October 30, 2009

Does Cheney actually deny that Joe Wilson's findings from that trip -- to wit, that Saddam Hussein did not seek uranium from Niger -- is correct?

IIRC the wingnut response to this is: the documents concerning uranium were fake but accurate.
posted by fleetmouse at 5:27 PM on October 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

And right after we all agreed that we need still need Investigative Journalists to dig up the stuff you can't find on the Web! Curses!
posted by evilmidnightbomberwhatbombsatmidnight at 5:28 PM on October 30, 2009

Apparently, all you need to make something "Not Secret" is to put a "X" over the word "SECRET" with ballpoint pen.
You can also tell that they are the real documents because they couldn't put them in the scanner straight.
posted by Balisong at 5:31 PM on October 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

Regarding the visitor logs, apparently that wasn't that Bill Ayers or that Jeremiah Wright.
posted by Balisong at 5:36 PM on October 30, 2009

Wait, is "Jonothan edwards" a real person or is the White House record keeping just bad?
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:48 PM on October 30, 2009

They let John Edwards in there? Those BASTARDS! What other dastardly deeds have they been up to?
posted by Balisong at 5:53 PM on October 30, 2009

IIRC the wingnut response to this is: the documents concerning uranium were fake but accurate.

And yet they also believe Bush voluntarily served in the military and Dan Rather completely made that stuff up.
posted by inigo2 at 5:55 PM on October 30, 2009

If TV has taught me anything, it's that a second blow to the head will clear that right up.

If previous document dumps have taught me anything, it's that the 183rd bucket of water up the nostrils clears that right up.
posted by notyou at 6:13 PM on October 30, 2009

In September, requests were submitted for the names of some famous or controversial figures (for example Michael Jordan, William Ayers, Michael Moore, Jeremiah Wright, Robert Kelly ("R. Kelly"), and Malik Shabazz). The well-known individuals with those names never actually came to the White House. Nevertheless, we were asked for those names and so we have included records for those individuals who were here and share the same names.

What do they mean, "we were asked for those names"? Am I just being dense?
posted by HotToddy at 6:33 PM on October 30, 2009

They put in a request to see if "Michael Jordan" stopped by the WH. Perhaps one did, but not the Michael Jordan (#23). They apparently didn't provide any context around those names (e.g. Michael Jordan, the former NBA Basketball star).
posted by SirOmega at 6:56 PM on October 30, 2009

It's interesting that they are posting the logs, but posting stuff just means people know what to avoid. If they log when you visit the White House, I guess you should have meetings in the EOB.
posted by smackfu at 7:13 PM on October 30, 2009

It's also a bit strange that they are going through such effort to only partially release the logs from before September. Wouldn't it be much easier to just release all of them then to get hundreds of requests? And it's just a web form, I'm surprised more people haven't abused the heck out of it.
posted by smackfu at 7:16 PM on October 30, 2009

maybe there was an office pool to see who ... forgot the most about ... the Bush Administration

Why can't it be us? For the love of God, why can't it be us?!
posted by dhartung at 7:56 PM on October 30, 2009 [2 favorites]

The Madoff exhibits appear to be severely redacted -- only 21 out of 81 pages on exhibit 2 appear to be visible. Just sayin'.
posted by Oddly at 7:59 PM on October 30, 2009

Swear to God, I first read those as vibrator logs and SEX exhibits, and thought "Wow - either I'm in a seriously weird mood or Washington D.C. is a lot more relaxed than I'd been led to believe! Not that that would be a bad thing.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:07 PM on October 30, 2009

Yep, the Madoff documents (I looked at 13 & 14) seem to quite fragmentary, with names redacted to boot. But who really wants to be asked:

..the E-mails talk about the fact that there were numbers of 5 billion
and 15 billion, but in fact when the analyzed is and when they talked
to the market makers, they couldn't see any volume?

A. Like I said, I mean it raises a lot of questions.

posted by hexatron at 8:13 PM on October 30, 2009

They put in a request to see if "Michael Jordan" stopped by the WH. Perhaps one did, but not the Michael Jordan (#23). They apparently didn't provide any context around those names (e.g. Michael Jordan, the former NBA Basketball star).

Ohhhhh . . . I was confused because I thought it was all voluntarily disclosed--missed the part about specific requests. So I was just being dense. Thanks, going to bed now!
posted by HotToddy at 9:09 PM on October 30, 2009

Well I'm satisfied that there are no shenanigans going on here.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:42 PM on October 30, 2009

Regarding Cheney's statement that the CIA sending Joe Wilson to Africa was "amateur hour"

Let's see. Joe Wilson was once a foreign diplomat assigned to Niger and personally had met with all of that country's leaders and major businessmen.

Later he was assigned to Iraq and had met with all of the leaders of Iraq including Saddam Hussein.

Oh, and he also speaks fluent French which is the official language of Niger.

So is there anyone else in the U.S. who might be more qualified to investigate a rumored business deal between Niger and Iraq? Maybe they ran out of horse show managers.
posted by JackFlash at 10:00 PM on October 30, 2009 [7 favorites]

Dick Cheney: Great asshole, or greatest asshole ever?
posted by five fresh fish at 11:23 PM on October 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

"...the Vice President cited as an example, the underlined portion of the (New York Times) article wherein former ambassador Joe Wilson wrote 'I have every confidence that the answer I provided was circulated to the appropriate officials within our government.' The Vice President stated that had not happened so he questioned again the 'seriousness' of this effort by Wilson and the CIA."

Many things can be said about the CIA. "Not serious" would not be within the Venn diagram I would draw.

"Then there's the amnesia of Alberto Gonzales -- maybe there was an office pool to see who could say they forgot the most about being in the Bush Administration."

...the who Administration?
posted by Smedleyman at 11:36 PM on October 30, 2009

five fresh fish: "Dick Cheney: Great asshole, or greatest asshole ever?"

He's certainly in the running. I'll never forget how his hunting partner was essentially apologizing for getting in the way of his gun.
posted by double block and bleed at 11:37 PM on October 30, 2009

22 Things Dick Cheney Can't Recall About the Plame Case.
posted by scalefree at 5:05 AM on October 31, 2009

...the who Administration?

"...the who what?"
posted by notyou at 7:12 AM on October 31, 2009

...the who Administration?

"...the who what?"
posted by notyou at 7:12 AM on October 31

eponysterical
posted by infini at 9:37 AM on October 31, 2009

eponysterical

I know it's one of the great in-jokes of MetaFilter but if I never read this word again it will be too soon.
posted by scalefree at 9:53 AM on October 31, 2009 [3 favorites]

Goodluckysterical on that one, bubby.
posted by y2karl at 4:27 AM on November 2, 2009

Obama's latest use of "secrecy" to shield presidential lawbreaking: What was once depicted as a grave act of lawlessness -- Bush's NSA program -- is now deemed a vital state secret.
posted by homunculus at 12:37 PM on November 2, 2009

Gah. Makes one want to pummel people.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:26 PM on November 2, 2009