I should have been more descriptive. In terms of secrecy, I think the present admin wins over most recent ones, though I doubt it is in the top five of all time.

I was writing in reference to the law--Bush I changed the labeling procedure for secrecy to make fewer things secret but those fewer things were more stringently protected. Clinton in his second administration expanded the secrecy to protect assets beyond previous time limits--thus expanding control significantly for some things. Bush has not changed the rules. But he has enforced much more Executive Branch discipline to the rules than previous recent presidents. I think he has also locked-down lots of things under executive privilege and similar controls than his recent predecessors.

Thus, Bush, did not expand authority, he has enforced it. That goes directly to my criticism of gov that protects controversial and/or embarrassing policy debates from public scrutiny. I think that is way wrong. But it is within his legal prerogatives.

It goes back to one of my central themes of government--Congress is occupied by constitutional cowards.

B