Editorial: A lack of trust

Thursday, April 19, 2007 | 6:56 a.m.

Bush administration supporters in the Senate prevented passage of a bill this week that would have required the White House to reveal more about U.S. intelligence programs.

President Bush has promised to veto the legislation because of provisions that would require his administration to give Congress a detailed report about CIA prisons, interrogation methods and funding amounts for the so-called "black budget." Still, Senate Democrats aren't giving up on the legislation, hoping that with further negotiation they can gain its passage.

There are good reasons for keeping information secret that truly involves national security, the disclosure of which could endanger troops or intelligence agents. And if terrorists or other enemies of the United States obtain information about U.S. intelligence methods or funding amounts, they could track - and possibly thwart - efforts to obtain intelligence information that can help prevent terrorist attacks.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration, acting with little or no oversight by Republican-controlled Congresses, made a mockery of the public's trust with six years of wasteful or unaccounted-for federal spending, including money spent on national defense and intelligence activities. The intelligence budget's tens of billions of dollars have been prime targets for those seeking political favors. Just last year Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., was sent to prison after it was discovered that he had accepted bribes in exchange for directing $80 million in intelligence funding to certain defense contractors.

It is no wonder that the new Democratic leadership in Congress is suspicious of any call for secrecy on the part of Bush and his Republican supporters and why Democrats, rightly, want more accountability. Americans and members of Congress no longer feel as though they can truly trust their government. That is the legacy - and the shame - of Bush's administration.