The Bush White House has decided that the Office of Administration is no longer subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The Office of Administration covers Oval Office operations, appointments, and scheduling.

Which reminds me: NPR covered Bush’s announcement that the government is going to provide some help to people whose homes are being foreclosed on. In the interview, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson refused to estimate even roughly how many people the measures would help:

When asked how many people it’s expected will benefit from the new proposals, Paulson says he doesn’t want to “overpromise and underdeliver.”

“We can’t keep everyone in their home. We sure as heck can make a big effort to help those who have the capability to own a home refinance, and what we’re going to do is make a effort,” Paulson says. “And to me, success is helping as many people as possible.”

What? This is a public official. He works for us, and not just in the sense that we pay his salary. Why can’t he give us an estimate of how many people will be helped? He either has a ballpark idea or he’s completely incompetent. This isn’t a security issue. Yet Paulson feels he doesn’t have to give us even the slightest idea. This politically-based silence should not be acceptable to us citizens. Yeah, it’s a small thing. But it’s indicative… [Tags: politics mortgages treasury bush foia]

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