More Watergate Reflections

David Broder reminds us in today’s Washington Post that transparency and disclosure are the “antidotes to secrecy.”

Money quote:

“…Americans born in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s can learn everything they need to know about the dangerous delusions of the Nixon era. The mind-set that created enemies lists, the blind loyalty to a deeply flawed individual,the twisting of historical fact to turn villains into heroes and heroes into villains — they are all there.

Such tendencies are not unique to one White House; they go with the territory. They must be consciously resisted by men and women of conscience working within an administration and checked by those on the outside — notably journalists — whose job it is to monitor the presidency.

That is why excessive official secrecy is always suspect and why the isolation of a president behind a closed circle of advisers can lead to abuse of power.”

Of course the source is occupationally biased, but the underlying theme remains truthful.  Politicians fear a free press because of its unique ability to uncover their wrongdoings and report cases of professional malfeasance.