Let's talk about transparency in government.
This counry belongs to us... we, the people, own it. We pay for it, live here, and are the official documented joint owners of the United States of America. We are responsible for everything it does, and it is our job to ensure that it behaves itself.
In that respect, we may think of American government as being like our beloved pet dog. As a family, we own the pet dog, and we love it. Everyone gets to play with the dog, and every four years, we hire one family member to care for the dog on behalf of the rest of the American family.
There are responsibilities that go along with owning a dog, and we provide the caretaker with instructions on how to ensure our pet's health and well-being, because the health and well-being of the family dog impacts the whole family who loves it...
We want to be able to take the dog out of its doghouse, see how it is doing and play with it (government transparency). Otherwise, why have a dog? We want to be able to take it to the vet (the courts) for a health screening when necessary, and we want to be sure it is safe and well-trained (rule of law) so it doesn't get loose or bite anyone. Because we all know what happens if a big dog like America bites a neighbor (or goes on a killing rampage and attempts to wipe out the family down the street). We are responsible. We may not have all joined in ordering it to attack the neighbor, but we all have the responsibility for making restitution.
Anyway - the Bush administration is the current caretaker of the dog of American government, but what has happened is that he has decreed that we aren't being allowed to see or play with the dog. He shows us pictures of the dog having fun in various settings, and for many Americans that is sufficient, but the rest of us are uneasy. We miss our dog, and wonder if things are going so well why we can't just see the dog. After all, pictures can be photoshopped, but a real, live dog (the dog we used to play with before Bush came along) is much better than a picture.
Furthermore, we are concerned about the dog's health and Bush seems to hate vets... maybe because a veterinarian has to learn about science and he despises science... but even the retouched photos of our dog are looking increasingly mangy and unhealthy.
Finally, we think the dog may be taking on bad habits in the absence of a competent and loving trainer. We are pretty sure the dog has taken to pooping behind the couch. Bush assures us that he has a special training program for the dog, and only a bad dog owner who doesn't care about the well-being of their pet would look behind the couch and risk ruining his special training program. But the rest of the family can't help but notice the unmistakable smell of poop from behind that couch. 34% of the family may make excuses and claim the smell is from something else, but it seems clear that Bush's new training program involves a dog pooping behind the family couch and Bush not cleaning it up.
We all live in this house. Perhaps the slim majority of Americans who selected Bush should have thought about it more carefully before they hired a family dog caretaker who repeatedly announced that he hates dogs. Now we have nothing but photographs of a mangy dog and the increasingly strong scent of poop wafting from behind the family couch.
Alas.