Democracies want it all. They want accountability and effective government.
But accountability requires transparency, which means that we need to know who does what so they can be held responsible for the results, and effective government sometimes requires that decision makers be given the opportunity to get confidential advice from sources that know they will remain confidential. The concept is called executive privilege and it has a long history in the United States.
The Vice President continues to argue that he must be able to keep his visitor logs secret, so he can preserve the confidentiality he need to get reasonable advice.
The White House calls this "a matter of principle, saying in a court declaration that it is aimed at preserving "the effective functioning of the vice presidency under the Constitution." The group Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington disagrees and is fighting to make this information public. The question is whether there is something illegal going on or if the Vice President simply likes doing things in private.
