Clinton decries 'pattern' of secrecy

BY GLENN THRUSH | NEWSDAY WASHINGTON BUREAU

February 15, 2006

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton thinks White House delays in disclosing Dick Cheney's shotgun mishap are evidence of a vast West Wing conspiracy to stonewall journalists and voters.

Clinton told reporters yesterday that the nearly 24-hour lag proved the White House has a "disturbing" tendency to "withhold information" no matter what the issue.

"I don't think that one incident alone tells a story, but put it all together, going back years, there's a pattern and it's a pattern that should be troubling," Clinton said during a Capitol Hill news conference criticizing the administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina.

"I don't care if you're a conservative, a liberal, a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent - the refusal of this administration to level with the American people in matters large and small is very disturbing because it goes counter to the way our constitutional democracy ... is supposed to work," she added.

Republican National Committee spokesman Danny Diaz, responded later, "It seems that there's no issue above politics for New York's junior senator."

After the news conference, Clinton stopped by the Senate Armed Services Committee to grill Army brass about body armor supplies and to listen to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) ask questions about Humvee safety. During the session, both shared a public chuckle at Cheney's expense.

When one general used the expression "shooting ourselves in the gut," Kennedy interrupted to say, "I'm not sure that's a good analogy today."

Clinton threw back her head and laughed so heartily it echoed through the cavernous committee room.