Quite a few secrets, actually. He really, really doesn’t want you to know what he’s up to over there.
When a national news organization in 2003 asked the state archives for the execution memoranda written for former Gov. George W. Bush, there was no objection from Perry’s office to the public having the information. Because of Perry’s silence, Attorney General Greg Abbott ordered the documents’ release.
But when the Houston Chronicle and other news organizations sought similar memos written for Perry by his general counsel, the governor’s office has fought it repeatedly and obtained rulings from Abbott that the information does not have to be made public.
It is part of a pattern, a shroud of secrecy that has descended on the governor’s office since Perry took over as governor from Bush.
[…]
[T]here are a number of examples where Bush’s administration was more forthcoming than Perry’s.
Bush released lists of overnight guests at the Governor’s Mansion, often showing high-dollar donors staying at the official residence. Perry obtained a ruling from Abbott that it does not have to be public. Now, the list is not even maintained.
[…]
Bush put out his daily schedules in advance. The public only found out that Perry had gone scuba diving in the Bahamas with policy advocates and major donors because someone spotted them at a marina.
Castle said Perry’s schedules are available as historic documents and that the news media is notified of his public meetings in advance. She said the governor’s advance schedule is kept secret for security reasons.
You can still find President Obama’s schedule online even though the Secret Service is overwhelmed by the number of death threats against him. But letting people know where Rick Perry is going to be, that’s too big a risk to take. There are other examples in the story, including Perry’s well-known email purging policy, which establish the pattern even further. All I can say is that if you’re more secretive than George W. Bush, you must have something to hide.
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