Open Records: Unhealthy secrecy

The wall of unhealthy secrecy around the Bush White House is being breached, at least a little. The much-feared American public could soon be close enough to peer at the door of ... the people's house.

In a case involving an effort to check the frequency of White House visits by evangelical politician-preachers, a federal judge ruled Monday that visitor logs are public records. The White House may appeal.

Meanwhile, Congress on Tuesday passed a modest expansion of the federal Freedom of Information Act. Government agencies could face fines, to be taken out of their budgets, if they lose a lawsuit over withholding public information. The White House hasn't said if President Bush will sign the bill, but it passed the Senate with support from some of his top conservatives allies, including Sens. John Cornyn and Jon Kyl.

The Senate also must restore longstanding provisions for many presidential records to be released 12 years after an administration leaves office. New Mexico's Sen. Jeff Bingaman has hopes of a vote Wednesday; the House earlier gave the records measure veto-proof support.

After seven years of the Bush administration, it's easy to forget conservatives care about open government as much as any part of the public. Undoing the Bush-Cheney obsession with secrecy will take bipartisanship, patience and commitment to reform by a new administration. But a few doors may already be close to reopening.