My own impression is that the congruence of the major media being in the control of only a few corporations and a corporate friendly government aided and abeted the stifling of reporters' curiosty. Pressure didn't need to ocme directly from the administration when the job could be done from the offices of media owning corporations.

Like GreenDreams, I'm concerned about the future. Will the next administration reverse course, or will it take advantage of a bad precedent?

I watch a lot of WH press conferences and thought there was a difference with this administration's approach to the media, but seeing my impressions in print gives me, and probably a lot of others some satisfaction. Its all part of Cheney's unitary executive— expanded presidential powers.

After 9/11, a wartime president could expand his authority and they felt they could push for limits on what was told to the press (treated as an enemy of our national security) as well as much less involvement by Congress. When the checks and balances don't function our democracy suffers. The worst wrong that the Bush/Cheney administration did was in betraying the oaths they took to uphold and protect the Constitution.