Cheney Energy Task Force Members Outed

A White House insider has blown the whistle on Dick B. Cheney's Energy Task Force. It now appears that Cheney had good reason to keep his Energy Task Force a secret. The list of massive oil conglomerates and right wing think tanks that participated is wide and deep.

A confidential list prepared by the Bush administration shows that Cheney and his aides had already held at least 40 meetings with interest groups, most of them from energy-producing industries. By the time of the meeting with environmental groups, according to a former White House official who provided the list to The Washington Post, the initial draft of the task force was substantially complete and President Bush had been briefed on its progress.

The beginnings of Cheney's successful attempts at keeping his dealings in the dark started with his ability to keep quiet the membership of the task force. Aided by the courts, Cheney was able to hide the list from the public at a time when the nation was more focused on the aftermath of the events of 9-11.

This leak draws much needed sunlight upon one of the most infamous items on the already large list of questionable activities by one of the least popular vice presidents of all time.