The Fed as Financial Regulator

The Washington Post reports about a move afoot to give the Federal Reserve more regulatory power over the financial system.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/25/AR2009012501686.html?hpid=topnews

Considering that the Federal Reserve is supposed to be independent of the government, it would seem that getting such powers to the Fed would be ill-advised.

In addition, considering that the Fed's posture in the bailout makes the Treasury Department looks like a paragon of transparency, giving such powers to the Fed seems even more questionable.

When the Democrats promised change, I thought they meant change for the better. Maybe I was wrong.