Transparency? We don't need no stinking transparency.

[ThirdWorldJohn]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/202875

Obama Closes Doors on Openness
By Michael Isikoff | NEWSWEEK
Published Jun 20, 2009

As a senator, Barack Obama denounced the Bush administration for holding "secret energy meetings" with oil executives at the White House. But last week public-interest groups were dismayed when his own administration rejected a Freedom of Information Act request for Secret Service logs showing the identities of coal executives who had visited the White House to discuss Obama's "clean coal" policies. One reason: the disclosure of such records might impinge on privileged "presidential communications." The refusal, approved by White House counsel Greg Craig's office, is the latest in a series of cases in which Obama officials have opted against public disclosure. Since Obama pledged on his first day in office to usher in a "new era" of openness, "nothing has changed," says David -Sobel, a lawyer who litigates FOIA cases. "For a president who said he was going to bring unprecedented transparency to government, you would certainly expect more than the recycling of old Bush secrecy policies."

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Was Obama just playing politics? Or was hge just lying? Do you think he took the stand for transparency just for the vote getting? Was his criticism of Bush just political grandstanding? How well can we trust Obama when he reveals his bogus stand on the right in your face position he took for political vote getting ? But he is probably not very concerned about these issues or our disappointment post-election. Why should he??

[shireen]

1. i hope he's challenged about this at the next press conference. nt

[JDPriestly]

2. Obama is afraid. He meant what he said about transparency when he said it, but now

he is under a lot of pressure and he is afraid to be honest about what is going on behind the backs of the American people. So now we need to know what he is so afraid of. Because ultimately we have a right to know.

[tom_paine]

3. I am reminded of that old "comedy" bit by Bill Hicks.

You know, the one where he says the newly elected pResident is taken into the room with the 12 rich scumbags who bought the office for him, then shown a film of the Kennedy Assassination from a different angle no one has ever seen before, but which looks suspiciously like it was shot from the Grassy Knoll.

At the end of it, the lights come up and New pRez is asked, "Any questions?"

"Just what my agenda is going to be."

Yeah. "Comedy".