Newsweek to Obama: Whatever Happened to Openness?
The end of a love affair?
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.”
Well to a degree you would, sure. On the other hand, Obama has always been a secretive politician. After all, he learned from the best (Alinsky et al.).
It is disappointing nonetheless of course. George W. Bush was not open enough – liberals, moderates and moderate conservatives can certainly agree on that. Many, including yours truly, hoped Obama would be better. Sadly, this is not the case. In fact, I fear he could prove to be more secretive and less open than his predecessor. This would be terrible: democracy requires government transparency. Without it, the people lose all faith in their elected officials and, as a result, they lose faith in democracy itself.
There is still time for Obama to change his ways. This means that bloggers, watch dogs, and individual citizens have to put pressure on the White House to deliver on Obama’s promises. Keep the pressure on, force them to open up.
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