I didn't bother to read the post (I would prefer to read original thoughts from forum members) but the gist is obvious by the title. It's only been a very short time but think Obama is keeping many of his promises.
On Jul 6, 7:32 am, dick thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > Strange to see the Miami Herald talk about their president fulfilling > his promises. What planet are they from that they expect a grad of the > Chicago School of Politics to do what he promised to do. Those of us > who did not support him asked the question at the time but the media > never saw fit to examine the damaged goods they supported. Now we are > stuck with this idiot. > > Posted on Monday, 07.06.09 > > * > Recommend > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#none> > (0) > * share > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#> > * email > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/v-emailform/story/11287...> > * print > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/1128722.html> > * comment > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#comment> > * reprint <http://www.miamiherald.com/reprints/> > > FARK it! > <http://cgi.fark.com/cgi/fark/farkit.pl?u=http://www.miamiherald.com/o...> > > Send to AIM > <aim:goim?Message=http://www.miamiherald.com/454/story/1128722.html> > Seed Newsvine <javascript:void(0)> > Add to Reddit > <http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.miamiherald.com/454/story/112...> > > Add to Google Bookmarks > <http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&bkmk=http://www.miamihera...> > > Thumb this up at StumbleUpon. <http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit> > Publish this post to LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle> > Add to del.icio.us <http://del.icio.us/post> > <http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=the_miami_herald&guid=http%3A...> > > Post to MySpace <http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=postto> > Add to facebook > <http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.miamiherald.com/opini...> > > DIGG This > <http://digg.com/submit?url=http://www.miamiherald.com/454/story/11287...> > > Bookmark this post on Twitter. <http://twitter.com/home> > > President Obama should do what he says about secrecy > > OUR OPINION: President Obama promised transparency but often sides > with secrecy > > *A*s a candidate for president, Sen. Barack Obama vowed to run an open > government. He reiterated that pledge on Inauguration Day: > ''Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this > presidency,'' he said. > > Nearly six months later, advocates of open government are still waiting > for the president to fulfill this promise. Compared to the Bush > presidency, this administration is doing better. But what President > Obama has /done/, compared to what he /said/ he would do, are two > different things, thanks in part to the unequivocal language he used and > the expections he raised. > > *Ended Ashcroft order* > > The president deserves credit for taking action on his first day in > office to rescind a 2001 memo by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft > giving agencies broad legal cover to reject public disclosure requests. > He also revoked an executive order signed by former President George W. > Bush in 2001 that limited release of former presidents' records, and > replaced it with new language aimed at more transparency. > > Ending unnecessary secrecy, however, has apparently proven tougher than > the president expected. He has come down on the side of keeping the > public uninformed in a variety of decisions that, as a candidate, he > might well have scorned. > > One of the most troubling instances occurred last month, involving White > House refusal to turn over White House visitor logs by coal industry > executives. An organization called Citizens for Responsibility and > Ethics in Washington has filed a lawsuit, saying the Obama White House > is essentially embracing the Bush administration position on the secrecy > of the comings and goings of visitors to the executive mansion. > > This makes for a murky transparency policy. > > White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said lawyers were reviewing the > policy regarding the release of visitor logs. They should start by > reading the well-publicized ''memorandum of transparency'' that > President Obama signed on his first day in office. > > The president said open government was a way to hold government > accountable, ``so that the American people can know exactly what > decisions are being made, how they're being made, and whether their > interests are being well served.'' > > Nice words, but if the White House doesn't stop hiding the logs, no one > else in government can be expected to take the disclosure policy seriously. > > The president's record of open government has fallen short of > fulfillment most often on issues involving national security. > > The White House agreed to release memorandums detailing the alleged > torture of detainees, sparking criticism from former Bush administration > officials. But in other instances the president has either embraced Mr. > Bush's positions or changed his mind about following through on promises > of disclosure. > > At first, the White House said it would support the release of photos of > detainee abuse but later reversed course and decided to leave it up to > the courts. Concerns about secrecy and repercussions are valid, but > passing the buck to the courts on this issue does not add to the > president's credibility regarding disclosure. > > The White House has also continued the Bush administration's objections > to the release of an interview that former Vice President Dick Cheney > gave to the FBI during its investigation of the leak of CIA agent > Valerie Plame's identity. Again emulating the Bush administration, the > current occupant of the White House has moved to dismiss lawsuits > seeking White House e-mails from the past several years. > > *Using legal tactic* > > Mr. Obama's administration has not hesitated to fight disclosure in > court, either. In May, it supported the ''state secrecy'' doctrine in a > case involving a lawsuit against a government contractor by five victims > of ``extraordinary rendition.'' > > This is the legal tactic that says the government can prevent the courts > from hearing claims by those who say they were hurt by federal actions > -- because the need for state secrecy requires it. > > That is exactly the same position the Bush administration took, a policy > that allows government to evade the accountability that Mr. Obama vowed > to champion. In turning down the administration's appeal, a judge noted > that the policy is often a convenient way for governments to hide > politically embarrassing information. > > The administration claims it has valid reasons in each of these > instances to opt for secrecy, but the pattern is both disappointing and > a far cry from what Mr. Obama led voters to believe during the campaign. > > The government has a legitimate right to protect certain information. > But the record indicates that given a choice between disclosure and > secrecy, Mr. Obama is falling into the appalling habit of hiding the facts. > > * recommend > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#> > * email > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/v-emailform/story/11287...> > * print > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/v-print/story/1128722.html> > * share > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#> > * Buzz up! > > <http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=the_miami_herald&guid=http%3A...> > > FARK it! > <http://cgi.fark.com/cgi/fark/farkit.pl?u=http://www.miamiherald.com/o...> > > Send to AIM > <aim:goim?Message=http://www.miamiherald.com/454/story/1128722.html> > Seed Newsvine <javascript:void(0)> > Add to Reddit > <http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.miamiherald.com/454/story/112...> > > Add to Google Bookmarks > <http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&bkmk=http://www.miamihera...> > > Thumb this up at StumbleUpon. <http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit> > Publish this post to LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle> > Add to del.icio.us <http://del.icio.us/post> > <http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=the_miami_herald&guid=http%3A...> > > Post to MySpace <http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=postto> > Add to facebook > <http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.miamiherald.com/opini...> > > DIGG This > <http://digg.com/submit?url=http://www.miamiherald.com/454/story/11287...> > > Bookmark this post on Twitter. <http://twitter.com/home> > > Join the discussion > > The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share > information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some > of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the > newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, > and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments > and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a > registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with > the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your > thoughts. > > Comments > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#Comm...> > (4) > <http://www.pluck.com> > You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login > <http://www.miamiherald.com/static/insite/login.html?goto=http://www.m...> > | Register > <http://www.miamiherald.com/reg-bin/int.cgi?mode=register&goto=http://...> > > Comments: 4 Showing: > > * [[email protected]@] > psd_retiree > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/personas?plckUserId=16438a567cd30f99473829...> > wrote on 07/06/2009 10:10:47 AM: > > And PLEASE don't overlook his still secret "Original" birth > certificate! > > Reply to this Comment > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#user...> > Recommend <javascript: void(0)> (0) Report abuse <javascript: > void(0)> > * [[email protected]@] > scracker > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/personas?plckUserId=16438a567cd30f99473829...> > wrote on 07/06/2009 10:07:40 AM: > > "Change you can believe in." Riiight. > . Clearly, "I" was never one of the "You" Mr. Obama had in mind. > > "The audacity of hope." Indeed. > . More like "The dashing of hope." > > Thanks for your editorial. I agree with your criticism -- but > would go farther. > > Geo. Hughan > > Reply to this Comment > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#user...> > Recommend <javascript: void(0)> (0) Report abuse <javascript: > void(0)> > * [[email protected]@] > DavidBenAriel > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/personas?plckUserId=16438a567cd30f99473829...> > wrote on 07/06/2009 09:42:32 AM: > > "WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?" Why did Obama originally say on > his website that he? was "governed" by the British Nationality > Act? Why does he pay lawyers to work hard to keep America in the > dark? Why does he refuse to open up? What's he hiding? > > Demand your representatives get long overdue, honest answers to > these serious questions. > > America can't afford to wait! > > Reply to this Comment > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#user...> > Recommend <javascript: void(0)> (0) Report abuse <javascript: > void(0)> > * [[email protected]@] > imk816 > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/personas?plckUserId=16438a567cd30f99473829...> > wrote on 07/06/2009 05:37:35 AM: > > Did anyone really believe that a distinguished graduate of the > Chicago School of Politics would actually KEEP his campaign > promises? If so, they are not only naive, they live in a dream > world far from history. Then again, what should we expect from an > executive branch that fully subscribes to pay for play when it > comes to its supporters, a legislative branch that doesn't bother > to even read humongous spending plans before enacting them, and a > judicial branch that all too often forgets that its job is to > determine whether the actions of the other two branches actually > adhere to our fundamental law called the Constitution. Perhaps > Pravda's editors need to undertake a serious study of the reality > of American Government. > > Reply to this Comment > > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#user...> > Recommend <javascript: void(0)> (1) Report abuse <javascript: > void(0)> > > More comments on this story: 1 > # [[email protected]@] > @Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ > <http://www.miamiherald.com/[email protected]@&[email protected]@> > wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@: > @Nyx.repliedToText@ > > @Nyx.replyAnswerText@ > > Reply to this Comment > <http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1128722.html#user...> > @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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