http://www.newsweek.com/id/202875Obama 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."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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??