President Obama finally and quietly accepted his “transparency” award from the open government community this week — in a closed, undisclosed meeting at the White House on Monday.
The secret presentation happened almost two weeks after the White House inexplicably postponed the ceremony, which was expected to be open to the press pool.
This time, Obama met quietly in the Oval Office with Gary Bass of OMB Watch, Tom Blanton of the National Security Archive, Danielle Brian of the Project on Government Oversight, Lucy Dalglish of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Patrice McDermott of OpenTheGovernment.org, without disclosing the meeting on his public schedule or letting photographers or print reporters into the room.
“Our understanding going into the meeting was that it would have a pool photographer and a print reporter, and it turned out to be a private meeting,” Bass told POLITICO. “He was so on point, so on target in the conversation with us, it is baffling why he would not want that message to be more broadly heard by reporters and the public interest community and the public generally.” “This president has demonstrated a commitment to transparency and openness that is greater than any administration has shown in the past, and he’s been committed to that since he ran for President and he’s taken a significant number of measures to demonstrate that,” Carney said in a testy exchange with Fox News reporter Wendell Goler on March 16.
“I don’t feel moved today to say ‘thank you, Mr. President,’” said Steve Aftergood, the director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists. But he said he understands the award to be “aspirational,” in recognition of Obama’s potential to do more on the transparency front.
“And in that sense, one could say it resembles the award at the Nobel Peace Prize,” Aftergood said. “It’s not because Obama brought peace to anyone but because people hoped he would be a force for good in the world, and maybe that’s the way to understand this award.”
And a well-deserved award it is.
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#37 So because the Repukes have fake outrage, you’re gonna go scott free doing the same? Is that your rationale for “good if we do it, bad if they do”? Demagogue=Repuke
don’t forget the EVIL Haliburton. We heard nothing but Haliburton this, Haliburton that, Cheney, blah, blah for 8 years.
Cheney made absolutely no money from anything haliburton did with the govt and Obama re-upped their contract, why no outrage? why no outrage that he’s not closing Guantanamo and that he admitted bush was right for keeping the prisoners there?
#42 Because is good if they do it, wrong if others do it. Is the left’s brand of hypocrisy.
Congratulations again, President Obama for restoring a sense of discipline and transparency to the executive branch. Unlike president Cheney and his secret bunker where coordinating “preferred intelligence” took place.
This is a good time to congratulate President Obama for the unemployment rate at less than 9% (I was expecting after this summer). Also on keeping us safe from terrorist attack half way into your first term. Much better than the president Cheney and his monkey vacationing in Wacko, Tx.
#44 And you do that for free, which makes you look more pathetic than average. That’s a huge accomplishment on par with a redneck finally living in a trailer park.
I would suggest giving Dallas the transparency award; that is make him invisible to the rest of us.
#45 everything I said is factual, which I’m consistent on. Your panties get in a wad not because what I state is disputable, it’s because it’s NOT!!
You pathetic sheeple.
#44, have you checked to see if Obama Admin has made their off-White-House meeting logs public?
It just keeps coming!
“Through the course of an eight-month investigation, the committee has learned that political staff under the DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano have corrupted the agency’s FOIA compliance procedures, exerted unlawful political pressure, on FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) compliance officers, and undermined the federal government’s accountability to the American people,”
The most corrupt administration in our lifetimes.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/investigations-find-unprecedented-politi-0
#49 We know that you’re a pathetic sheeple but please stop talking about you in third person.
Where’s that transparency award when you need it.
Holy Moly! I do believe Dallas just made the jump from Kool-Aid to Jungle Juice.
#50 Not yet. He’s still on kool-aid but rather than drinking it he’s snorting it.
Dallas is obviously insane. Not worth our time.
Funny to read in a sad way, like the Darwin Awards.
#52 I wonder if those that encourage him on this blog get more amused than us from his delusions.