Obama’s transparency policy: Don’t let the sunshine in
My column today follows up on the taxpayer-subsidized photos of the Scare Force One flyover that the White House doesn’t want us to see. Look how the administration responded to press questions yesterday:
At the daily press briefing, a reporter asked Mr. Gibbs why the White House had not authorized release of the photographs.
“I’ve watched CNN. I didn’t notice a lack of archival material from that flight,” Mr. Gibbs said.
“No, from inside the plane,” a reporter replied. “The photos they took, we haven’t seen those.”
“I don’t know where those are,” Mr. Gibbs said.
Greatest Transparency Ever!
This story is not going away.
Update: Flip-flop. They’re not off the hook yet.
***
The selective transparency of Barack Obama
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2009
Sunlight is for suckers. The New York Post reported on Tuesday that the White House will not release the $328,835 snapshots taken of the president’s Boeing VC-25A that buzzed lower Manhattan. The entire world has seen news and amateur photos and videos of the incident. But if President Obama has his way, taxpayers won’t be able to see the flyover photos they paid for with their own money.
This will make for an interesting response to my Freedom of Information Act requests. After the bizarre mission caused distress and panic among countless New York City residents who were intentionally left in the dark about the photo-op stunt, I filed two public records requests with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff FOIA Requester Service Center. The first one requests any and all communication — including e-mail and other public records and including any and all correspondence between the White House Military Office, Department of Defense, and other agencies — related to the planned federal aerial mission over New York City on April 27, 2009. Specifically, I requested all public records related to and including the flight manifests, and related to the origin of the request for the mission. The second filing requests any and all photos taken during the planned federal aerial mission approved by the White House Military Office.
What rationale could they possibly use to stifle public disclosure? National security? These were glamour shots to enhance the Air Force One photo portfolio. That’s no secret. The White House ‘fessed up on that. Withholding the photos serves only one purpose: protecting the backsides of those involved in this botched p.r. mission.
From Day One, President Obama has demonstrated a rather self-serving selectivity when it comes to transparency. The Obama White House rushed to reverse an 18-year ban photographing the flag-draped coffins of troops arriving back on American soil. And at the behest of the American Civil Liberties Union, his administration is set to release at least 21 classified photographs by May 28 showing detainee abuse in prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Openness in government is fine if it hurts America’s reputation, but not if it harms Obama’s.
Moreover, hostility to transparency is a running thread through Obama’s cabinet:
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for years fought disclosure of massive donations from foreign governments and corporations who filled her husband’s library and foundation coffers.
• Top Obama advisor David Axelrod ran fear-mongering astro-turf campaigns in support of a huge utility rate hike – and failed to disclose that the ads were funded for Commonwealth Edison in Chicago.
• Labor Secretary Hilda Solis failed to disclose that she was director and treasurer of a union-promoting lobbying group pushing legislation that she was co-sponsoring.
• Attorney General Eric Holder overruled his own lawyers in the Justice Department over the issue of D.C. voting rights (which he and President Obama support) and refused to make public the staffers’ opinion that a House bill on the matter was unconstitutional.
• And as I reported last month, Obama’s nominee for the No. 2 official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, former King County, Wash. Executive Ron Sims, has the distinction of being the most fined government official in his state’s history for suppressing public records from taxpayers.
President Obama set the tone, breaking his transparency pledge with the very first bill he signed into law. On January 29, the White House announced that Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act had been posted online for review. One problem: Obama had already signed it – in violation of his “sunlight before signing” pledge to post legislation for public comment on the White House website five days before he sealed any deal.
Obama broke the pledge again with the mad rush to pass his trillion-dollar, pork-stuffed stimulus package full of earmarks he denied existed. Jim Harper of the Cato Institute reported in April 2009: “Of the eleven bills President Obama has signed, only six have been posted on Whitehouse.gov. None have been posted for a full five days after presentment from Congress…”
It’s this utter disregard for taxpayer accountability that prompted hundreds of thousands of citizens to take to the streets on Tax Day 2009 for Tea Party protests. The trampling of transparency inspired signs that read: “No legislation without deliberation” and “READ THE BILL FIRST.” Obama’s response was first to claim that he hadn’t even heard of the Tea Party movement and then, on his 100-day celebration, to deride all those Americans he is supposed to represent of “playing games.”
Projection, anyone? When it comes to toying with transparency, President Obama is a master at “playing games.”
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Trackbacks
- Transparency in Obama’s Government « Popgun’s World
- The Truth Is: Team Obama and The National Media Have To Grow Up Fast « Peace and Freedom Promises
- Obama Refuses to Release Photos from ‘Secret’ NYC Flyover That Terrified New Yorkers… ‘Era of Transparency’ Gets Murky « Frugal Café Blog Zone
- Obama, Tell Me Lies… Tell Me Sweet Little Lies « Frugal Café Blog Zone
- Terror in New York - Obama will not release photo op pictures « Jim Blazsik
- Let The Sun Shine, Let The Sun Shine In « Vets On The Watch
- Why “the recession is over.” | The Anchoress
- Finger in Scare Force One Photos Prompts Obama Middle Finger
- Enough of the Nonsense & Secrecy, Mr. President: Journalist Michelle Malkin Files ‘Freedom of Information Act’ Requests for Public Records on NYC Flyover « Frugal Café Blog Zone
- Dangerously Incompetent « Urbin Report
- DSP: Obama’s transparency policy: Don’t let the sunshine in | Democrat Socialist Party
- Professor Athena: Ineffectual Rhymes with Intellectual « Temple of Mut
- God Bless, Obama! « Peace and Freedom Promises
- The so called Obama administration ‘transparency’ | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
- Mudville Gazette
- $328,835 Snapshots Not Released: Hey what’s money when you are printing it! « Dianej’s Weblog
- Michelle Malkin » Flip-flop: White House to release “a photo” of Scare Force One flyover
- White House to Release Photo From New York Flyover « Peace and Freedom Promises
- Steynian 352 « Free Canuckistan!
- Michelle Malkin: The Selective Transparency of Obama; Scare Force One Pics are Requested through FOIA by numerous sources « Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog
- Obama Gang Freaks Out New York City With 9/11 Plane Stunt « BUUUUURRRRNING HOT
- Transparency. « Little Platoons
- FOIA Request Filed by <i>Unequal Time</i> for Photos from Air Force One NYC Fly-over | Unequal Time
- Michelle Malkin: The Selective Transparency of Obama; Scare Force One Pics are Requested through FOIA by numerous sources | New World News
- DSP: Obama’s transparency policy: Don’t let the sunshine in | Democrat Socialist Party : Democrat Socialist Party
- » LOC 12: I Took A Malkin Left Of Center: Internet Radio Where Nothing Is Sacred.
- Unexpected Criticism from Camille Paglia: ‘Simpering WH Press Sec. Robert Gibbs Should Be Fired for Dismissive Attitude of NYC Air Force One Flyover’ « Frugal Café Blog Zone
- The Greenroom » Forum Archive » Transparency Update
- Slublog
- Air Force One Flyover FOIA Update, Part Deux | Unequal Time
- Another Negative 2 — Obama’s Approval Rating Index Continues to Tank « Frugal Café Blog Zone
- Michelle Malkin » Friday Photo Dump: Defense Dept. releases a pile of Manhattan fly-by pics, manifest
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Why haven’t they released the pictures? Because all they are, are pictures of Der Fuhrer in the cockpit, cigarette clenched between his teeth as he yells, “YEEEEE HAAAAAW!!!!” and is making fake machine gun, “budda budda budda budda” noises and declaring that the Cloverfield monster is dead.
They had no idea that anyone in New York ever looked up, and have been working very diligently on destroying the negatives.
Wouldn’t they normally point down?
Just heard on FoxNews that the WH will now release the photos. What…too many FOIA’s to deal with?
Now if they would just release his college papers along with his original BC.
And his college application…
Don’t trust those liars. They will release the photos they want released. Not ALL the photos. Will selective release preempt the FOIA requests?
Lets see, Redact the photos of Michille O on the plane which would prove that Barack knew about the flight. Then claim for the FOIA request that the photos were already released without mentioning that not ALL of them were released. Very tricky, sneaky, dishonest, deceptive, and underhanded. All of which the Democrats are capable of. See BDS. By any means necessary. Sorry if I don’t believe a word they say. You can fool some of the people but not all.
Kudos Michelle!
Right now they are certainly cleansing as much information they can to hide the truth and blame even as few underling scapegoats as possible.
Were this Bush our Pravda media and the Democrats with one voice would be talking of nothing but the terrorized New Yorkers until this scandal was exposed in full and put at Bush’s feet.
Please don’t let up.
what i have seen bigger pecs on chickens . He has a bird chest and his spine is about as hallow .
Jeez – you people continue to grab at straws.
Excuse me?…What do you mean “You People”?
OT a bit, but a man was detained for having a “Don’t Tread on Me” bumper sticker.
http://www.americanvision.org/the-american-vision-blog/man-detained-for-displaying-dont-tread-on-me-bumper-sticker/
We know you still haven’t risen from prostrating yourself in front of your god the Zero, but you need to keep two things in mind –
1. The execution of this flyover was a problem. If there was a legitimate security reason not to warn people, they simply shouldn’t have done it at all — not for a stinkin’ photo op.
2. If someone turns out to have been on board for a joyride, and your Zero is misleading us (which is seeming more likely all the time), there are some serious protocol and possibly legal violations here. Not to mention the $328k it costed those of us that pay taxes.
Moron.
After 8 years of Bush-bashing and BDS, which still goes on to this day in all areas including the current occupant of the Oval Office, any comments such as this one only makes the person who makes it seem all the more ridiculous and more than likely was one of the worst BDS’ers out there.
On May 6th, 2009 at 3:35 pm, Ilovemycountry said:
Jeez – you people continue to grab at straws.
Lessee: Annual report completed in November… Not released until April.
Even if what you claim was true in contradiction to the WSJ… you’re saying that malfeasance is ok if it’s habitual? If I rob you for $50 every week, if I only take $40 one week, that makes it a good thing?
Let’s look at a hypothetical. You’re going to get executed for treason. The government has conclusive, verified, exculpatory evidence in its posession, but it’s classified as a state secret, which would, for some reason, automatically be declassified at a time 5 months after your execution. The government decides to declassify 2 1/2 months earlier than “usual.” You’ve been dead for 2 1/2 months… should they get a cookie?
Transparency means timely disclosure. And timely disclosure does not mean “when it’s most convenient for the government.”
Khrysis,
I won’t rehash the same arguments I did in the other thread. You are more than welcome to look that over. But these reports do take time to produce and have to go through a number of bearocratic layers, for better or worse. The fact that it took so much longer for the previous reports to come out is at least evidence that this report was completed in a timely fashion.
And fortunately, unlike your death penalty argument (which btw is a pretty good case for scrapping it) Congress can get a second chance with updated data.
Can us voters get a second chance with Obama?
In about 3 1/2 years. Like clockwork.
One minute it’s a photo op and the next it’s a training mission. I have a serious problem with any plane the size of this one practicing manuevers over a city the size of New York. To my knowledge this isn’t where they normally train so why now? Has this ever happened before?
And assuming his numbers are not in the tank to the point hwere it would be suicidal for the Democrats to run him again.
Not likely given the media worship and an ill-informed electorate, but we can always dream…..
Sorry, didn’t see your other thread… which one?
The WSJ notes that November was the final annual summary… it had already been through analysis and preliminary results phase in summer, so the bureaucratic layers angle is a hard sell for me… there’s not much left to do after taking the finalized results and preparing a summary (other than politically second-guess the data)
Good point about second chances… but we both know that in the time it takes Congress to second-guess itself about anything, those kids aren’t getting a second chance at their education and the rest of their lives.
Khyris,
Here you go. Looking back, at it I though I had better arguments.
I don’t know.
I think debate is what we need more of, even within our own “community”.
With that being said, I’ve got to disagree with one approach I’ve seen from Michelle and like minded bloggers….
The whole flip-flop thing kind of bothers me. We scream and yell about a really poor decision that they’ve made and then yell flip-flop when they change to what we’ve asked for. Although they haven’t gotten there yet by releasing all of the information that’s been requested, I don’t see what the administration has done as flip-flopping. I see it as correcting itself.
Them:”We won’t release the photos.”
Us:”You suck! What about transparency?”
Them:”My bad. We’ll release them.”
Us:”You suck! You’re a flip-flopper!”
Makes us sound like we just want to complain. Just my 2 cents.
Hmmm, I can kind of see your point… it would make sense that the report wouldn’t be in any rush to be released if the DOE had no indication of a voucher debate on the hill for which their report might be relevent…that’s a plausible deniability of ignorance. But if it’s not intentional suppression of DOE, it certainly IS a transparency failure of Sec-Ed who is responsible for sheparding the President’s administrative policies thru congress, and HAD to have known what their own department was working on and that there was related debate in congress. Sec-Ed should have at least raised a red-flag with the Prez: “Hey, before you sign this thing, we’re working on a report that preliminary results show vouchers are good m’kay?”
How can we expect transparency to the public, when the administration appears to fail being transparent with itself?
Training mission my rear end. This is from yesterday’s Harrisburg Patriot News, via the Associated Press:
Presidential plane flies over the region
The government jetliner called Air Force One when the president of the United States is riding in it is doing “touch and go” practice today at Harrisburg International Airport. People around the Lower Swatara Township, Pa., airport will probably notice noise and what looks like a low-flying airplane in the region.
A touch-and-go is when an aircraft lands briefly before taking off again. The Air Force uses HIA for touch-and-go practice because the runway is long enough. In addition, it’s close to Washington, D.C., but outside the heavily used Washington-Baltimore-New York air corridor.
If it was practice, what type of practice would require a low level flyover in one of the busiest air corridors in the world? I wonder how many other airplanes were held up because of this show?
Very well stated, Khyris! Thank you for posting -
Obama has never looked directly into the camera in all his speeches. Do you s’pose he can’t look the American people in the eye as he leads our country down the rathole….?
It’s amazing that Canadians understand better than we that our President hates us. We, our military, our intelligence agencies, our manufacturing base, our financial system, our diplomatic history, our justice system, and our Constitution are all evil entities that need to be purged of “badness.”
When Chavez and Ortega launched into their anti-American tirades, a real American President would have responded with just and righteous anger instead of sitting there like a bump on a log.
Hope is not a plan; not all change is good. WE are the civilian national security force. The Second Amendment is not up for debate. The resistance is here; the resistance is now. RESIST!!!!!
ECS
Getting those CIA memos out in the open is more important. The plane shots are a matter of State security!
Over.
that would be a first..
Time for Tea.
I just saw a Fox News banner on O’Riley that they are setting up government backed low rate home financing for high risk home buyers. How about honest homebuyers who are making their mortgage payments every month on time?
Michelle,
The link points to this article rather than the one I think you mean.
Did any of those precede or follow the closure of said charter schools?
I agree, except some of us did realize the hatred he has for EVERYTHING American before the Canadians! BO and MO are competing which one hates us more.