Knock, knock. Who’s there? Obama’s not telling

By Michelle Malkin  •  July 22, 2009 11:59 AM

Shouldn’t the public know which health care CEOs the White House is courting in its desperate attempt to save Obamacare?

Didn’t the president promise the dawn of the greatest era of sunlight and open records and transparency — and an end to the dark days of George Bush?

Uhhhhh, never mind:

Invoking an argument used by President George W. Bush, the Obama administration has turned down a request from a watchdog group for a list of health industry executives who have visited the White House to discuss the massive healthcare overhaul.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sent a letter to the Secret Service asking about visits from 18 executives representing health insurers, drug makers, doctors and other players in the debate. The group wants the material in order to gauge the influence of those executives in crafting a new healthcare policy.

The Secret Service sent a reply stating that documents revealing the frequency of such visits were considered presidential records exempt from public disclosure laws. The agency also said it was advised by the Justice Department that the Secret Service was within its rights to withhold the information because of the “presidential communications privilege.”

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics said it would file suit against the Obama administration as early as today.

Obama lied, transparency died!

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Posted in: Health care

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Comments


  1. #1
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:06 pm, backwoods conservative said:

    Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics said it would file suit against the Obama administration as early as today.

    They’re going to destroy his presidency!

  2. #2
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:06 pm, Tazed and Confused said:

    Good morning mister CEO. Please sign here or we will over-regulate your industry, or declare your business strategic to national interests… we will regulate your salary, tax your stock options, and take control of your firm… Think GM… Chrysler…

    Wouldn’t you rather be a czar?

  3. #3
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:08 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    Didn’t the president promise the dawn of the greatest era of sunlight and open records and transparency

    Well, what’s going on is open and transparent to those inside the administration. To those on the outside, not so much. But, since they won, what do we matter?

  4. #4
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:09 pm, PBoilermaker said:

    B-b-b-b-b-but….Sara Palin!!!!!1!!eleventy!

  5. #5
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:10 pm, ajmontana said:
  6. #6
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:10 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    They’re going to destroy his presidency!

    :-)

    Obama lied, transparency died and soon I fear his enemies will too. His model is more Marx than Madison, Stalin more than Washington.

  7. #7
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm, spaceycakes said:

    Invoking an argument used by President George W. Bush

    where is lgm (or one of his familiars) now?

    I’m sure he can find a silver lining of hate in that statement somewhere!

  8. #8
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:12 pm, Regulus said:

    It’s getting harder and harder to distinguish Hope-a-Dope’s first term from Jimmy Carter’s second or George Bush’s third.

  9. #9
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm, 30 pcs of silver said:

    It ain’t easy being sleezy.

  10. #10
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm, nail49 said:

    Eureka!

    You don’t smell so good, either!

    - Moe & Shemp (BABY SITTERS JITTERS, 1951)

    - American voters & the Administration (HEALTHCARE, CAP & TRADE, BAILOUT, 2009).

  11. #11
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:20 pm, Thomas said:

    Great, now there are two of them.

  12. #12
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm, BayStateRepublican said:

    Oh please, move on. Transparency is for the little people.

    Are we suprised by BHO’s arrogance? How much arrogance is needed for a first term Senator with a blank resume to think he could perform as the leader of the free world?

  13. #13
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:23 pm, Pasadena Phil said:

    Oh those pesky voters! Always carrying on about rights!

    The best private government money can buy.

  14. #14
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm, Socky said:

    If you watch the press conference tonight, think of this clip playing after every answer.

  15. #15
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm, Savage24 said:

    The people that believed in the Obama transparency must have been smoking the same thing Obama smokes. Transparency is a joke government likes to play on the subjects of this realm.OBAMALAND!

  16. #16
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm, ajmontana said:

    and idiots believed what he said about transparency? lol, present 140 something times and they BELIEVED HIM??? FOOLS!
    never showed his hand in the Senate, never.

    Dumbass Voters 08′
    thank you so much.

  17. #17
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:31 pm, Flyoverman said:

    These are now daily occurences. Someone needs to track them and summarize them.

  18. #18
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:36 pm, RTater said:
  19. #19
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    “I can’t see, I can’t see!” “What’s'a’matter!?” “I got my eyes closed.” [ploink!]
    - Larry, Moe & Curly (ANTS IN THE PANTRY, 1936)

  20. #20
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:40 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:20 pm, Thomas said:
    Great, now there are two of them.

    “No, no. Too too morbid” “The morbid, the merrier!”
    - Moe and Curly (IF A BODY MEETS A BODY, 1945)

  21. #21
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:46 pm, right_on said:

    Follow the notion of transparency. There is more there than meets the eye.

    For example;

    If Obama actually believed in transparency (which by now we know he doesn’t), and practiced that belief, it may be discovered that he is not qualified to be POTUS. Not only that, he may not even be a citizen of the United States.

    So…

    The Democrat Party is fighting tooth and nail that would require documentation to qualify for federally funded “anything.” The suggested documentation requirements would ultimately finger illegal aliens, and those who have been ordered out of the country. It might even illuminate a few terrorists who have escaped scrutiny so far.

    …we just can’t have that now, can we?

  22. #22
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm, prendad said:

    Poor Obama. I’m afraid my country won’t be very pleased with you. Does this sound familiar: “You cannot fool all of the Americans, all of the time”. We are coming for you. . .at the tea parties, at the upcoming elections. . .we are coming for you baby.

  23. #23
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:53 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    I agree with the argument. It’s the hypocrisy that I can’t abide.

  24. #24
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:57 pm, gunslingerpatriot said:

    where is lgm (or one of his familiars) now?

    I think they are watching the new Harry Potter movie with their favorite nambla child of the day.

    GSP :)
    “This is Sparta!”

  25. #25
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:12 pm, shooter said:

    Obama lied, transparency died!
    Obama lied, transparency died!
    Obama lied, transparency died!
    Obama lied, transparency died!
    Obama lied, transparency died!
    Obama lied, transparency died!

    can’t be said loud enough.
    can’t be said often enough.

    Obama lied, transparency died!
    (it is a 30 year+ pattern)

  26. #26
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:12 pm, 24Klady said:

    I think cheddar and anyone else that can’t throw out a comment without invoking the ghosts of Stooges should get a room, or their own website.

  27. #27
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:18 pm, cheapseat said:

    carter 2 will set back DEMS in politics for another 25 years. after this mess is done, america will not trust either the dems or the msm for decades. this group is proving dems are nothing but tax and spend clowns who care only about themselves, the politburo. bush ran deficits of 450million, obama is running deficits of trillions.

  28. #28
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:19 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    gunslingerpatriot said:

    where is lgm (or one of his familiars) now?

    I think they are watching the new Harry Potter movie with their favorite nambla child of the day.

    GSP :)

    Now now gunslingerpatriot–you do not want our trolls thinking we mock them do you? As far as criticizing nambla –what would Ruth Bad-N-Ugly Ginsberg think? Well she things Eight is Too Late, but besides that?

  29. #29
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:20 pm, shooter said:

    Knock, knock. Who’s there?

    Barack
    Barry
    Wright
    Ayers
    Ghandi
    Lincoln

    Kinda depends on who obama is addressing and for what purpose, real or imagined, doesn’t it.

  30. #30
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:24 pm, Misscheryl said:

    AJ

    Me thinks you are spot on. Crash and burn. He’s on the downhill slide.

  31. #31
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:32 pm, Flyoverman said:

    On July 22nd, 2009 at 12:36 pm, RTater said:
    Flyover- Someone is !

    Sweet. Thanks for th tip!

  32. #32
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm, Pasadena Phil said:

    Bloomberg TV just announced that drug industry lobbying spending is up 82% so far this year. Pfizer is the biggest spender of all.

    Just a coincidence I’m sure. Synchronicity I believe is the technical explanation.

    Graft is the more vulgar term.

  33. #33
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm, rambler said:

    Transparency is for the GOP. Dems are above all that. They are the “all knowing what’s best for the country” party; the “we get to shove it all down your throat while you pay for it” party. Integrity doesn’t exist anymore.

  34. #34
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:49 pm, Thomas said:

    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:12 pm, 24Klady said: I think cheddar and anyone else that can’t throw out a comment without invoking the ghosts of Stooges should get a room, or their own website.

    Not to mention those who feel compelled to provide multiple links to their blog and repeat their name over and over again every single time they comment.

  35. #35
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:53 pm, Little Ma said:

    Some of those “health industry executives” might have come from Theralogix, NSF International, and Trucost Plc.

    My doctor recently suggested that I change from my OTC calcium supplement to a product called TheraCal, manufactured by Theralogix. He gave me a brochure and a small information sheet with the web site address for ordering TheraCal. Stamped on the brochure and the info sheet were identical numbers, described as my “Patient Referral Code”.

    I checked out Theralogix online. Their deal is: I sign up for a 60 day supply of TheraCal, using a credit or debit card; every 60 days they send my another bottle of TheraCal and charge it automatically; they notify my doctor every time they send me a bottle, and every time I cancel an order!! This is, according to Theralogix, (and I paraphrase here) for my own good!!!

    Their products and manufacturing facilities are approved by NSF International. I checked them online.

    NSF International is proud of the help they provide to businesses seeking to improve their environmental footprints and to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. In order to help these companies, they bring in Trucost, which apparently has a data base of every possible carbon footprint of every person on the planet!

    Well, something like that. I was babbling incoherently to myself by the time I finished checking out all the links on Trucost’s website. There’s a giant spider out there, weaving it’s web around a lot of American and International companies – from the smallest to the largest.

    Unplugging for the day. I’m going to take a long nap, and then go to the drugstore to buy a bottle of my OTC calcium supplement.

  36. #36
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 2:00 pm, rambler said:

    The drug companies would like nothing better to have us all hooked on something they sell. I have watched countless elderly family members taking more pills than food at each meal, which caused me to vow that I have no intention of being one of them. How many elderly do we kill from the multiple side effects of the meds they take? How many pills are taken to lessen the side effects of other meds? Our lives improved through chemistry!

  37. #37
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 2:16 pm, gunslingerpatriot said:

    Az-
    Compared to the hopo, and other liberal blogs; the sarcasam that conservatives dish out to our favorite trolls is tame by comparison.

    Now if I wish lgm and the other trolls to get pulled over by Shaq O’neil (he’s a reserve cop) that would be cruel and inhumane punishment.

    Can you imagine being on the recieving end of Shaq slam dunk or being cuffed by him? I would rather be waterboarded instead. :P

    GSP
    OT-I saw Shaq and Nash play the Griz at Fed Ex Forumn last season and I felt like a roast pig at kosher wedding wearing my Suns Jersey.

  38. #38
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm, right_on said:

    Don’t forget…

    Pelosi also lied… a lot, and transparency was just one of them.

    Proving once again…turds on a feather, plop together.

  39. #39
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 2:42 pm, scituate_tgr said:

    24Klady said: I think cheddar and anyone else that can’t throw out a comment without invoking the ghosts of Stooges should get a room, or their own website.

    Why you, I oughta….;-)

  40. #40
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 2:47 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On July 22nd, 2009 at 1:12 pm, 24Klady said:
    I think cheddar and anyone else that can’t throw out a comment without invoking the ghosts of Stooges should get a room, or their own website.

    “Go on, get sexy!”
    - Moe to Curly (MATRI-PHONY, 1942)

  41. #41
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 3:14 pm, CleanGuy said:

    Barack Obama, WPE
    (worst president ever)

  42. #42
    On July 22nd, 2009 at 5:10 pm, akoypinoy said:

    Will there be a reporter who have the spine to ask some tough questions tonight, i.e. Mr. President, can you give us the names of the executives that visited you at the WH to discuss your Obama(S)Care? This is a follow-up question Mr. Pres. Did you offer them carrots or threatened them with a stick?
    Don’t think so! The MSM will ask softball and leading questions that will make the Messiah look good.

    I’m not going to watch him and listen to his false promises and lies. It’s a good thing that I have a DVR and able to watch “24″ again.

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