Obama Finds That Washington’s Habits of Secrecy Die Hard
WASHINGTON — At 12:01 p.m. on Jan. 20 — the precise moment Barack Obama became president of the United States — a new White House Web site sprang to electronic life with a pledge to "provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government." The next day, Mr. Obama issued a memorandum on transparency, promising to make it one of "the touchstones of this presidency." But on issue after issue — a raucous internal debate over whether to release memorandums detailing harsh interrogation techniques used during the Bush years, for example, or publicizing financial information about high-level administration appointees — Mr. Obama has discovered that fulfilling his pledge is easier said than done.Obama Finds That Washington's Habits of Secrecy Die Hard
Posts
