Regardless of your political persuasion, I think you have to applaud Obama's memo about opening back up the FOIA: http://www.boingboing.net/2009/01/21/obama-adminstration.html Here's the actual memo I found via Digg: Of course, that second to last paragraph is a pretty wopping caveat IMO. And I'm not great at reading legalese, but it doesn't seem to have anything binding in it. But hopefully his willingness to submit this directive so soon into his administration is a great sign of things to come.
Huh? He already had that weapon (as did Bush). As I read the memo and the commentaries on it, he's basically ceding the power to withhold information that is politically damaging but not a matter of national security. How can that be seen as nefarious? You liked it better the old way?
The Obama administration has no comment in today's presser about last night's US missile strikes in Pakistan. Open and transparent...
That's right. The First Comandment is that I Am The Lord Your Obama. The Second Commandment is You Shall Have No Other Obamas Before Me.
Sheesh. I really thought this would be an issue everybody would appreciate, particularly those of a libertarian bent. Surely, we can all acknowledge that things had to change. Here's what people were saying days before the inauguration: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090126/kisseloff?rel=hp_picks Obama goes one better and issues the memo himself. Is it really so wrong to acknowledge when a president you generally dislike does the right thing? I mean, I freely acknowledge that Bush's policies in Africa have been nothing short of outstanding. It really didn't kill me to write that.
Hmmm. Maybe the government was just making fewer documents over the last 9 years.....and yes, the trend started under Clinton.
