Obama promised change and he certainly has - changed that is. The day after he was inaugurated, Obama proclaimed:
My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.
Government should be transparent.
Yet, yesterday Jason Leopold reports
President Barack Obama sent a letter July 29 to Senators Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham informing them that he would work with Congress to ensure legislation is passed that would block the release of any photographs and videos depicting U.S. Soldiers abusing detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan captured after 9/11.
Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham? It's important to Obama that these two guys get the message that all his talk about transparency was just BS? I can sort of understand his ole buddy Joe Lieberman. Afterall, Obama did go to bat for Joe Lieberman during Joe's last election. Arguing with Kossacks that we should not vilify
good allies (Joe Lieberman), with a lifetime record of battling for progressive causes, over one vote or position.
Except, of course, that Joe Lieberman's lifetime record is of battling against progressive causes.
But I digress. The real story here is that Obama is continuing the right wing coverup of what Bush and Co. really did following 9-11. Things that Dick Cheney doesn't want the American public to see. Evidently, what Cheney wants seems to matter far too much to Obama:
Lieberman, I-Conn., and Graham, R-S.C., were sharply critical of Obama’s decision not to fight a final ruling in March by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that called upon the Department of Defense to release the photographs. Obama indicated he would abide by that decision but he abruptly shifted his stance after he was publicly criticized by the likes of Dick Cheney and his daughter, Liz.
And of course, Rahm - progressives are fucking stupid - Emanuel sides with the Republican Graham and
assured him that the abuse photographs would never "see the light of day"
Because, you know, transparency in the Obama White House means the truth never sees the light of day and the only change seems to be within Obama himself.
