Transparency and the Rule of Law Will be the Touchstones of This Presidency

WANTED: Touchstones – Last seen… (who knows?)
As Eric Holder tries to host an off-the-record meeting with reporters to discuss his law-breaking… it is interesting to recall the words of the president on his arrival in office….

January 21, 2009 ~ Barack H Obama

To be sure, issues like personal privacy and national security must be treated with the care they demand. But the mere fact that you have the legal power to keep something secret does not mean you should always use it. The Freedom of Information Act is perhaps the most powerful instrument we have for making our government honest and transparent, and of holding it accountable. And I expect members of my administration not simply to live up to the letter but also the spirit of this law.

I will also hold myself as President to a new standard of openness. Going forward, anytime the American people want to know something that I or a former President wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the Attorney General and the White House Counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law. Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution.

Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-welcoming-senior-staff-and-cabinet-secretaries-white-house

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Yeah. Sure, Junior. Let us know an address and we’ll ship you a working sense of irony.

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