Does anyone else see the irony of the president last night calling on a country in the middle of a political crisis to allow for open access to information and a free media … and then today holding a stills-only event in the Oval Office for a bill signing? A bill signing?! And for a treaty that they called a major signature foreign-policy achievement? C’mon.
Also don't forget shutting down sports web sites pre-super bowl. (You can reasonably argue that this is a rational thing for DOJ to do, but the timing is interesting given the prez' call for openness a mere 19 hours ago.)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou mean The Most Transparent Administration in History?
I swear you have to have ADHD, Short Term Memory Loss, or both, to listen to anyone in the Obama White House. Maybe they think we all have those buzzers from "Harrison Bergeron" in our ears.
My personal favorite was yesterday taking credit for Mubarak deciding to step down this fall, and today saying "no, no, no, not 8 months we meant right now!"
It's like he walks outside, sticks his finger in the air, and declares what tomorrow's temperature in Egypt will be. Then, no matter what the actual weather is, declares he was correct.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDana - Are you kidding me with such a ridiculous comparison? Maybe he's just too busy dealing with the Egypt crisis today. And don't get me started about your old boss and secrecy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Does anyone else see the irony"
You're saying that cutting off the internet and attacking journalists is comparable to only allowing stills at a bill signing?
"calling on a country in the middle of a political crisis"
Hundreds of thousands of people are in the streets risking their lives to protest decades of autocratic repression, and you make it sound as though some bad weather over which the government had no control blew in. Poor Egyptian government! Poor Mubarak!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGreat insight. Not being able to watch the president sign a piece of legislation (of which the text is readily available) into law is exactly the same as the restrictions in Egypt.
True irony is when the spokesperson for the former president who attempted to override the Presidential Records Act goes on the record criticizing others of a lack of transparency.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@hokkoda "Then, no matter what the actual weather is, declares he was correct." That's part of the "as I've said from the beginning" maneuver.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYes, but from day one I've seen the hypocrisy and blatant lies from this administration.. Obama criticized Pres. Bush for using "Signing Statements" then uses them himself, he said bills would be online for viewing for 5 days prior to signing but it never happened, he said that HC reform would be debated on C-SPAN but that never happened... I've not seen too many pledges or promises from Obama come to fruition
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTransparency is now coming into being... Most Americans are seeing right thru Obama
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Does anyone else see the irony" of a spokesperson for one of the most profligate spending, big-government Republicans in history citing the irony of anyone else?
I mean, you folks are fully complicit in having brought on the financial apocalypse. And I say that as a committed Conservative.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou want irony? How about Obama decrying Mubarak for pulling the plug on the internet while his henchmen in Congress try to give him the same power?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIrony can be pretty ironic.
Dana, this admin becomes more 'transparent' with every passing event.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI see no irony. I want the public immediately to be informed when the President has signed a bill into law, I want the government immediately to publish the law and I want the press left alone as it reports on and about the law.
But whether the President signs the bill into law in private or with no, some or lots of press in attendanc is purely a matter of public politics and public relations. It's not a reflection of whether we have "open access to information" or a "free media".
A "bill signing" is purely a show, with the President as performer. He has no obligation to conduct the performance for the press or for any particular members of the press. I wouldn't be bothered in the least if he signed every bill with no more than a single person in his office witnessing the signing.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat is it about a bill signing you want to see? Of all the steps it takes to create a law, the literal signing of the bill by the president is the step where transparency matters least. He's signing his name. This is a very silly post.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe irony that struck me most was from this line: "And it should result in a government that's not only grounded in democratic principles but is also responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people."
The aspirations of the American people were pretty let-me-be-clear on that health care bill and how responsive were the (D)s?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePerhaps he didn't have his teleprompter crutch so they didn't want people hearing all the stumbles and "er"s when he has to speak off the cuff
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm with Ostap on this. This isn't a case of an unfree media or restricted information, for heaven's sake, just because the WH wanted to restrict video cameras at a particular ceremony. C'mon now, let's treat this serious situation with some seriousness!!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSending thugs to beat up opponents is equivalent to not answering questions when signing a bill? mmm C'mon Dana you can do better than that. Also most likely he has nothing else to say at this point.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCmon Dana you know that it's a no win situation. If he hypes the event up and has big time consuming signing with all the major players then he is accused of being incestive to the events in Cairo, Eygypt. If he has a quick stills only signing then he must be hiding something. World events trump a bill signing event that had bipartisan support.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseStrikes me there's lots of chatter here about "bill signing" protocols and what's important and what isn't.
The only problem I see with all the chatter is that Dana Perino *knows* what goes into a bill signing and the significance of the optics. She has walked the walk and, I'd bet, has helped decide the protocol used by W on occasion.
How 'bout the rest of you "experts"?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGosh, you are right. Obama is just like Mubarak. Pretty soon he will be sending the Camel brigade onto the Mall.
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