There was a time when the U.S. government boldly supported democratic movements and spoke out unabashedly in favor of political and human rights. It wasn’t even that long ago—under the Bush and Reagan Administrations, actually—but it seems like eons. Consider President Obama’s comment in the State of the Union speech …
The Obama administration is not known for its pro-British track record, but this is by far the strongest indication yet that the current White House has little regard for the Special Relationship and its unique role in modern American history. During a White House photo-op with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, …
Last week, the White House announced a new White House White Board video series in which “one of our key players on the White House team will cut through the political back-and-forth you hear every day and break down an issue affecting American families into simple, understandable terms”. Their first …
It looks like ethics and transparency are yet again taking a back seat at the Obama White House, this time with the little-noticed news that the president’s ‘ethics’ czar, Norm Eisen, is leaving to become a foreign ambassador and will not be replaced. Instead, his responsibilities (which included oversight of transparency and accountability, …
Imagine this hypothetical: An independent oil company executive accuses BP of offering him a job if he’ll stop competing against a BP subsidiary — a potentially illegal dealing under federal criminal law. BP denies the accusation for months. Then, suddenly, its in-house counsel releases a two-page memo summarizing the results …
Reporters covering a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” protest at the White House today were forced out of Lafayette Square by police. The scene, captured on video, is remarkable given the historical importance of the park as a protest spot across the street from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. President Obama, who boasts …
Things that are transparent: Saran Wrap, glass, water. Things that aren’t transparent: brick walls, mountains, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Or so it would seem, if you take a look at the CEQ’s response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request issued by the U.S. Chamber …
The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) has released a projection of jobs created by the economic stimulus bill. However, the method they used to get these numbers falls short of basic scientific standards. The CEA modeled a potential outcome for the economy without the stimulus, basing it on …
