President Obama's very public embrace of open government -- starting on his
first full day in office -- has been a welcome change from the regime of secrecy enforced by the previous administration.
The routine disclosure of White House visitor logs and the White House's Open Government Initiative are but two examples.
And yet the Obama administration's openness only goes so far.
In some ways, particularly when it comes to covering up the most controversial aspects of (or policies held over from) the Bush administration, this White House is as opaque as the last one.
In honor of Sunshine Week, which is a celebration of the importance of open government and freedom of information, here are 10 of the things that President Obama is keeping us in the dark about.
Vote for which ones you think are the most outrageous.
|
Do The Drone Wars Have Any Rules? |
|
Here’s a
great question: What’s the legal basis for the use of unmanned drones to conduct targeted killings overseas?
As author
P.W. Singer put it recently: “Every so often in history, a new technology rewrites the rules of the game. Like gunpowder, the printing press, or even the atomic bomb, such revolutionary technologies are game-changers not merely because of their capabilities, but rather because of the ripple effects they have on everything from our wars to our politics. They force us to ask tough social, military, business, political, ethical, and legal questions.”
The ACLU has
now been told that the administration will release a detailed legal justification for the controversial program -- but at an undetermined date.
|
Become a fan
Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow
Read More:
Afghanistan
,
Bailout
,
Iraq
,
Slidepoll
,
Torture
,
Civilian Casualties
,
Tim Geithner
,
Disclosure
,
Drones
,
Open government
,
Sunshine week
Politics News
Jeremy Binckes contributed to this report.
Subscribe to the HuffPost Hill newsletter!
First Posted: 05/19/10 06:12 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 04:55 PM ET