Secrets no president should keep

[bemildred]

Last edited Thu Mar 14, 2013, 10:37 AM - Edit history (1)

"It is one of the genuine marks of servitude to have the law either concealed or precarious." -- Sir Edward Coke

In the divided world of American politics, it's not easy to find an issue on which the legal affairs correspondent for the Nation and the former chairman of the American Conservative Union agree. But we've found one: the crucial importance of transparency in government, especially when the president claims the power to kill us without charges or trial, by directing the launching of a remote-control drone.

As this is Sunshine Week, a national initiative to promote dialogue about the importance of open government, what better time for the president to make good on his promise to lead the most transparent administration ever and tell us what's up with the drone policy?

President Obama claims he agrees with us on transparency. Shortly after taking office, Obama issued a memorandum to executive branch departments and agencies claiming his intention to "create an unprecedented level of openness in government." Transparency, the president explained, promotes accountability, encourages public engagement and furthers collaborative government.

But actions speak louder than words. For all these promises, when it comes to the most awesome power Obama has asserted thus far — the authority to kill American citizens and others without trial or charges — this administration has been anything but transparent.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-0314-cole-transparency-drone-obama-20130314,0,6437056.story

We may well ask ourselves, what is this secrecy all about? What is the point? Is it about security or it about avoiding scrutiny? Isn't the real point of the secrecy to avoid oversight? What is not public cannot be debated or criticized.