Unfortunately, we are again asking the president to explain why exactly he announced, with great fanfare, new ethics rules if he had no intention of abiding by them.
The Obama administration is yet again asking for a waiver to its very own rules about hiring lobbyists.
This time, it is the new treasury secretary, Tim Geithner. He wants a former lobbyist for Goldman Sachs to be his top aide at the Treasury Department.
My view is simple: Mr. President, if you want to hire former lobbyists because you think they are in fact the best people to do the job, then hire former lobbyists. Just don't hold a big news conference first to tell us how your administration is going to be so different from previous administrations in that you won't be hiring lobbyists.
Don't make your disdain for lobbyists and your pledges that they won't wield influence in your administration a centerpiece of your campaign.
It's the hypocrisy and the double-talk that makes so many of us so cynical. Do what you think is best for the country. Just be straight with us about how you're going to do it.
It was a short honeymoon.
2 comments:
I think if Obama wants to have an ethics department, his obvious choice to head it would be Rod "Show me the f***ing money" Blagopjevich.
Blago would fit right in.
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