I saw an announcement on TV this afternoon from President Obama. Boy, did I get a powerful feeling of deja vu:
Bill Clinton came to
Washington promising there would be no stain on his administration - it would be free of graft, corruption or any hint of wrongdoing. The highest ethical standards would be applied rigorously. Nominees for Cabinet posts would be expected to meet stringent codes of conduct, boasted the president's then-transition director Warren Christopher. There would be no Iran-Contra or Watergate scandals to poison the Clinton presidency. Four days after the election the president-elect promised "the most ethical administration in the history of the Republic."
-- Washington Times, April 17, 1995
In a memorandum to the heads of government departments and agencies, Bush said employees should not use public office for private gain. They should disclose waste, fraud, abuse and corruption to appropriate authorities."Everyone who enters into public service for the United States has a duty to the American people to maintain the highest standards of integrity in government," Mr. Bush said in the memo.
The memo, released less than two hours after Mr. Bush took the oath of office as America's 43rd president, followed Mr. Bush's campaign pledge to "restore honor and dignity" to the White House after the ethical lapses and scandals of the Clinton administration.
-- Reuters, January 20, 2001
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Promising "a new era of openness in our country," President Obama signed executive orders Wednesday relating to ethics guidelines for staff members of his administration.
"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," Obama said.
-- January 21, 2009.
Here's the news story I expect to see on Jan. 21, 2017:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hours after taking the oath of office in the wake of the scandal-plagued Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Reagan administrations, President Rodriguez yesterday released strict new ethical guidelines and promised his administration would be "the most honest since the time of Plato."
Under the new rules proposed by the 45th president, White House who so much as look at a lobbyist will be immediately fired, fitted with an ankle bracelet and not allowed to travel within an 100-mile radius of Washington for the next 35 years.
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The difference for me is that I 75% believe Obama, while I only 50% believed Clinton and perhaps 10% believed Bush. Obama seems to have stuck by his interpretation of taking no money from PACs or lobbiests in the campaign, and I think he will stick by his interpretation of not allowing departing administration members to become lobbiests during the remaining 4 or 8 years of his term. There may be some air between what you or I would view as the correct interpretation and what Obama has in mind, but I don't see very much air.- Comment removed.
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1.5 million people on the Mall and you expected it to be lilly clean when they got thru? Most corrupt ever? Where exactly is any proof of that? One guy cheats on his taxes, something millions of Americans do or try to do, and now all of a sudden they are all corrupt? Stop being petty. And, try seeing some daylight in those skies every once in awhile. 83% see this guy as off to a good start. Do you like being a minority? But, hey, I know how you feel, I have been denouncing Bush since '83, long before his descent into the bowels of public opinion. And people thought I was crazy. Here's hoping you are wrong.— Master Dreamz
Archimedes, Obama took donations from Palestinian terrorists. He has thousands of unverified web donors giving below the threshold under assumed names and you believe he is somehow 'ethical'? He's from Chicago. Look into the illegal practices of his Hopefund PAC and how they doled out money. Obama ethical? I bet you believe in the tooth fairy, too.- I love to watch the right winger republicans heads exploding! It does my heart good! I am waiting for Rush the druggie to actually really explode! He, Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck and Coulter would clean the air of the noxious fumes they constantly spew! And Obama just smiles!!!! I love it!— nuffera
- God, you ;loonies don't let up, do you. Most corrupt. Name someone corrupt in Obama's group. No one has been arrsted, indicted, convicted. Unlike the last adsministration who openly flaunted its disdain for our Constitution. Obama did not take $$ from terrorists, theo. Come up with a new line. He's from Chicago. Heaven forbid. Chicago is about the cleanest city I've ever been in. No trashy streets. Say what you will, but they run the city well there. Poor guys, nothing to live for but hate. Pity.— mike l
- Hey Mike, ever hear of Tony Rezko? Wake up.— JerryCurlan
- Arch, is Oprah considered a lobbyist?— AngryWhiteMale
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What I don't get about the whole transparency and freedom of information thing is the fact that nobody is going to know what the President doesn't want them to know anyway. It's not like regular people, or the media is going to be sitting in on any cabinet meetings anytime soon.— jmc- Rush rooting for Obama to fail. I thought that only libz wanted to see America fail. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2009/01/21/nr.sanchez.slater.limbaugh.cnn— RG
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Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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