Obama not so transparent, despite jabs at Hillary

Barack Obama has had a fun time in the last six days poking at Hillary Clinton and her lack of transparency in regards her correspondence with President Clinton during her eight years as first lady.

Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times finds that it isn't easy to view into the looking glass of Obama's past as a public servant.

In his last book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama delighfully recounted the pleasures of flying on corporate jets--while paying just the cost of a first-class airline ticket. Once Obama was named as the Democrtics spokesman for ethics in the Senate, Sweet recalls, he ended the practice.

Here a few more items Sweet found that Obama may want to bring out into the open:

• • An Obama spokesman, Ben Labolt, last week declined to say where Obama's records from his years in the Illinois State Senate are located. There is no law mandating the state to archive the records. The records from Obama's office -- if he kept them -- would potentially show appointments with lobbyists, policy memos, meetings, etc.

• • Obama has supported more earmark disclosure to bolster government transparency. Last June, Obama disclosed the earmarks he requested for Illinois and national interests. However, his office, after repeated requests since June, has yet to disclose earmarks Obama sought in 2006, before he was running for president.

• • Obama does list the names of hundreds of bundlers -- people committed to raising at least $50,000 for the campaign -- on his Web site. He brags about the disclosure on the stump.

But that's literally all Obama does, list a name. No cities or states, information that is available to his campaign. Some names are well known because the bundlers are celebrities or longtime activists. But it's a big country, and there are more than one Bob Clark and Lou Cohen. Just listing a name does lip service to meaningful disclosure.

Of course then there is Obama's longtime pal, indicted political insider Tony Rezko. Obama came clean on him--but only after the media uncovered embarrassing information on their relationship.

Related posts:

"Rezko lot" next to Obama's home for sale

"Consigliere" Rezko still shadowing Obama

Rezko cash three times what Obama claims

Technorati tags: democrats elections Hillary Clinton Hillary Barack Obama Obama Politics bundling Tony Rezko Senate ethics