News and Politics | January 21, 2009 | 34 comments

Vowing transparency, Obama OKs ethics rules, no more lobby buying America

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/21/obama.business/index.html

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WorldPeaceTV
Promising "a new era of openness in our country," President Barack Obama signed executive orders Wednesday relating to ethics guidelines for staff members of his administration.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel briefs President Obama in the Oval Office.

"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," Obama said.

Among other things, Obama said he would issue a pay freeze for his senior staff.

During the campaign, Obama pledged that "no political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointees will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration," according to BarackObama.com.

Obama began his first full day in office with a moment of solitude in the Oval Office, reading a note from his predecessor, before making phone calls to Middle East leaders.
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No more Lobby..
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34 comments // Vowing transparency, Obama OKs ethics rules, no more lobby buying America

  • 2hellnwait
    • 0
      2hellnwait  

    • You mean to tell me that our new President only tell us just what he believes that he thinks we want to hear? Oh my, Have we been deceived?

    • 3 years ago
  • mutedmajority
  • resolute
    • 0
      resolute  

    • Yeah for ending lobbying.

      Boo for delaying Holder's nomination.

      I pray God helps all those whose motives are pure. And for those who subvert the truth-well, they have their reward.

    • 3 years ago
  • csmonut
    • 0
      csmonut  

    • I am cautiously optomistic. He has made a very good start and I hope it continues.
      Probably one of the toughest uphill climbs will be changing the "we've been doing it that way for years", syndrome.

    • 3 years ago
  • PlatoTacius
    • 0
      PlatoTacius  

    • We've been lied to for so long now, it's almost difficult to believe in the honesty and integrity presented to us by our new president, but it is very gladly welcomed by many...what a ray of sunlight after such a gloomy past eight years...

      Shine on Mr. President...

    • 3 years ago
  • bluestranger
    • 0
      bluestranger  

    • After every thing that he has done on day one I'm inclined to give him the benifit of a doubt. If the only ones he dissapoints in the next four years are the lobbiest, he picked the right ones. Kudos on a great start. Mr. President.

    • 3 years ago
  • akamaial
  • tt112
  • wintermadness90
    • 0
      wintermadness90  

    • I'm seeing mostly positive feedback on here, I'm surprised. I think this is a good start as well, I have always wanted a ban on lobbyism, maybe it's not so far away.

    • 3 years ago
  • sushikillakid
  • kennymotown
  • quixotic12
  • Robroy1
    • 0
      Robroy1  

    • Great first steps. I hope he keeps it up. It is so nice to have a president that knows the english language and how to fluently speak it. No stammering and stuttering and the use of the right words especially words that have over five letters in them. I was beginning to think we are a nation of illeterate's because our old leader sure was one and I figured the only people who would vote for him were illeterate as well.

    • 3 years ago
  • ciregg222
  • Argon18
    • 0
      Argon18  
    • Image

    • "Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," Obama said.

      Speaking of that some in Congress are still trying to subvert the rule of law by trying to pressure Eric Holder into guarantees that Holder, in due course of his tenure at Justice, will never, ever, EVER prosecute any intelligence agents of the Bush era for engaging in torture by delaying his confirmation to the office of Attorney General.

      Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said that he would block committee proceedings, scheduled to resume at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, if he did not receive answer from Holder. "I'm not going to allow things to proceed," he said. He added that it was "physically impossible" for Holder to get the answers to him by then, thus assuring a conflict would ensue.

      Holder told the Judiciary Committee last week that waterboarding is "torture" and therefore illegal. Susan J. Crawford, the top Bush administration official overseeing the trials of detainees, told the Washington Post that at least one individual held at the prison center at Guantanamo Bay was "tortured."

      The question Republicans want answered before Holder is confirmed: Will you prosecute those who took part in that torture?

      Sen. Leahy said that Holder can't predetermine who he'll prosecute. "I think no prosecutor should say, 'This is who I will prosecute and this is who I won't prosecute,' and he knows that as a former prosecutor," said Leahy of Cornyn's demand.

      Leahy noted that Republicans "enthusiastically supported" Bush's appointee, Michael Mukasey, "who couldn't even say that waterboarding an American abroad would be torture," and also "enthusiastically supported Alberto Gonzales, the least qualified attorney general in decades."

      Having supported those men, said Leahy, it's hard for them to be against Holder. "To say they want to hold up Eric Holder, the most qualified, I'm wondering, 'Why the double standard for this person above all others?"

      It is still an uphill battle even for people that are trying to do the right thing to bring about the change that is sorely needed in the government.

    • 3 years ago
  • resolute
  • photochick
  • fonzo
  • WorldPeaceTV
    • 0
      WorldPeaceTV  

    • "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."...President Barack Hussain Obama

    • 3 years ago
  • escarondito
  • chokolat3warmth
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  

    • Ethics rules, sweet! One leads by example and apparently President Obama has chosen to lead us back to ethical behavior. Great job!

    • 3 years ago
  • stopnoise
    • 0
      stopnoise  

    • Talking about ethics is easy. Actually doing all the other things that honors an ethical policy is another story. This is the same story that draws the differences between policy and enforcement. You can have he best policy in the World on paper and in words, without the proper and timely enforcement it will not mean a thing.

    • 3 years ago
  • aswift1
    • 0
      aswift1  

    • I try not to be skeptical, because I did vote for Obama, but I am just not ready to relax and believe everything he says just yet... Maybe I never will be.

    • 3 years ago
  • IonHand
  • Matchlessman
    • 0
      Matchlessman  
    • aswift1:

      I voted for him aswell and only on the premise that I think he has the integrity to do what is in OUR best interest. But it is up to us as the american public to be mindful of the decisions made, always!

    • 3 years ago
  • bluestranger
  • WorldPeaceTV
    • 0
      WorldPeaceTV  

    • I would think they would be effected since thats who the lobby slimes up to as well as the rest of the Washington politicians. Signing the executive order for that is law within the government and his administration as well as for these lobbyists. I wonder if he will have to pass something thru congress too. I could be wrong on that one.

    • 3 years ago
  • neocongo
  • allIknowis
  • k8_hj
  • neocongo
  • WorldPeaceTV
    • 0
      WorldPeaceTV  

    • I would imagine this will put a damper on the Jewish Lobby too. Seems like they have a little bit too much influence on what Americans want and what they lobby for is obviously for Israel and not the states...call me antisemitic, but thats not the case...the case is that it is totally unfair and Obama's fixiin' that! Across the board

    • 3 years ago
  • akamaial
  • onechance
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