Republicans Asked About Open Govt. in Iowa Debate

The issue of how open with information candidates' administrations would be was put forward in the recent Des Moines Register Presidential Debate.

One question to former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani from Register Editor Carolyn Washburn focused on accusations of the mayor's handling of "security expenses in a way that obscured public disclosure. What specifically will you promise to do to ensure that a Giuliani White House is open with information that might be inconvenient to explain to the public?"

Giuliani responded that "All that information was available, and known to people, known six years ago." He added that he "would make sure that government was transparent. My government in New York City was so transparent that they knew every single thing I did almost every time I did it. So I would be extremely, I would be extremely open."

Picking up on the story, New York's Daily News noted that some are more skeptical of the mayor's claim, including First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams, who was quoted by the Daily News as saying that Giuliani "ran the least open, least transparent government in living memory."

Washburn also asked candidate former Assistant Secretary of State Alan Keyes how he would "guarantee an open white house."

"I think the most important thing is to be authentic about the person you are," Keyes responded. "Not to take a stand on the most important principle that faces our nation today, endowed by our creator with our inalienable rights and not to abandon the heritage of the Republican party…. I think it would be important to do what I'm doing in my campaign. We have phone calls every week, people gather online to talk to me, interact, state their views. We have technologies that allow people to communicate directly with their leadership."