Clinton Tells Sunshine Week She's "Committed to Restoring Open Government"

Says Her Attorney General Must Have "Proven Commitment" to Openness

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) says she is "committed to restoring open government" by not only mandating more open meetings and release of public documents, but also by nominating "an attorney general who has a proven commitment to open government," according to her response to the Sunshine Week 2008: Sunshine Campaign survey of presidential candidates.

Sunshine Week surveyed the presidential candidates on a variety of open government issues, including access to information, Freedom of Information Act reform, secrecy and classification.

To date, Clinton is the only remaining major candidate to respond. Former democratic contenders Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) replied in full and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) responded in part.

"I believe in an open, transparent government that is accountable to the people," Clinton wrote. "Excessive government secrecy harms democratic governance and can weaken our system of checks and balances by shielding officials from oversight and inviting misconduct or error.

"To me, openness and accountability are not platitudes — they are essential elements of our democracy," she added.

Clinton's response comes on the heels of a Sunshine Week public opinion survey by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University that found three-quarters of Americans think the federal government is secretive, and almost nine in 10 say where a presidential candidate stands on openness is something they consider when deciding who will get their vote.

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Comments

[Cameron Fredman]

Her pledge to release the donors to the Clinton Library and Clinton Foundation "prospectively" only reads almost like an admission that there's something nefarious there.

[Gil Haar]

And yet she's the one who is keeping the National Archives from releasing the White House papers so many people have been seeking.

[Sharon]

You must be kidding! The most secretive woman in politics and you make her poster girl? The woman who is responsible for advising her husband to debate the meaning of "is." This is your role model for open government?

More Bushisms! Call it the "Secure America" act when it's really shred the Constitution act. Call Hillary Clinton committed to restoring open government and you've wandered into an alternative reality!

How bout those tax returns Hill? Or the names of the contributors? Will it take impeachment hearings to find out who pays your bills?

Since the Coburn-Obama Transparency act is one of Senator Obama's accomplishments, why in the world wouldn't you include him?

[Chris Blask]

Hi folks!

I agree 100% with Sen. Clinton's statements, but I have to fairly ask about her the acuality of her own openness.

Sen. Obama has just been grilled by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun on the Rezko issue - both have concluded that he has no negative implication with Rezko and that he answered every question with "uncommon detail" and that his frankness set "a standard for candor by which other presidential candidates facing serious inquiries now can be judged."

I would like to believe Sen. Clinton's statements and look forward to her releasing the tax, library and First Lady documents many are asking for so we can remove these questions from the public debate.

-regards

-chris

[Doris Robinson]

Sirs/Madams:

How can you possibly believe that Sen. Clinton will have an open government, when at this time she has not "opened" her records when she was the First Lady; nor has she shown her tax returns? She claims that she worked with Republicans, she "kissed up" to them when she first became a senator. If you read Morris and Bernstein, you will know that she is a big liar.

You had an attorney from the AP on C-SPAN stating that the papers want people to "filter" their news; if the FACTS are reported, why would we want to filter?

Doris Robinson
Spfld., MA.