Skewed Priorities

Investors.com ^ | November 2, 2009 | INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY Staff

[Kaslin]

Leadership: What are we to make of a White House visitors list that includes 22 swiftly scheduled appointments with a union boss at a time when Gen. Stanley McChrystal can't get face time with the commander in chief?

Late Friday during the idle hours of the news cycle, the administration released the names of 100 White House visitors in 481 visits. It wasn't exactly the transparency the president promised. It was simply in compliance with two court rulings that ordered the names to be made public record. Unable to admit misconduct, the White House insisted its disclosure was voluntary.

It didn't intend to make this easy. Instead of just releasing all the logs, the White House released only a partial list. It asked the media and public to play a guessing game of "name that visitor." If an inquiry was made and the White House had a record, it would be confirmed.

Only about a quarter of all names have been disclosed, showing a lucky 42 meeting President Obama personally. But even the incomplete information says a lot about the White House's priorities — and they aren't good.

The list reveals visits from activists, left-wing foundations, the feminist lobby, union bosses and noted anti-capitalists whose ideas would put the U.S. economy into the ground. The list also shows the White House had little exposure to policymakers on the frontlines of some of the most important decisions the president must make.

[Kaslin]

[opentalk]

two court rulings that ordered the names to be made public record. Unable to admit misconduct, the White House insisted its disclosure was voluntary.

It is going to take more court challenges see behind the curtain.