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Home Front: Politix
W. House: DoD Officials Must Vow Secrecy on Budget
2009-02-23
The Obama administration has directed defense officials to sign a pledge stating they will not share 2010 budget data with individuals outside the federal government.

In an undated non-disclosure agreement obtained by Defense News, the administration tells defense officials that "strict confidentiality" must be practiced to ensure a "successful" and "proper" 2010 defense budget process.
This doesn't sound good. More at the link
Yup, we'll hear about the defense cuts the day before they're passed ...
Posted by:whitecollar redneck

#16  and leave the liberal bitchy little things defending themselves? im sure they'll do well.
Posted by: haveanoodle55   2009-02-23 18:07  

#15  The intent here is to prevent the groundswell of public outrage growing to a level that intimidates the crony class of donks in the Congress. If they can get it to them without much public outcry, the donks will drive it through before they feel the heat from home.
Watch for the same tactic on immigration.
The real agenda here is the permanent creation of a one-party state, with political gifts to unions, academics, community organizers and minorities scaled so that they all get material ($) benefits for one party rule. Once that demographic is complete with 15 million illegals made citizens, the Republic is over and the socialist state will have arrived.......
The only lever is to get the three morons in the Senate, Specter, Snow and Collins, and a whole slew of Southern Democrats in the house to really feel the heat. They are the only obstacles to this. Watch the White House flipflop on the Fairness Doctrine as soon as the heat is turned up....
Posted by: NoMoreBS   2009-02-23 17:47  

#14  Of course, DOD can fight the FOIA request in court. The newspapers would eventually win, but it could take years ...
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2009-02-23 17:05  

#13  "So news agencies (ie Fox, DefenseNew, et al) or public resource groups (ie AUSA) can file FOIA with legally binding comply dates. Resistance to the FOIA would become a public issue in and of itself"

And the inevitable leaks will tell them EXACTLY what to ask for. An old and traditional insider game.

"A stupid play by amateurs in the White House."

Absolutely. Alas, we should get use to it with this bunch.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks   2009-02-23 15:26  

#12  There was an article in yesterday's paper from the New York Times, saying that President Obama plans to cut the annual deficit by two thirds before he leaves office, mainly via Iraq troops withdrawals and increased taxes on the wealthy. If the New York Times is discussing it, it's too late for secrecy.
Posted by: trailing wife   2009-02-23 14:34  

#11  And the MSM lets helps him get away with it.

Fixed it!
Posted by: Crinese Speaking for Boskone3068   2009-02-23 14:31  

#10  I wonder what the thermostat is set to in the Oval Office today? And if the Suburbans are idling out in the driveway?
Posted by: tu3031   2009-02-23 13:08  

#9  Â“For a long time now thereÂ’s been too much secrecy in this city,” he told reporters at a January 21 swearing-in ceremony.

“The old rules said that if there was a defensible argument for not disclosing something to the American people, then it should not be disclosed” (a paraphrase of the October 2001 policy statement of former Attorney General John Ashcroft). “That era is now over.”

“Starting today, every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information, but those who seek to make it known,” President Obama said.

Moreover, “I will also hold myself, as president, to a new standard of openness…. Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well-grounded in the Constitution.”

“Let me say it as simply as I can. Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.”
Posted by: swksvolFF   2009-02-23 12:58  

#8  Budget numbers are public info, bub. We pay for it, we get to see what we're buying.
Posted by: mojo   2009-02-23 11:10  

#7  Omerta...
Posted by: tu3031   2009-02-23 09:53  

#6  Anyone who's surprised that Obama's a liar hasn't been paying attention. And the MSM lets him get away with it.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2009-02-23 08:49  

#5  So all that government transparency talk was complete bullshit.

Good to know. It seems everything else he talked about doing other than his extreme liberal agenda was bullshit too.
Posted by: DarthVader   2009-02-23 07:40  

#4  Cloaking Foreign Military Sales (FMS) possibly?
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-02-23 07:40  

#3  The Obama administration has directed

Who in the "Obama administration" has directed this? The SECDEF 'Gates' works directly for the president. This doesn't pass the sniff test.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-02-23 06:38  

#2  The exemptions from FOIA disclosure are here.

Unless the material has been formally classified, "..provided that it has been properly classified in accordance with the substantive and procedural requirements of an executive order.", it is not protected from FOIA inquiry. FOUO - for official use only is a method of handling, not a secrecy classification.

So news agencies (ie Fox, DefenseNew, et al) or public resource groups (ie AUSA) can file FOIA with legally binding comply dates. Resistance to the FOIA would become a public issue in and of itself bring light where the Administration probably really doesn't want seen.

A stupid play by amateurs in the White House.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2009-02-23 04:45  

#1  It seems that the Dear Leader(TM) really is Carter type dove on meth.

I hope(TM) the Iraqi's are up to speed, because the 1975-style bug-out is coming soon after 2010

He's gonna gut the defense budget to pay for his giveaways.

Hollow army, here we come.

Posted by: N guard   2009-02-23 00:16  

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