A Transparent Presidency

By David Aikman

Senator Obama has said that, if elected, he will ensure his administration is truly transparent. That's terrific. Most Americans want our government to be as open as possible. The problem is, we actually know less about Barack Obama than any other presidential candidate in decades.

His academic record at Occidental College and Columbia University has not been released. His Columbia thesis paper--a good indication of his thinking as a student--is not available. His Harvard Law School records and his medical records have not been released. We don't know a single article he wrote or edited as editor of the Harvard Law School Review.

He won't even release his original birth certificate. For someone promising transparency, that is a strange way to begin. It makes one want to ask who, exactly, is Barack Obama?

Sure. Pelosi promised the same thing: Transparency and integrity when they took over Congress two years ago - and it has been anything, but.