So much for transparency, White House nukes "Ethics Czar" position and transfers responsibilitiescreated 8/13/2010 - 9:54 am, updated 8/13/2010 - 9:57 am by Chris |
The position created and dedicated to maintain transparency in Obama's administration has been axed. Mr. Eisen has been transferred to the Czech Republic and most of his responsibilities have been handed over to WH Counsel Bob Bauer. Mr. Bauer seems to be more of a "government knows best" and less of a "people have a right to know" kinda guy.
President Obama has abolished the position in his White House dedicated to transparency and shunted those duties into the portfolio of a partisan ex-lobbyist who is openly antagonistic to the notion of disclosure by government and politicians.
Obama transferred "ethics czar" Norm Eisen to the Czech Republic to serve as U.S. ambassador. Some of Eisen's duties will be handed to Domestic Policy Council member Steven Croley, but most of them, it appears, will shift over to the already-full docket of White House Counsel Bob Bauer.
Bauer is renowned as a "lawyer's lawyer" and a legal expert. His resume, however, reads more "partisan advocate" than "good-government crusader." Bauer came to the White House from the law firm Perkins Coie, where he represented John Kerry in 2004 and Obama during his campaign.
Bauer has served as the top lawyer for the Democratic National Committee, which is the most prolific fundraising entity in the country. Then-Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., the caricature of a cutthroat Chicago political fixer, hired Bauer to represent the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In the White House, Bauer is tight with Emanuel, having defended Emanuel's offer of a job to Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., whom Emanuel wanted out of the Senate race.
In the end, it's probably best that the Ethics Czar spot goes away; there's no point in paying someone to fix something that can't be fixed.
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