Obama gets mixed report card.

Barack Obama took office with a pledge of "unprecedented level of openness" in government -- a pledge that his critics on both the left and right have accused him of abandoning. His decision to oppose the release of photos of Iraqi and Afghan detainees being abused by American troops, his insistence that White House visitor logs are exempt from mandatory release under the Freedom of Information Act, and the Justice Department's invocation of the state secrets privilege in cases involving alleged CIA torture have all tended to undercut Obama's pledge, which he expressed in a memo to government employees when he took office.Link

Obama Is Embracing Abusive Bush Policies.

For disillusioned Obama supporters, the ACLU's July report "Establishing the New Normal" is not a heartening read. After being voted into office on promises that included undoing abuses carried out under the Bush administration - promises to protect privacy, to end government-sanctioned torture and rendition programs and to end the use of military commissions for non-enemy combatants - President Obama's administration is proving it is far easier to tow the line than buck a trend.Link