Convention Report: Campaign '08

First Published: May 2008

Clinton Vows End to Government Secrecy

By Mary Lynn F. Jones | Photo By Ringo H.W. Chu

If elected president, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) pledged to operate the government “from a presumption of openness, not secrecy” during her speech at the NAA/ASNE luncheon.

In April, Clinton became a co-sponsor of the Free Flow of Information Act (S. 2035), which would protect reporters from revealing confidential sources in federal court, except in limited circumstances. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill by a 15-4 vote in October, but the full Senate had not voted on it as of presstime.

Clinton accused the Bush administration of following a policy of secrecy, citing the increased number of documents hidden from the public, Bush’s expanded use of executive privilege to keep information from Congress and his efforts to stonewall the public from discovering activities such as warrantless wiretaps and secret prisons.

She cited The Washington Post’s investigation of mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.—which won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in April (see story, p. 45)—as an example of a story unfolding outside of public scrutiny. The Post’s reporting demonstrated what happens when presidential power is “misapplied, misdirected or missing in action,” she said.

Clinton also promised to reverse Bush’s policy of “needless classification of information” by telling federal agencies to release information quickly under the Freedom of Information Act unless the information would cause harm. That was the policy under Janet Reno, who served as former President Bill Clinton’s attorney general, she noted.

Bush’s policies have amounted to an “imperial presidency,” she added, one that favors “limited government, but unlimited power.”

If elected, Clinton vowed to bring several other changes to the presidency, such as restoring integrity to the federal government by ending no-bid contracts and appointing qualified staffers to positions, returning to a policy of evidence-based decision making, respecting Congress as a partner in solving problems, including ending the use of signing statements to ignore parts of laws that Congress has passed, and ensuring that the executive branch complies with the nation’s laws.

“Starting from day one, the Bush-Cheney era will be over in name and practice,” Clinton said.

McCain Backs Federal Shield Law

By John Heys | Photo By Kenny Bordelon

Pledging support for a federal shield law, Republican presidential candidate John McCain shared his thoughts about a free press and his attitude toward campaign coverage in an address to The Associated Press Annual Meeting.

But the U.S. senator from Arizona also expressed concern about the legislation, which would protect journalists from having to reveal confidential sources in federal court except in limited cases. The House of Representatives passed a federal shield bill last October, but the full Senate has yet to vote on the measure.

McCain cited The New York Times’ disclosure of domestic surveillance programs as an example of coverage he said “came too close to crossing” the line by revealing classified information that unnecessarily threatens Americans’ security. Despite his reservations, McCain said, he has “narrowly decided to support” the legislation, a pledge that drew applause from the standing-room-only crowd.

“By so doing, I and others, on behalf of the people we represent, are willing to invest in the press a very solemn trust that in the use of confidential sources, you will not do more harm than good whether it comes to the security of the nation or the reputation of good people,” McCain said.

For stories that are particularly controversial “or something that many people find wrong or harmful,” McCain said he hoped the press would explain “how and why you did it, and confess your mistakes, if you made them, in a more noticeable way than afforded by the small, small print on a corrections page.”

Known for open and wide-ranging conversations with reporters on his "Straight Talk Express" campaign bus, McCain also explained why he makes himself so accessible to the media.

Longer exchanges with members of the press allow for multiple follow-up questions and provide an opportunity to explain his views in greater detail, McCain said. Reporters are better able to inform citizens, he added, “if they are allowed to press a candidate for more than a gotcha quote or a comment on whatever the cable-driven news environment has decided is the process story of the day.”

To view video from this session, go to www.naa.org/CapConfvideo.

Obama: Involve Americans Again in Government

By Mary Lynn F. Jones | Photo By Kenny Bordelon

Speaking before a sold-out audience at The Associated Press’ annual luncheon, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said he wants to involve Americans in their government again and promote transparency and accountability in Washington.

The American people “feel they have no influence in their government” with President Bush adopting a policy of secrecy and concentrating power in the Oval Office, Obama said. “The president sets the tone,” he added.

On the day of his speech, Obama signed on as a co-sponsor of the Free Flow of Information Act (S. 2035), which would prevent reporters from being forced to reveal confidential sources in federal court except in cases of national security threats or imminent bodily harm. The House passed a bill (H.R. 2102) last October by a 398-to-21 vote, and the Senate Judiciary Committee passed legislation in October, but the full Senate had not acted as of presstime.

Obama cited the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which he sponsored with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). The bill, which was signed into law, created a searchable online database (www.usaspending.gov) of federal spending.

Too often, Obama said, the way votes are structured in Washington is “designed to polarize” people. But the president has an “enormous role in shaping the agenda,” he said, adding that one of his strengths is the ability to persuade people with different viewpoints to “sit around a table and work things out.”

On policy issues, Obama said he would seek to make health care more affordable and available for all Americans, stop giving tax breaks to companies that send U.S. jobs overseas, invest in renewable energy sources to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, create as many as 5 million new jobs, invest in early childhood education and reward teachers for their work.

Asked about the excitement his candidacy has generated, Obama recalled that when he launched his campaign in February 2007, he sensed the “country was hungry for something new.” He said his supporters feel an “ownership” of his campaign and are enthusiastic about the wide variety of people backing him.

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