A transparent failure

Knowing what government is doing can be quite frightening. But not knowing what it's doing is much scarier. The American people, recognizing that common-sense distinction, increasingly support strengthening reasonable public access to government records. Elected leaders have responded to that demand, which crosses party lines, by promising to meet it. Some have even delivered on those pledges.

Unfortunately, though, President Obama has -- so far -- fallen far short of his 2008 campaign vows to make his administration the most transparent in American history.

In fairness, he's only been in the White House for 14 months. And according to an Associated Press story that ran in this newspaper Wednesday, he has ordered federal agencies to stop using the "deliberative process" exemption that so often thwarts Freedom of Information Act requests.

But those orders appear "to have been widely ignored." From that story: "Major agencies cited the exemption at least 70,779 times during the 2009 budget year, up from 47,395 times during President George W. Bush's final full budget year, according to annual reports filed by federal agencies."

In a revealing twist, "the administration has stalled even over records about its own efforts to be more transparent." Nearly three months after the AP filed for records of the White House's "Open Government Directive," it's still waiting to receive them.

That casts a troubling shadow on National Sunshine Week (March 14-20). But two guest columns on today's Commentary page show that the ongoing quest for more open government isn't just a national issue. University of South Carolina Professor Jay Bender and state Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom point out that ready access to official records enhances the democratic process -- and public trust in government.

The president has long sounded a similar theme. Conceding Tuesday that "our work is not done" on this issue, he said, "We will continue to work toward an unmatched level of transparency, participation and accountability across the entire administration."

Mr. Obama obviously has a full plate. Still, his frequently stated resolve to provide more open government was a fundamental element of his "hope and change" pitch for the presidency. The longer he goes without delivering that overdue transparency, the less convincing his future promises will be.