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also the economy. Granted, there is information that the President has that would be inappropriate for public disclosure, but there are already policies in place for the classification of defense and security data. And in instances of a legitimate need-to-know, President Bush has continued to drag his feet, most notably on information requested and needed by the 9/11 Commission in order to make recommendations for improved national security. Citizens understand the need to keep national security secrets and would be forgiving if information needs to be kept secret, but they also expect a coherent and reasonable argument for why the information should not be public. To say "You can't know because I said so" is condescending and unbecoming of a public servant.

Americans want to trust their government. In a free and open society, trust in government is contingent on leaders being free and open with the public. This is particularly true in the areas of economy, relationships, and security. In electing Barack Obama, Americans have clearly chosen a different path than what has been charted over the last eight, opaque years. Barack Obama has pledged transparency in his campaign and he would do well to follow through with that promise as president. Voters not only deserve free access to information, but access is also necessary for them to be responsible watchdogs of those who govern. That's what the democratic process is about, after all.

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