Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Transparency myth: meeting with Jewish leaders left off WH schedule

July 13, 2009

Why?

Are there transparency police? I know Politico noticed it early on but I don’t know if they’ve kept it up. Something tells me no. Politifact with the Obameter? Ha-ha. They’re as much in the bag as factcheck.

Anyway – saw this on the transcript. Still pandering to the arabs by hiding his meeting with Jewish Leaders?

TRANSCRIPT: WH Press Briefing 7-13-09

GIBBS: Let me do Lynn one more question, and then we’ll go.

LYNN: Robert, this is on the meeting at 3:00 p.m. with the American Jewish leaders. This is the first time that Obama has met with this group of presidents of major organizations. And some, but not all — there’s a division there about the President’s urging Israel to end settlements.

So my question is, what is the message he’s trying to — what is he trying to accomplish in that? Does he want to just — does he feel he needs to explain more? By chance, if this subject matter is so sensitive, could there be a transcript of what happens made available to us? And –

MR. GIBBS: I could — go ahead, I’m sorry.

LYNN: And this meeting, for some reason, was left off the White House schedule. It was just added on later in the day, though the people were invited last week. Is there a reason for that?

MR. GIBBS: Not that I’m aware of. Obviously, I think the President will use this opportunity to have a discussion with major Jewish leaders about the progress that he believes we’re making toward comprehensive Middle East peace. And what he has asked each side in this process, the hard decisions that he’s asked each to evaluate as we seek to make more of that progress.

Obviously, this is a very influential group, and I think he looks forward to discussing with them how these efforts are ongoing, the progress that he sees that has been and what he thinks has to be addressed in order to see more progress. We won’t have a transcript, but we’ll certainly give you a readout.

And I know you know both Rosy and Alan Solow’s cell phone number. So I will check repeatedly your blog in order to find out as close to an official transcript as one might need.

Lynn Sweet?

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