Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 - 10:15 pm:

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Administration of Barack H. 0bama, 2009
Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government
January 21, 2009

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

Subject: Transparency and Open Government

My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use.

-- BARACK 0BAMA

Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:15 a.m., January 23, 2009

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Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2014 - 10:17 am:

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James Foley’s Life in Pictures: ‘A Man of Incredible Bravery and Courage’
Kelsey Harris / @KelsRenHar / August 21, 2014

Meet James Foley—a 40 year-old American photojournalist from New Hampshire. He’s a former teacher and mentor who was committed to helping individuals improve their lives. He’s a son, a colleague, a big brother of five and a friend. His family calls him Jim.



“Everybody, everywhere, takes a liking to Jim as soon as they meet him,” writes fellow journalist Clare Gillis about Foley in an essay for The Atlantic.

He’s also the man in the orange jumpsuit who was beheaded in the graphic video with the title “A Message to America,” posted on social media by members of the Islamic State on Tuesday. Foley was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in northwest Syria on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, 2012, and remained missing until the video surfaced. The National Security Council confirmed its authenticity Wednesday.

Foley documented the suffering and terror in the Middle East, reporting from countries like Libya, Afghanistan and Syria. He gave faces to the people and stories to the battles. He got adrenaline from reporting and lived to expose the Middle East to audiences across the world.

His mother Diane Foley released this statement on Facebook after the video was exposed:

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We have never been prouder of our son Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people. We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world. We thank Jim for all the joy he gave us. He was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person. Please respect our privacy in the days ahead as we mourn and cherish Jim.

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Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2014 - 06:01 pm:

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Department of Defense--Compliance with Statutory Notification Requirement
B-326013: Aug 21, 2014

The Department of Defense (DOD) violated section 8111 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014 when it transferred five individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the nation of Qatar without providing at least 30 days notice to certain congressional committees. Section 8111 prohibits DOD from using appropriated funds to transfer any individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay unless the Secretary of Defense notifies certain congressional committees at least 30 days before the transfer. As a consequence of using its appropriations in a manner specifically prohibited by law, DOD also violated the Antideficiency Act.

Contact:

Edda Emmanuelli Perez
(202) 512-2853
EmmanuelliPerezE@gao.gov

Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov

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Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2014 - 08:54 pm:

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State Dept: We Had 'No Intention' Of Revealing U.S. Failed Foley Rescue, 'No Idea' Who Leaked
Washington Free Beacon ~ Aug 21, 2014

http://youtu.be/nJKt9S33UBY

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Posted on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 10:13 pm:

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Obama Stands Alone: Even the media are baffled by his deepening isolation
Howard Kurtz, August 22, 2014, FoxNews.com

President Obama has few remaining friends—either in his own party or in the media.

That’s the unmistakable conclusion of two pieces this week in the New York Times. Just about everyone, it seems, is down on his single, solitary nature.

I’ve been saying for a year now that the president’s liberal media allies have soured on him. It started with the ObamaCare debacle and continued through his seeming passivity or slow reaction time in the wake of the VA scandal, the Bowe Bergdahl mess, the military collapse in Iraq and so on. At this point they’re basically Waiting for Hillary.

What is striking now is a growing sense, fairly or unfairly, that Obama is not capable of rising to the occasion, that he just doesn’t like politics, that he’s disengaged, that despite his soaring rhetoric in 2008 he has a passion deficit.

...Nearly six years into his term, with his popularity at the lowest of his presidency, Mr. Obama appears remarkably distant from his own party on Capitol Hill, with his long neglect of would-be allies catching up to him.

In interviews, nearly two dozen Democratic lawmakers and senior congressional aides suggested that Mr. Obama’s approach has left him with few loyalists to effectively manage the issues erupting abroad and at home and could imperil his efforts to leave a legacy in his final stretch in office.

Times columnist Maureen Dowd, who’s already been down on Barry, uses the story to ratchet up her complaints:

“The man whose singular qualification was as a uniter turns out to be singularly unequipped to operate in a polarized environment."

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