The Most Transparent Administration in History

Campaign slogans are like the morning mist. Once the person is elected political Alzheimer's sets in.  

On the heels of the resignation of Gary Cohen comes the announcement that David Wright will be leaving.

Most of the public probably has no idea  who either of these individuals are. Gary Cohen was director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. 

That is government speak for an agency that was responsible for creating Obamacare regulations.

Mr. Cohen's boss, Marilyn Tavenner (CMS chief) had this to say.

“Under his leadership, CCIIO established the rules which have made the promise of the Affordable Care Act a reality for millions of Americans who now can have the security of health coverage without regard to their previous health condition, and can know that their insurance will cover all the most common services they will need,” Tavenner said.

Kind of brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it?

So what's the deal with David Wright?

Mr. Wright ran the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), responsible for reviewing any misconduct in research projects. 

Sounds like the Department of Redundancy Department, doesn't it?

So what does the ORI do?

I have no idea, but I'm sure the NSA does.

What is interesting here is Mr. Wright's reason for resignation. He claims this is "the worst job I have ever had".

Wright describes his inability to obtain approval to spend $35 to convert old cassette tapes to CDs. He tried to fill a vacancy in his office, but an HHS deputy secretary said there was a secret priority list and couldn’t tell him where his open job fell.

Washington Post

Perhaps they could have told him, but then they would have to kill him.

“Since I’ve been here I’ve been advised by my superiors that I had ‘to make my bosses look good.’ I’ve been admonished: ‘Dave, you are a visionary leader but what we need here are team players.’

Recently, I was advised that if I wanted to be happy in government service, I had to ‘lower my expectations.’ The one thing no one in OASH [Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health] leadership has said to me in two years is ‘how can we help ORI better serve the research community?’ Not once.”Wright alleges in the letter that Koh himself described his office as operating in an “intensely political environment.”

Political environment?

I am shocked, shocked to learn that D.C. is a political environment.