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Commentary: Obama's hypocrisy showing

  • Story Highlights
  • Brown: President Obama again wants to break his own rules on lobbyists
  • Brown: If Obama wants to hire lobbyists, fine, but don't make it a policy that he won't
  • Saying one thing and doing another only increases cynicism, she says
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Editor's note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN's "Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull" at 8 p.m. ET Mondays through Fridays. She delivered this commentary during the "Cutting through the Bull" segment of Wednesday night's broadcast.

CNN's Campbell Brown says the new treasury secretary wants to hire a former lobbyist as a top aide.

CNN's Campbell Brown says the new treasury secretary wants to hire a former lobbyist as a top aide.

(CNN) -- Unfortunately, we are again asking the president to explain why exactly he announced, with great fanfare, new ethics rules if he had no intention of abiding by them.

The Obama administration is yet again asking for a waiver to its very own rules about hiring lobbyists.

This time, it is the new treasury secretary, Tim Geithner. He wants a former lobbyist for Goldman Sachs to be his top aide at the Treasury Department.

My view is simple: Mr. President, if you want to hire former lobbyists because you think they are the best people to do the job, then hire former lobbyists. Just don't hold a big news conference first to tell us how your administration is going to be so different from previous administrations in that you won't be hiring lobbyists.

Don't make your disdain for lobbyists and your pledges that they won't wield influence in your administration a centerpiece of your campaign.

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It's the hypocrisy and the double-talk that makes so many of us so cynical. Do what you think is best for the country. Just be straight with us about how you're going to do it.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Campbell Brown.

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