Transparency?

The White House has denied local Standish officials the opportunity to fully assess the potential dangers of relocating Islamic terrorists to a soon to be closed maximum security facility in Standish.

In a letter to Rep. Pete Hoekstra who had hoped to lead a delegation of local officials to Guantanamo, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that

"[...] at this stage it may be premature to have local officials visit until a final decision has been made. As you know, the President's task force is seriously reviewing a number of options, including Standish, for relocating detainees in an effort to close Guantanamo. When we have a clear idea of where the detainees will be relocated, we will be sure to engage state and local officials and their representatives in Congress."

In other words, the locals will not be briefed on what the federal government has gotten them into until after the decision has already been made.

This is not the transparency I knew.