On January 22, 2010 President Obama continued stumping for government transparency, declaring, “I won’t stop fighting to open up government.” He continued the claims that he was establishing the toughest transparency rules “of any administration in history.”

Tell that to Washington DC press corps.

Here’s Pres. Obama declaring his commitment to “openness,’ “transparency,” and making sure all of us know who’s visiting the White House:

That was then. This is now:

Recently White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs met with a group from the White House press corps, ostensibly, as White House Correspondent’s Association president Ed Chen stated, “to clear the air . . . among members over White House practices and attitude toward the press.”

It seems the air emanating from the White House is still rather fouled. Maybe that’s why the DC police closed Lafayette Park and forced the media and the public away from the White House.

Aside: One of the reporters being shooed away from the White House by the DC police shows incredible arrogance and chutzpah when he states, at the 2:53 mark in the video above,

“It’s one thing to push the public back, but to not let the media film is just ridiculous.”

In other words, let the police shove the public around, but don’t you dare touch the press.

UPDATE: According to a FoxNews.com report, the closure lasted about 15-20 minutes, before, as Rich Trzupr put at Threedonia.com put it,

“… the cops changed their minds and allowed the media to do their jobs. … Apparently somebody woke up to the fact that acting like storm troopers might not be the best idea in the world.”