The claim that President Obama and Speaker Pelosi were going to bring “unprecedented transparency, rigorous oversight and clear accountability” to government, “so taxpayers know how their money is being spent and whether it is achieving results,” has proven to be even less grounded in truth than skeptics like myself initially expected.

Note Exhibit A, at right: the conference report on the $800 billion “stimulus” bill, which would increase America’s debt by an amount equal the 15th largest economy on the planet. House Democrats are already ignoring the 48-hour review period they voted to impose on the bill; now, as you can see in the image, the conference summary (.pdf here) has been marked “confidential” by those same leaders who claimed transparency would be a hallmark of their governance.

If only this was a surprise.