Increased transparency in the White House was a campaign pledge President Obama made at nearly every turn during the election campaign.

He told Americans that as president he would invite television cameras into the health care negotiations. He said television news stations would record every word while he and members of Congress hashed out the plan to overhaul the nation's health care system.

Obama's campaign promise

hasn't exactly worked out that way.

The health care discussions, while contentious in the public eye, have largely been behind closed doors. Obama has repeatedly met in the White House with congressional leaders and industry executives to discuss health care reform. No reporters or photographers were allowed to cover those meetings.

And now the Obama administration is reluctant to release the full details of the Cars Allowance Rebate System, or CARS.

With the Senate set to vote this week on whether to inject $2 billion more into the program that allows a cash allowance of up to $4,500 for trading in gas-guzzlers for new, more efficient vehicles -- which would put the total funding at three times what was originally approved -- it's imperative the public know for sure how the program is actually working.

Obama was quick to label the program a ";success" after it ran through the first $1 billion in about a week. The huge surge prompted the House to approve $2 billion more and the Senate to take up the measure, which it likely will vote on by Friday.

The Transportation Department said it will provide the data in time, as soon as it's able, but has not yet specified a timeframe for when that information will be released. It might not be until after the Senate vote.

That's not acceptable.

It's impossible to define ";success" if you don't know what the statistics are. So why only release minute details?

Is it because the limited information released so far shows most buyers are not picking Ford, Chrysler or General Motors vehicles? Six of the top 10 vehicles purchased are Honda, Toyota and Hyundai.

Or is it because the White House somehow wants to manipulate the data to reflect its own agenda?

By not releasing this information and being totally transparent, that's how those types of preposterous ";manipulation" rumors get started.

If there's one thing he can do right as president -- and with all that is broken in this country, there's a long list to fix -- it would be to open up fully the federal government that we, the people, own.

If Obama wants to restore any public trust in government that Democrats say was lost during the Bush administration, he's sure not off to a good start.

We're not stupid, Mr. President. We can see right through that strategy.

The sun shone in Helena today. There's no reason why it shouldn't also shine on our government back in Washington.