• The Hill's Intensively Secretive Nature: It was the sweltering late summer, 2007, in Washington DC. The House of Representatives was smack in the middle of debate over the controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. And members of Congress, expected to render judgment on legislation that would fundamentally impact core America rights, hadn't laid eyes upon the latest copy of the bill. It's "just absolute lunacy," said California Republican David Dreir of the situation at the time. CQ Politics' Tim Starks dives deep inside such congressional secrecy, from missing bill texts to closed committee hearings to the lack of transcripts to restricted research reports. Well worth a read for a look at how far Congress needs to go to even approach being an open-ish institution.

• We're Open! Err, Now What?: On the point above, one of the fundamental questions of our time is this: how do we use all the government information the Internet might set free for public good? An open debate over that question is now taking place on the Google Group of the Sunlight Foundation's nascent Open Senate Project. (Disclosure: our Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry are senior advisors to Sunlight.) How do we develop the skills/engaged citizenry/journalistic efforts to keep us from drowning in a sea of information, ignorant as ever? Jump in to the discussion. All are welcome.

• Change, Schmange: EchoDitto web developer Ben Buckman is sounding a cynical note about hopes that what the Obama campaign learned online will create "miracles" in the White House -- or even improve future campaigns, for that matter. Worth keeping in mind is that EchoDitto is a direct competitor to Blue State Digital, the firm that powered Obama's web operation. Both firms grew out of the '04 Dean campaign. (It was once explained to me as "Howard Dean and [campaign manager] Joe Trippi got a divorce. Some of the kids went with Howard...") BSD, Buckman reports, has no intention of working on White House web operations. Buckman: "[T]hey built Change.gov and apparently plan to leave it at that."

• Obama Shakes the Digital Coin Jar: The latest email from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe announcing the selection of the incoming administration's national security and foreign policy team includes a big ol' red button asking for contributions, reports Politico's Kenneth Vogel. (Thanks Shaun Dakin) The funds, the plea indicates, will go to "help our transition team" pay for its operations. Secretary of State pick Hillary Clinton, notes Vogel's colleague Ben Smith, is also fundraising off of her nod, in an attempt to erase her considerable debt before she assumes her job at State. The appeal from Plouffe notes that Obama is faced with the considerable costs of a transition: "Traditionally, ...half has been provided by Washington lobbyists and PACs." But, the ask says, "we're doing things differently." Indeed.

In Case You Missed It...

Matt Burton examines the video response by incoming HHS head Tom Daschle and a health care policy aide to the more than 3,700 comments posted on Change.gov. But please, Matt says, no jokes about the former senator from South Dakota's Sally Jessy Raphael glasses.