Promises, Promises & an Ethics Pledge

Why would the Obama Administration require all new administration hires to pledge: "6.Employment Qualification Commitment. I agree that any hiring or other employment decisions I make will be based on the candidate's qualifications, competence, and experience"?

What other criteria would Administration officials use in "any hiring or other employment decisions," if not those "based on the candidate's qualifications, competence, and experience"? Oh, that's right, political hiring is less often about who you know than what you know. Provision six of the Ethics Pledge implies that the Obama Administration is less that fully confident in the decision making abilities of new executive branch hires.

Change you can believe in. But make sure to require those agents of change to pledge not to employ the shady hiring practices the Obama Administration swears it is above.

Read the Executive Order for Yourself: Ethics Commitments By Executive Branch Personnel