The Wall Street Journal examines Senator Obama's Teamster "diplomacy" in an editorial this morning, questioning whether a key endorsement is related to Mr. Obama's recent opposition to a pending U.S. - North Korea free trade agreement.  The editorial questions possible hypocrisy in this opposition, as Obama has frequently criticized President Bush's diplomatic style, saying he would openly engage with enemies of America.

...Opposition to free-trade deals is now a union litmus test, especially for the Teamsters and Service Employees International Union, which endorsed the Senator last Friday.

Try squaring Mr. Obama's views on the FTA with his criticism of the Bush Administration for not negotiating with unfriendly regimes, taken straight from an online position paper: It "makes us look arrogant, it denies us opportunities to make progress, and it makes it harder for America to rally international support for our leadership." Or consider this promise from his Asia policy paper: Mr. Obama "will maintain strong ties with allies like Japan, South Korea and Australia" and "work to build an infrastructure with countries in East Asia that can promote stability and prosperity."

The Association of Government Accountants is calling for more transparency in the financial dealings of local, state, and federal governments.  The Association claims that, while large amounts of government financial data is available, it is often filled with technical terms that obscure spending and is difficult to locate.

The association urges governments to produce four-page guides that explain agency missions and performance goals, and to use charts to show where taxes come from and where they are spent. One page in the guides should deal with consequences, such as those of military base closings on communities, Van Daniker said.

Some state and local governments already have such guides, and the federal government last week published its first, an eight-page brochure that uses charts to highlight its long-term financial problems.

The association wants more states on board in hopes that the guides will help reduce dissatisfaction and distrust in government spending practices.

At a time of record earmarks and government spending, all levels of government should strive to ensure expenditures of tax dollars are clear, complete, and readily available to those of us who pay for these programs - the American taxpayers.