Two news items this week do not exactly paint a rosy picture of President Obama and his Presidency. His government is accused both of lacking in real transparency and of betraying democracy and human rights.

Attorney General Holder's non-transparency exposed by watchdog group March 18, Law Enforcement Examiner: Jim Kouri

• This week, the U.S. Department of Justice celebrated the one-year anniversary of Attorney General Eric Holder's 2009 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) guidelines. Issued exactly one year ago, Holder's guidelines were supposed to aid President Barack Obama's "new era of open government" by establishing a "criteria governing the presumption of disclosure" and creating "effective systems for responding to requests." Unfortunately, after only the first year under these heralded guidelines, Judicial Watch reported on March 17 that its officials have experienced little improvement in U.S. government transparency or accountability.

The Obama intifada? by Melanie Phillips

• "Middle America, those millions of mainly Christian souls who are Israel's staunchest supporters in the world, should be made aware of what their President is doing turning the United States into a betrayer of democracy, human rights and the Jewish people to become no less than an accessory to terror. Are we seeing the beginning (heaven forbid) of the Obama intifada?"