President Obama responded on Monday to a series of questions submitted via YouTube.
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On YouTube, they asked about C-SPAN.
As in, President Barack Obama's campaign pledge -- abandoned during the course of 2009 -- to put the health reform negotiations on cable television.
It was one of a dozen questions submitted through YouTube, the website that is increasingly making its mark in the political arena, and presented directly to Obama at the White House on Monday.
The questions were submitted via video or text and focused on the economy, health care, energy, job creation, foreign policy and Wall Street. More than 11,000 questions were submitted, and more than 640,000 people voted on the questions.
In response to the C-SPAN question, Obama argued that his administration has been "certified by independent groups as the most transparent White House in history." He said the congressional portion of the discussions were televised but that his closed-door sessions with legislative leadership were not. He hinted he might change that but didn't say how.
"I think it is a fair criticism; I've acknowledged that," he said. "And that's why -- as we move forward making sure that in this last leg, these five yards before we get to the goal line that everybody understands exactly what's going on in the health care bill -- that there are no surprises, no secrets. That's going to be an imperative. It's going to be one of my highest priorities."
YouTube, which co-hosted two presidential debates with CNN, grouped the questions into categories, and YouTube News and Political Director Steve Grove asked Obama the top vote-getters, with one exception.
Among YouTube voters, whether to legalize marijuana was a top-rated query, but that question didn't come up in the 30-minute interview. In March, the White House hosted a virtual town hall, and legalizing pot was high on the list then, too.
Obama fielded questions about small businesses, which he said are still struggling to get financing "because banks frankly just don't want to take the risks."
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