"That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are."

- Candidate Barack Obama, presidential debate against Hillary Clinton, Jan. 31, 2008.

As Obama is finding out, it's one thing to make empty promises as a candidate - and quite another to have to live up to those promises.

Case in point is the request from C-SPAN this week for Democratic leaders to fulfill Obama's 2008 promise to televise the health-care negotiations.

"The C-SPAN networks will commit the necessary resources to covering all of the sessions LIVE and in their entirety," wrote C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb on Dec. 30.

But his request is falling on deaf ears.

"There has never been a more open process for any legislation in anyone who serves here's experience," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared with a straight face at a news conference Tuesday.

And White House spokesman Robert Gibbs deferred questions from reporters on the topic, who noted that Obama's current stance was sharply at odds with his campaign position in favor of openness.

Meanwhile, the president is pressuring House and Senate negotiators to fast-track the final - and secret - negotiations on the two versions of the bill. Obama is so eager to wrap up the bill that he is backing an unusual plan to bypass the formal conference-committee approach, which would have reconciled the two bills and then submitted the final version to the two chambers for passage. Instead, the negotiators will amend the Senate version of the bill and send it back to the Senate for final passage.

Obama wants the final bill passed in time for the annual State of the Union address. And he no doubt also is hoping for swift work by the congressional negotiators behind closed doors so that the matter can be voted on before more of the public becomes aware that he is breaking another of his campaign pledges.

It should go without saying that this is not the way to go about passing a bill that restructures a sixth of the U.S. economy, that likely will mean radical changes in the way that nearly all Americans receive health care and which will cost taxpayers a fortune.

The bill has been a matter of much debate, yes, but as it approaches its final lap, and considering the wide-reaching impact it will have, this is hardly the time to shut the public completely out of the process.

Better that the president lives up to his promises, and let the sun shine in.