White House: Look! We're Changing Washington!

The White House is pleased with a new Congressional Research Service report showing that since taking office in January, President Obama has made "historic" change to how lobbyists interact with the executive branch.

Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, blogged today at WhiteHouse.gov a long item boasting about the report's findings.

"We're pleased that CRS recognized a fact that is apparent every day to those of us who work in government: the president's historic restrictions on lobbying are having a significant impact in making sure that the government serves the public interest and not special interests," Eisen writes.

"We hear constantly from public servants across the executive branch how appreciative they are that the president's high standards and tough rules allow them to do their jobs," he said. "That represents the change that the president promised and that CRS recognizes he has delivered."

Under a "How We Have 'Already Changed' Washington" headline, Eisen summarizes the report and also notes the administration has opened up White House visitors logs to the public for the first time ever.

"All of these initiatives are intended to change Washington by putting the public interest ahead of the special interests, and we are very pleased the word is getting out," he wrote.

Late Update: Politico's Ken Vogel took a closer look at that Congressional report.