Yes, words matter

Just in case you ever think we are not aware of the power of words or that we are always perfect, let me put forward a case study, and it relates to this story headlined: Bush rescinds order that created CIO Council.

The story is about the Bush administration doing away with the executive order that created, say, the CIO Council. When we first read it, we were immediately interested, of course. "Is this a sign of something?" we asked ourselves. But, as the story says, OMB officials said that the provisions of the executive order were codified in the E-Gov Act and therefore were no longer necessary.

Then came these graphs:

An Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman said the key provisions of the order had been codified in the Electronic Government Act of 2002. Some observers of the federal procurement community, however, said they suspect more may be at work.

"The Bush administration may just be cleaning up an executive order that is overtaken by events," in that all of its provisions are now reflected in other laws or in common practice, said consultant Paul Brubaker.

An Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman said the key provisions of the order had been codified in the Electronic Government Act of 2002.

Some observers, however, said they suggested that perhaps the Bush administration is laying the groundwork for changes.