I prefer the term Government 2.0, but some are now using the phrase Google Government when referring to the idea is that the Internet can be used to promote open government at the federal level and hold politicians more accountable.

An example of Google Government: The Federal Funding and Accountability and Transparency (FFAT) Act, which was introduced by Barack Obama and Tom Coburn. It will require the federal government to post all contracts and grants on a free, publicly searchable website. The Act was signed into law a year ago and the website must be available by January 2008. Some see this is only a first step and are calling for the actual language of the contracts to be available online as well.

So which presidential candidates are most committed to this Web 2.0-style transparency? Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and Ron Paul (R-Texas) are the only candidates who have signed The Oath of Presidential Transparency, which pledges a commitment to "open, transparent, and accountable government principles" and includes a promise to ensure timely implementation of the Federal Funding and Accountability and Transparency Act.

The transparency issue will likely be overshadowed by the war in Iraq and other domestic issues, such as health care reform, in the 2008 election. But I would argue it's just as important. After nearly seven years of watching a Bush administration made up of incompetent cronies become forgetful under oath, award contracts to negligent corporations, and generally avoid anything that approaches accountability or transparency, I'm ready for a change.