This is a quote from Tim Young of OMB about the push behind the e‑gov initiatives, taken from an AFFIRM round-table discussion documented on FCW:

We have a saying in the office — OMB Deputy Director for Management] Clay Johnson penned this one. “With transparency, you get clarity. With clarity, you get accountability. And only through accountability do you get enduring results.” What we’re trying to do when we talk to [people on] the Hill and [officials at] agencies is be very transparent and be very clear about what we’re trying to accomplish and talk about the outcomes, not the outputs.

The round-table featured an alarmingly diverse cast of characters, such as Tim, Jack Jones of the NIH, Puvvada Venkatapathi of Unisys, Mark Krzysko of DOD, and Chas Phillips of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. So the rest of the discussion is a very interesting read, too, with topics that will be of interest to anyone involved in e‑gov or improving government through technology, such as:

• Opening up government to enable anyone to build government Web 2.0 sites
• How to sell e‑gov to Congress
• The traits of successful programs (and unsuccessful programs)