Such a beautiful word, isn't it? So freighted with possibilities it makes conservatives swoon. Just see what one said when Gov. Jim Gibbons embraced a so-called transparency initiative last week.

"The governor ought to be commended for this bold step toward government transparency," gushed Sharon Rossie, president of the conservative think tank, Nevada Policy Research Institute. "This is an issue that truly transcends party lines. Nevadans of all political stripes ought to get behind the concept of open and honest government."

I'm a Nevadan of a political stripe and I couldn't agree more: Making government spending more transparent is a wonderful idea that other states have adopted. The Internet is an amazing tool that could allow people to see exactly how their money is spent.

But as the NPRI folks throw confetti and pop the bubbly in celebration of the governor stealing one of its ideas, let's take a look at how bold this so-called Nevada Open Government Initiative really is.

The executive order, after you get past the usual slew of fluffy whereas clauses, doesn't say much. There will be a "free Internet portal allowing citizens to review state financial records to the full extent permissible by law."

Free Internet? Hallelujah!

And it will have open budgets, expenditures, contracts and grants, each in an "easily searchable database." Sounds good so far, n'est-ce pas?

And then the clincher: "The department shall implement the Nevada Open Government Initiative as soon as practicable." Now why does that not sound, well, soon?

Because it won't be. Much of the state budget material already is on the budget department's Web site, so when will any new, searchable information be up there?

And what exactly will we get?

Turns out there are no plans to put specific names and salaries on the Web, and the governor, in making his announcement, said he couldn't say for sure whether all expenses and receipts would be available. Other than those minor caveats, it's a transparent as a black curtain.

And what about the guts of the government's spending, the so-called checkbook so we can see what the state is paying out and to whom? That will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to get online and searchable - so don't expect that before the 2009 Legislature. That is: not soon.

That the governor did this as he is beset with questions over is handling of the health scare and that he put no teeth in the executive order is, well, transparent.

But out of this politically motivated trick can come a salubrious effect for the Nevada political system, providing a much-needed window into how government works. And all it will take, ironically, is for the governor to do what he hates to do most: Spend money.

Maybe he will put his money - well, the state's money " where his political opportunism is. Ostensibly it's in his self-interest, if he actually believes his own rhetoric.

Transparency - true transparency - will make the case on how Nevada's government operates. If you believe Gibbons - and many other conservatives - it will be like looking into a bloated blimp, engorged with wasteful spending. But many Democrats are right - and some Republicans, too - it will demonstrate that government does not have enough money to fulfill many of its obligations.

I wonder if this transparent governor really wants to find out what the answer is.