Republicans in Washington have been making considerable hay over transparency this week, urging Democrats and the White House to open up any and all final health care deliberations to the C-SPAN cameras as President Obama promised during his campaign.

Now, one of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's potential rivals in Nevada this fall is using this as a campaign issue. Danny Tarkanian, son of longtime UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and one of a long list of interested Republican challengers, sends Reid this letter:

Dear Senator Reid,

As you are undoubtedly aware, the American people are clamoring for negotiations on health care reform to be fully open and transparent. Thus far, work on the legislation has been held behind closed doors and in tight secrecy. The American public, and even Members of Congress and United States Senators, have learned the details of the legislation only after it has been voted through. As Majority Leader of the United States Senate, you can change that.

Recently, C-SPAN wrote a letter to Congressional leadership requesting access to the health care negotiations. Granting such a request would unsure the public remains informed on legislation directly affecting them and, in the process, follows through on President Barack Obama's pledge to have ALL health care reform negotiations televised on C-SPAN.

In November, you said transparency would be "one of the guiding principles of health care reform." There is no truer way of accomplishing that goal than allowing C-SPAN - and all media, for that matter, to cover a fully open and transparent conference committee.

Sincerely,

Danny Tarkanian

Just a prediction: this won't sway Reid. But it will be interesting to see if this transparency issue builds any steam as Republicans around the country prepare to campaign against the health care legislation.