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The Money Quote of Obama's First Day: "Openness Prevails"
David Corn —
... that the military commissions under way at Guantanamo Bay be halted for 120 days. Another reshaped government policy so that it will be harder for ex-President George W. Bush (and other former residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) to block the release of their administration's records. ...
Suck It, Bush
Shakesville —
lol your executive privilege: Obama to Bush: I Can Release Your Records. Don't Like It? Sue. On his first day in office, President Obama put former president Bush on notice. His administration just released an executive order that will make it difficult for Bush to shield his White House records--and those of former Vice President Dick Cheney--from public scrutiny by invoking the doctrine of executive privilege. ..."[Obama]'s putting former presidents on notice that if you want to continue a claim of executive privilege that [Obama] doesn't ...
A note on presidential records
TigerHawk —
... and journalists are very excited because President Obama issued an executive order making it more difficult for former presidents to prevent their communications and other records from being released to the public. This is thought to be bad news for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, who are presumed to have done all sorts of evil things behind closed doors. Of course, there is always the chance that the quick release of internal documents will operate to discredit some of the critics or criticisms of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, but perhaps that is wishing for too ...
Obama Overturns Bush Records Secrecy Order
Newshoggers.com —
... them to exercise executive privilege on their behalf.
Obama’s new order gives ex-presidents less leeway to withhold records, Aftergood said, and takes away the ability of presidents’ survivors to designate that privilege.
Separately, an Obama memorandum issued Wednesday also appears to effectively rescind a 2001 memo by President Bush’s then-Attorney Gen. John Ashcroft giving agencies broad legal cover to reject public disclosure requests.
Over at MoJo blog, they quote CREW chief counsel Anne Weismann as explaining: ...
Obama Eliminates Bush’s Executive Privilege Order
PoliGazette —
... On his second day in office, Barack Obama fulfilled a campaign promise when he replaced George W. Bush’s executive order pertaining to executive privilege and the release - or withholding, in Bush’s case - of presidential records. ...
Obama Overturns Bush Records Secrecy Order
Crooks and Liars —
... them to exercise executive privilege on their behalf.
Obama’s new order gives ex-presidents less leeway to withhold records, Aftergood said, and takes away the ability of presidents’ survivors to designate that privilege.
Separately, an Obama memorandum issued Wednesday also appears to effectively rescind a 2001 memo by President Bush’s then-Attorney Gen. John Ashcroft giving agencies broad legal cover to reject public disclosure requests.
Over at MoJo blog, they quote CREW chief counsel Anne Weismann as explaining: ...
Obama’s Got Promises to Keep — and He’s Keeping ‘Em
Comments from Left Field —
... Pres. Obama took another step yesterday toward reversing the extreme secrecy of the Bush years: He initiated a new process that will make it much harder for a president — any president — to invoke executive privilege in order to block Americans’ access to government documents: ...
Obama Opens Up Presidential Records; Some Conservatives Forget History
PoliGazette —
... You need to not worry, though. Not all the hyperbole is done by the far right. Liberals too are shouting out, though for different reasons. Obama has saved the world, you see. He’s created this order to bring back peace, justice, fairies, and Falkor the Luckdragon. Just look at this praise. ...
Mike's Blog Roundup
Crooks and Liars —
... : House passes Lily Ledbetter and Paycheck Fairness Acts...and Obama revokes the Bush family's authority to control documents relating to 20 years of American history ...
