"...make(ing) it easier for the media to go get bush documents."
um, rush? don't mean to belabor the obvious here, but that's what the freedom of information act is supposed to do.

Stayed glued to your TV sets, to hear BillO denounce Rush as being unAmerican for his comment about not wishing President Obama to be successful. BillO has, certainly, railed against those who didn't agree with Shrub. "They want him to fail...they want us to lose in Iraq", he would scream.

"[I]t certainly seems possible that on his first full day in office, the new president has dealt significant a blow to the Bush administration's efforts to permanently keep information from the public."

Bwa haha hahahahahahaha!

Oh, I'm sorry - did I say that out loud?

LIMBAUGH: What I’m afraid of is what Obama’s done here is made the gathering of the information for this kind of stuff– This is not American. This is not America. This is not what America does. We don’t– This is Banana Republic kind of stuff.

So, to summarize wingnut thought: People have absolutely no right to privacy anymore because we're in a war on terror, so when the NSA records all of your phone calls and internet activity, that's okay because you have nothing to worry about as long as you didn't do anything wrong. On the other hand, our supposedly democratic government has not only a continued right to privacy, but an obligation to keep everything it does secret from it's citizens and to do otherwise would be un-American, especially if they have done something wrong.

I say with certainty that I couldn't listen to even 5 minutes of Rush's show unless I had some of whatever he is on to help me zone out.

Pretty smart move on Obama's part. This move guarantees a steady flow of revelations of Bush Administration abuses for months to come, which ought to keep the media busy, and remind a public with a short memory just how bad things were under Bush.

Which is why Rush is not happy: work, work, work

The 'heirs' part is creepy to me. I can't imagine Jenna or Barbara Bush keeping their father's papers secret after Dubya goes to the big ranch in the sky.

I think Bush put that rule in place to enable his dad to not release all the documents, which would have been during Dubya's term, showing how deeply he was involved with illegality during Iran-Contra, which was swept under the rug at the beginning of the Clinton administration.

Here's a "solution" to all of Rush Limbaugh's problems: Put him in a tiny, soundproof room, and give him a Luger with its only bullet already chambered. Then, tell him to "do the right thing for America for once"---and close the door.

Why am I guessing Bush took a few pallet loads, if not truck loads, of "presidential papers" while his order was still in effect? Maybe because he's done it before.

Isn't there an argument here that some of what was in Obama's Executive Order should be legislatively codified? I'm very pleased with Obama's decision. But what is to prevent a future administration of unilaterally reinstating Bush's restrictive policy? I'd like to see the Congress weigh in if only to ensure a legal fight if and when a future administration decides to shield information from public view.

This is great news and I think it could turn out to be really important down the road. We may yet get confirmation of the abuses and law breaking by the Bush administration. It will then be interesting to see what's done with this knowledge.

I happened to catch Rush on Hannity last night. He was definitely on something. Slurred speach. Fatter than a horses ass,railing about Obama. Just an all around really unflattering picture of excess. He's like the crazy uncle at the family reunion that is drunk but won't shut up.

Can we please refer to this as the new glasnost and draw the abundant parallels to the Soviet era wit their surveillance state, state-run media and hyper secrecy?

The Hague. Here we come. I hope this is just the first of many pee rings that will form an irregular stain in Limbaugh's and his ilk's pants. I'd go for staining the backside too. Go for it Obama. No one, no one, is above the law. pee away you right wing nuts

Why am I guessing Bush took a few pallet loads, if not truck loads, of "presidential papers" while his order was still in effect? Maybe because he's done it before.

Seriously, does anyone think Bush even LEFT any documents behind? Please. The shred party probably went on for months.

Does the redo of the oath of office imply that orders signed between teh two oaths are not valid?

Seriously, does anyone think Bush even LEFT any documents behind? Please. The shred party probably went on for months.

It is greatly heartening that that Executive Order containing the bullshit of getting former presidents consent before releasing information has been recinded. That was completely heinous in my eyes and 100% at odds with what democracy is about.

I'm starting to like this Obama guy.

Actually Obama made the process of asserting executive privilege more transparent, in a very important way: in order to exert executive privilege, both the WH Council and the AG must present the case directly to the president (if either thinks the privilege should be exerted). So, the privilege is exerted only by the president himself, after listening to the arguments for (note, that there are other reasons to not release information which will apply in many cases).

The process is like this:

The archivist notifies the former or incumbent that the info is going to be released.

If no claim is made within 30 days, the info can be released. Otherwise within that 30 days the WH Council and AG must review and at least one of them must conclude that the privilege should apply, then the president must agree.

So for the next four years we will know that any exercise of EP has been reviewed and approved by Obama.

That is buck stopping!

The Hague. Here we come.

I think a more appropriate venue is the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The Hague is all fallback when individual nations can't, or won't, fulfill their obligations under international law to prosecute war criminals.

Great. Now the Senate should pass HR 35 and make this all a lit harder for the next guy to overturn on day one.

Is this why, by the way, the Holder nomination is tied up? Maybe cornyn thinks he can find something in Clinton's papers, since they're less protected now? Or is that giving him too much credit?