Historians hope Obama will undo records order

Historians hope Obama will undo records order
The 2001 action allows the heirs of former presidents to block release
By KEN HERMAN
Cox News Service
Jan. 3, 2009, 11:03PM


WASHINGTON — Historians and open-records advocates are counting on President-elect Barack Obama to undo a 2001 executive order by President George W. Bush giving ex-presidents and their heirs unprecedented control over the release of White House records.

"Obama and (Joe) Biden will nullify the Bush attempts to make the timely release of presidential records more difficult," the Democratic ticket promised on its campaign Web site. The language now appears on its change.gov site.

The brief statement reflects broader comments in September from John Podesta, president of the Center for American Progress and now co-chairman of the Obama transition team.

"The next president should revoke Executive Order 13233, removing the ability of heirs and children of former presidents to block access to presidential records and eliminating the new vice-presidential privilege" that Bush also created, Podesta told a Senate subcommittee hearing on "secrecy and the rule of law."

more...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6192113.html

Omit the one or two (if that many) that've done some good, but otherwise -- 86 'em all.

1- Getting everything out there.

2- Letting public opinion BUILD.

3- THEN, possibly/hopefully letting criminal charges be filed with public momentum.