I learned today of Executive Order 13233, which Bush signed in 2001. This order restricts our ability to learn what was going on in a previous president's administration. Before this order was signed, the Presidential Records Act of 1978 applied; this act said that all papers, except those pertaining to national security, had to be made available 12 years after a president left office. The executive order authorizes the release only with the approval of both the former president or his heirs and the current president.
So, will we or our children ever know the details behind Bush's actions in office? The order has already affected the papers of Bush Senior and Clinton. Why was any time spent on even considering this order, particularly as the order was signed less than two months after 9/11?
Historians are up in arms about this. The American Historical Association has gone to court over it. Let's hope they prevail.
No comments:
Post a Comment