Politics

By JoAnne Allen Mon Oct 1, 9:55 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday tossed out part of a 2001 order by President George W. Bush that lets former presidents keep some of their presidential papers secret indefinitely.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the U.S. Archivist's reliance on the executive order to delay release of the papers of former presidents is "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and not in accordance with law."

Criticized by historians, the November 2001 order allowed the White House or a former president to block release of a former president's papers and put the onus on researchers to show a "specific need" for many types of records.

I like many in my generation, was hopeful about Barak Obama when he first appeared on the political scene as a presidential candidate, but as I have listened to him in recent weeks I have been disappointed to find myself listening to him promote a brand of foreign policy that is virtually identical to that of our current neo-con, corporate, dictator and chief.

In a speech in August Obama outlined his foreign policy positions stating that he would authorize military force against al-Qaeda in Pakistan if Pakistan does not neutralize the organization itself. Attack Pakistan? Is he fucking crazy?