Bush Clamping Down On Presidential Papers

From yesterday\’s Washington Post:

The Bush White House has drafted an executive order that would usher in a new era of secrecy for presidential records and allow an incumbent president to withhold a former president\’s papers even if the former president wanted to make them public.

The five-page draft would also require members of the public seeking particular documents to show \”at least a \’demonstrated, specific need\’ \” for them before they would be considered for release . . .

\”The executive branch is moving heavily into the nether world of dirty tricks, very likely including directed assassinations overseas and other violations of American norms and the U.N. charter,\” said Vanderbilt University historian Hugh Graham. \”There is going to be so much to hide.\”

More.