# George W. Nixon! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 2, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065 "2001-11-02T04:44:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/1 "2001-11-02T04:44:36Z")
Here’s what going to be on the front pages of the major newspapers tomorrow. Or at least of the [Washington Post.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27293-2001Nov1.html) George W. Bush has eviserated the Presidential Records Act of 1978 via Executive Order. > [@](#): > > President Bush signed an executive order last night allowing either the White House or former presidents to veto the release of their presidential papers, drawing criticism from former president Bill Clinton and several historians. > > The order reinterprets the Presidential Records Act of 1978, which put the papers of future presidents in the public domain after a court fight over Richard M. Nixon’s papers. The act envisioned the release of most sensitive records 12 years after a president had left office. > > Administration officials said Bush’s order was prompted in part by a request for 68,000 pages of records of Ronald Reagan, the first former president whose records are subject to the act. What happens now is that before the papers are released, you must have the OK from both the current president as well as the former president (or sometimes the family of the former president) before the papers can be released. I notice that George W. Bush has a powerful [concealment fetish](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1776508#post1776508); what with locking up the Reagan Papers, the supersecret energy policy meetings, etc. Looks to me like he’s pulling a Nixon here and giving himself a blank check to conceal anything and everything that he wishes. He can concievably tie up the courts 12 years after he goes home to Texas should he wish the leave the public in the dark about his memos. Am I being irrational in my suspicions? ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/2 "2001-11-02T04:50:51Z")
Should this come as a surprise? Look what the right wingers are doing just because of 9/11. Just need two words… John Ashcroft. ---
**Author:** ![Tejota](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Tejota](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tejota)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/3 "2001-11-02T05:18:28Z")
From the Washington post: [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27293-2001Nov1.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27293-2001Nov1.html) > [@](#): > > Administration officials said Bush’s order was prompted in part by a request for 68,000 pages of records of Ronald Reagan, the first former president whose records are subject to the act. I wonder what is in those papers that Bush wants to keep secret? My guess is proof positive that Reagan was out to lunch. But there is another theory. > [@](#): > > Many officials of the Reagan and first Bush administrations are back in the White House, and critics contend that the executive order may be motivated by a desire to protect them. In a sweet irony, we find the voice of honest govrnment coming from **Clinton** : > [@](#): > > …“A government’s legitimacy is based on the trust of its people, and when decisions are made on behalf of the American people, citizens eventually have to be able to see the process of how those decisions came to be,” the aide said. The letter was written by Bruce Lindsey, Clinton’s deputy White House counsel > [@](#): > > Anna K. Nelson, a historian at American University who specializes in the declassification of government records, said Bush appears to be trying to set a precedent that would give him full control over his own papers 12 years after he leaves office. Can he do this? Why can’t the next president just issue an executive order that changes the rules on him? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/4 "2001-11-02T05:53:03Z")
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/5 "2001-11-02T05:58:08Z")
> [@](#): > > I notice that George W. Bush has a powerful concealment fetish Kinda like Senator Clinton’s “misplacing” Rose Law Firm documents in the White House residence? Oh look what I found under the couch, honey! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/6 "2001-11-02T06:37:36Z")
As Clinton is concerned; she was not a senator yet. The papers were delivered. On top of that, she was never indicted. Still, she won New York’s popular vote. As for Bush: If we assume that the papers do not have anything bad, then what Bush is doing is really soiling Reagan’s legacy unnecessarily. I thought that there was an innocent reason why he ordered all those delays before; but, after he signed that executive order, I no longer believe that is the case. ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Ace\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Face)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/7 "2001-11-02T06:43:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Anna K. Nelson, a historian at American University who specializes in the declassification of government records, said Bush appears to be trying to set a precedent that would give him full control over his own papers 12 years after he leaves office. I mean come on, folks. What good is a bunch of coloring book pages and tic-tac-toe games, anyway? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/8 "2001-11-02T07:31:28Z")
Sheesh, shades of [DU](http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=lobby) I came here to get away from all this BS. Guess you can’t excape it. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/9 "2001-11-02T17:00:18Z")
No, you can’t excape corruption, occlusion, and evasion, all of which are well on the way to becoming the hallmarks of this administration. ---
**Author:** ![obidiah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@obidiah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obidiah)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/10 "2001-11-02T17:30:33Z")
I just read this. It just keeps coming and coming, huh? At some point someone is going to have to step in and say enough is enough. This order extends to VP’s as well. Perhaps he is also trying to protect his father in his role as VP. I keep trying to build up confidence in this administration (an already arduous task) but it is nearly impossible when you read about something like this. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/11 "2001-11-02T17:42:19Z")
Kudos to **Philo** for posting the link to the Democratic Underground! I heartily second his endorsement of this of this splendid, unfailingly accurate site! We are all pleased to note his recovery from Error and wish him God Speed as he advances into enlightenment! I frankly doubt that Our Leader is that concerned with setting things up for 12 years after his administration, I see little enough reason to believe he thinks that far into the future. I want those papers released, and I feel we have every right to demand it. Our elected representatives are our servants, not our masters. We have every right to demand accountability and full disclosure of what they do on our behalf. Ronald Reagan was our nations most beloved virtual entity. He was little more than a telegenic spokesman, delivering the Party Line as “advised”. Some of these same “advisers” are back (“They’re baaaaaaack!”). I want to know _what_ they did, and _when_ they did it. I think the likeliest scenario is that Our Leader, “Landslide” George, is protecting his father, a filial piety that one naturally sympathizes with. Recall, if you will, how George the Previous pardoned several of his alleged co-conspirators in Iran-Contra just days before they were going to be required to spill the beans. Am I wrong to suspect mendacity and chicanery? Well, excellent! Let the sun shine in, and the worthiness and wisdom of our leaders be shown! Let us see how the decision was made to fly to Iceland and shaft Gorbachev, giving a generous shove in the direction of anarchy and despair which the Russian people flounder in to this day. I would be especially interested in the decisions that went into Operation Urgent Fury, when our military might was mobilized to dislodge the crack commando Cuban bull-dozer drivers who had overun Grenada by the dozen! Who’s goddam stupid idea was this? Is he once again in a position to offer such shrewd guidance to another well-meaning dim bulb? Those papers are mine! (Iasmuch as they are ours) **Release the National Archive 68,000!** ---
**Author:** ![thermalribbon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@thermalribbon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thermalribbon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/12 "2001-11-02T18:03:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\*No, you can’t excape corruption, occlusion, and evasion, all of which are well on the way to becoming the hallmarks of this administration. \*\* It should be noted that this was originally posted in October of 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/13 "2001-11-02T18:13:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by obidiah \* > \*\*I just read this. It just keeps coming and coming, huh? At some point someone is going to have to step in and say enough is enough. > This order extends to VP’s as well. Perhaps he is also trying to protect his father in his role as VP. > I keep trying to build up confidence in this administration (an already arduous task) but it is nearly impossible when you read about something like this. \*\* I think it is much more likely that he’s trying to cover Cheney’s ass! This is all so… unsurprising. But I’m very glad that the 9/11 bloom is coming off the rose. The love-fest for Dubya was giving me the willies. But then, how long could it last, given the way he behaves? stoid ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/14 "2001-11-02T18:18:22Z")
Absolutely, and nobody called off the watchdogs then, did they? If you’re looking for rose lenses, Mom, and apple pie, I recommend the [Free Republic](http://www.freerepublic.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/15 "2001-11-02T18:23:55Z")
_Said **thermalribbon** , quite humorously:_ > [@](#): > > It should be noted that this was originally posted in October of 1993. Absolutely, and nobody called off the watchdogs then, did they? If you’re looking for rose lenses, Mom, and apple pie, I recommend the [Free Republic](http://www.freerepublic.com/). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/16 "2001-11-02T18:25:47Z")
Anybody got an explanation for how an executive order can supersede a law? Seems to me Dubya has no authority to do this, his reasons notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/17 "2001-11-02T19:07:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > No, you can’t excape corruption, occlusion, and evasion, all of which are well on the way to becoming the hallmarks of this administration. Boy, I can’t wait to hear **decmber** chime in on this item, given his gung-ho [crusade against “Democratic corruption”.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=95759) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![tradesilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tradesilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tradesilicon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/18 "2001-11-02T19:20:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tejota \* > \*\*Can he do this? Why can’t the next president just issue an executive order that changes the rules on him? \*\* I think Bush has reversed a few Clinton executive orders, so I don’t see why this can’t be reversed by the next president. I was bitching about soem of the ones Clinton passed, because I think the executive order has quite a bit of potential for abuse, and what do you know? Not one liberal stood up to say that Clinton was out of line. So I guess it’s all OK when it suits your agenda. Well it;s not OK with me - I hate what Bush just did with this one - I think FULL DISCLOSURE should be a requirement. Of course sensitive information can be disclosed after it is safe to do so, but to leave it up to the very person who may have something to hide, and someone to protect, is the worst possible policy. Bush should be ashemed. So should all you good liberals who thought it was fine and dandy when Clinton was passing these right and left. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/19 "2001-11-02T19:33:24Z")
**tradesilicon** , care to give us an example so we can debate it? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065/20 "2001-11-02T19:43:45Z")
tradesilicon, I’d particularly like to see an example that was so blatantly self-serving. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-w-nixon/91065.md?page=2)