Prince Bush is At It Again

He is pushing the current national archivist, John Carlin, to step down (or rather pushed, it seems he did) so he can re-politicize the position (after *Reagan* of all people, depoliticized it), so he can put a yes-man in…

“The national archivist is crucial in a democratic society: He preserves our history and makes government records available to the public. He should also serve as an advocate for greater openness. The Senate is required to confirm the nomination, and the last time around, in 1995, the White House nominee was opposed during that process by organizations of historians and archivists (who regarded Carlin as unqualified). This time, the White House reportedly hopes to avoid hearings and instead plans to attach a confirmation bill to some other piece of legislation, perhaps as early as May. This would leave a Republican appointee in charge of not only the 9/11 Commission archives but all other Bush White House documents.”

Allen “Weinstein headed, until recently, the Center for Democracy, a think tank whose board is studded with GOP heavyweights, including Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Richard Lugar, House Republican whip Roy Blunt and Henry Kissinger” (from earlier in the same article). This ALSO being the fellow who, contrary to the code of ethics of the International Council on Archives that calls for “the widest possible access” to documents, uses quotes from documents no one else is allowed to see, AND refuses to release his interviews to historians who disagree with him. Sounds like the pal for Bush. They must be REALLY REALLY desperate to cover their tracks…

Here is the response from the Society of American Archivists. They are not amused.