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And why won't the archivists at the National Archives release them Hillary? Maybe it could have something to do with that stop order you placed on them??

I don't see how anyone can expect them to release those records when they are obviously not finished writing them. Everyone needs to calm down – I'm sure they are working dilligently to provide the most favorable information they can come up with. Playing politics isn't going to bring our troops home.

I wonder if Sandy Burgler has access to these documents?

Anybody know if these documents are 'being reviewed' or edited while under wraps?

Bill Clinton told the archives not to release any communications involving Hillary until 2012! 2012 would be AFTER Hillary would win her second term!

Hmmmm....

An executive order signed by President Bush in 2001 allows Clinton and other former presidents to review material before it is released by the archive.

Hillary really was off of her 'playbook' the other night! Here was a chance to blame yet another thing on President Bush and she whiffed.

I think it's a lack of training on the archivists' part. They should just send Sandy Berger in, he'd be able to get the job done!

It's convenient to say that there are already over 300 FOIA requests and these things take time. In the years I spent in the military and then as a contractor working in a government facility I've seen many times when the 'big boss' requests something get done, it jumps to the top of the queue, and if the boss wants the information, s/he has it in very short order or as they say 'head will roll.'

Have a nice Friday!

Aloha Eli in Canada

Hillary Clinton is running for president of the US, based on her experience in the White House during her husband's tenure there. We as Americans want to know what her experiece was there, exactly – thus, Obama's note to her at the debate in Philadelphia. He and many Americans want to know exactly what those credentials are that she keeps harping about. Saying to her closest rival that he is "naive and inexperienced?" Come on, Hillary. You have experience? In what? A law firm in Arkansas? Sometimes I honestly think that Hillary's main problem is that she has lived through the work and public service of her husband's? And for the record, I am a Bill Clinton fan. But Hillary? Come on, sister – you "ain't Bill," so forget the "I have the most experience of any candidates in this race." Hello? Last I remember, your name was Hillary? Not Bill.

They want both sides of the story. They know how President Bush took the largest Budget Surplus in American history and turned it into the largest Budget Deficit in American history. And they want to know how former President Bill Clinton took the largest Budget Deficit in American history and turned it into the largest Budget Surplus in American history.

Once again, people consider the heavy baggage that the Billarys will drag into the national election if she gets a Dem. nomination. The Republicans are salivating over a run against them.

On the other hand if you were the RNC
would you want to go up against an intelligent constitutional lawyer with
a growing grass roots populist appeal
with a heart for the people and a straight forward no BS well reasoned
approach to pressing international as well as domestic issues.
Of course I speak of Barak Obama a natural candidate if ever I saw one!

I think Hillary has finally experienced
one of many "Gotcha" moments just waiting up Karl Rove's sleazy sleeve.

The world is waiting for inspired rational, intelligent leadership to
engage the many wrong headed notions creating havoc around this world. A great teacher of mine said,"The world is run on ideas" – we need someone who
can frame the argument and turn the tide of fundamentalist/literalist thinking.

Barak is the gift to this generation
and the man of the hour!

Obama was absolutely, one hundred percent, no one thousand percent correct. Why the heck wont Hilary release her earmarks or her archives? I want to know exactly what role she played. I want to know what this famous EXPERIENCE of hers is exactly.

It doesn't count as experience to hang out in the White House. If that was the case, then Laura Bush should run in eight years.

heaven help us if Obama doesn't take the seat in the oval office. He's phenomenal. I'll do anything I can to help the guy.

Obama thinks he can slam Hillary but she has the trth and he does not as he does not tell the truth how other ways to get to God. It don`t cut the mustard Obama. Is he still Muslim or what?

Considering Judicial Watch requested some of her papers over 18 months ago and nothing has been handed over yet, does anyone seriously think the papers will suddenly become available as the election gets closer? One need only look at the history of the Clinton Whitehouse to know those papers will never see the light of day, at least not until after her first term (former Pres Clinton signed a paper directing they not be released until 2012).

Where's Sandy Bergler when you need him?

I agree-what exactly are they looking for? Seems to me that the whole time Clinton was in office they were subjected to one expensive investigation after another . If Rove couldn't find anything then, what is there now? Give it up, guys, and let the lady run her campaign.

The question is why did President William Jefferson Clinton ask specifically for emails between him and his wife Hillary Clinton not be released until 2012?

President Clinton wrote the letter.

Eli, the point of requesting the documents is that Hillary and her supporters are making a grand claim of "experience" partially based on her time as First Lady... So let's take a look at her record. Oh wait... we can't because the records are being kept private.

Yes the archivists control the documents... but Bill can at any time write a letter saying "I want these documents kept private" or "I want these documents released" and they will.

Perfect example of "Oh but it's not my fault"... Smoke screen anyone?

Eli, thanks for your Canadien view on US politics...I put it right up there with Vicente Fox's...

To an American, this issue is a snapshot into more Clinton politicking. Do we REALLY want 24 years straight of Bushs' and Clintons'? Wake up people, we're supposed to model democracy for the rest of the World. Iran has had more changes in Upper Gov't than we have...

Obama better worry about his own papers which still arent released,as the chicago sun times reported.

Another Hillary lie (the store headline).

Thanks Canada "Eli"...are you looking for Hillary to open the border and continue the North American Union?
The white house papers are Important because it Contains information on "All the Important work" she did for her Husband. She had such a important roll (she's the only one who knew) ... This is one of her Biggest reasons we should vote her. However We can't see
until we make her "Queen" oh President.
We will see after Sandy Berger finishes rewriting History....some stuff doesn't change...we just have forgotten alot of it ..until they pull one of the old tricks or Chinamen. Yea ..here we go again!
America Do We Really Want To Go Back to the OLD DAYS of Bill and HILL!
Hell NO.

The point is that Clinton is consistently making the argument that she is the most experienced. Considering that almost all of this experience takes place during her times as first lady and In order for the voters to truly evaluate her time as first lady we must be able to view those records. You can't make one of the staples of your campaign about your experience if no one knows what you did during that time.

Why don't they let Sandy Burglar release them.

The point is..(drum roll)...if you are going to boast about your record of time spent in the White House, than why not let the documented time fall under scrutiny?

Should we just believe her word about the great things she has done while hanging out with ol Abe in the oval office?

Eli -

Since Hillary's running on her "accomplishments" as First Lady, it would seem that the record she's running on should be available to the public.

Then why did Bill Clinton write a letter to The National Archives advising them of which documents he refuses to allow them to release until after 2012?

She uses her time as first lady as part of her "experience". Well how is anyone supposed to know what she did if she doesn't let us. For all we know she did nothing, is it fair for her to claim that as experience?

The better question is what is she hiding? We all know if it was something positive that would help her presidential run that it would of been released as soon as possible. So the fact that it wasn't is kind of troubling.

Seems like someone has something to hide. So much for open and honest.

Dear non-US citizen/voter Eli:

When a candidate claims that she gained a lot of leadership experience based on what is in these documents, yet won't let anyone have access to them, there is usally a reason for this. My assumption? There's probably enough skeletons buried in there to start an undead army.

Dear non-US citizen/voter Eli:

When a candidate claims that she gained a lot of leadership experience based on what is in these documents, yet won't let anyone have access to them, there is usally a reason for this. My assumption? There's probably enough skeletons buried in there to start an undead army.

The point to getting these documents released is that both Hillary and Bill Clinton refer to Hillary's time in the White House and her involvement to indicated that she is the most "experienced" candidate. They make the claim but then they choose to keep secret the documents that prove that claim. So, not only do you have someone unwilling to put their cards on the table, they want to hide their cards and now they are choosing to lie about the fact that they have done that.

Come on now, we have had too much hidden from us, too much under the table and behind the back activity going on under the Bush administration. We don't need it from another.

I wonder how many documents (if any) will be released to the dubya library when its up and running? Perhaps some coloring books and fingerpaintings?

Then why did her hubby send a letter requesting the documents to be sealed in the first place? Why does anyone conceal anything? Answer = to hide something. Hello?

Within the last year, long after his death, a tape was released of Nixon talking to Kissinger in which he was reviling Jews. Also in the last year the personal daily diaries Reagan wrote while in office were released, again long after his death.

We know that the Republicans want to rummage through Clinton files to regurgitate the rubbish we heard during the Clinton years. To divert Hillary from talking about what she is going to do to fix the Bush disasters, they want to find letters so that they can say "look what you wrote 12 years ago and now you say this" –Flip Flop" etc.

About $100,000,000 was wasted by Republicans investigating the Clintons. They found NOTHING on Hillary. She is perhaps the only Politian who we know has been proven, by massive expensive exhaustive investigations to law abiding, ethical and truthful.

I recall the instance of missing "billing records". She told the investigators what she recalled about what was in them. They did not believe her. Then months later the records turned up. Someone had been put in the wrong place. The "billing records" stated exactly what Hillary had said. That is she was PROVEN TO BE TRUTHFUL.

The scoundrels that want to PAW through these files will not let the PEOPLE see the records of Cheney's Energy committee. You remember, members of this committee were recommended by Ken Lay of ENRON. This may have been the reason for the IRAK war. They achieved their aim. OIL $100 a barrel.

I understand Bill Clinton is supposed to review documents before they are released. His time is better spent on what he is now doing, providing free or low cost drugs in poor counties. His charitable efforts are saving thousands of lives. His precious remaining time on earth should not be wasted on the demands of these scoundrels.

As Senator Obama said, Hillary has been making the claim that she has more national experience than the other candidates. This claim is based on her time in the White House as First Lady. If she expects people to support her due to her 'experience,' she needs to actually show what she did during that time.

Actually, Eli, there is very much a point in getting access to these documents. Ms. Clinton is suggesting that her experience as First Lady has prepared her for the office of the presidency, and that her close working relationship with then-President Clinton is key to allowing her to hit the ground running as chief executive.

If she's going to make these claims, then she needs to pony up the specifics of what, exactly, that First Lady experience consisted of and what hands-on skills did she in fact accrue while working for President Clinton? She can't just say "trust me." That's simply not enough. If she's going to claim the mantle of prior experience, she's got to show it.

How typical. It amazes me that anyone would even be remotely surprised that they would want to hide those records. People say that Bush is secretive, I can't even imagine what they have in those documents. I would bet if they were released Hillary wouldn't have an snow balls chance in hell, but what do you expect from a couple that came up with "it depends on what your definition of "is" is. Genius if you want to confuse or hampen any discovery of truth keep giving the runaround and never never give anything up until you are forced to!

Eli,

It's important because she says one of her qualification were her years in the White House with her husband. I think it's pretty important to know why this would qualify her.

Is their a point in getting access to these documents? Logically you release documents related to a specific issue to allow clarify that issue. You define the problem first and next you search for answer/solution.
What are Obama, Edwards and others looking for? Juicy stories?
You should better try to solve your real problems because you have so many.

So, Obama is taking a page from the "old kind of politics" and engaging in a good ole' fashioned witch hunt. I guess that's easy to do when you don't have a record of your own of any significance because you skip the tough votes.

Maybe he should enlist Ken Starr in this effort as Obama seeks to revisit and reprise the ugliest kind of politics that prevailed so often in the 90's. Not different, not new, and not an attempt to draw distinctions. Just an attempt to dig up "dirt".

Kinda, makes sense. Why not release?

Oh please, Hillary. Her response to Sen. Obama's calling her on it is yet again is political, calculated and careful. Props out to Sen. Obama for calling her on this.

Side note: Does anyone in the media dare question the Clinton's and their shady past? If the media dares to dig into the scandals and maffia like family, they get smashed. Why won't anyone stand up and do more investigative reporting on the Clintons and secrecy in their past? Because of fear of the Clinton wrath that would ensue.

According to Newsweek, the Clintons asked in a 2002 letter that "confidential communications involving legal issues and advice" and "communications directly between the president and the first lady" be withheld.

--

Simply reject Hillary as the Democratic Nominee and all this will quietly go away.

Does ANYONE think Bill or Hillary wants this information available BEFORE people vote on Hillary?

If so we've got some ocean-view property here in Phoenix I'd like to sell you!

Hillary has no control over the National Archive management. She said it over and over and over. She has nothing to hide, but her opponents are making it as as issue to distract voters from the real issue e.g. Iraq, Iran etc. This politics of distortion is not going to work, like it did in 2004.

poor people, they want so bad to find ANYTHING wrong with Hillary that if THEY are the ones requesting information they should be the first to get it? is that how this things should work now? her life has been played in the public eye for 35 years, people have dough through even her college papers looking for things they can attack her with... so this time they find themselves with a stumblig block... cry me a river! Sen. Obama you are a hypocrate and I hope you have all of your private conversations also available for the world to see since you believe that transparency of government includes telegraph of your provate thoughts to anyone that asks... and you plan to deal with Iran that way? Now I know why I'm not supporting him...

You no what? Maybe Hillary is not holding up the release of the documents from the BILL Clinton presidency, however, she knew she was going to run for president. Everything she does is calculating.

If you plan to run for president and every word out of your mouth about the 1990's is "we" and "our" as if we had a co-president. True some people are stupid indeed and will believe anything that comes from someone mouth without thinking for themselves. I'm not one of them.

QUESTION: If you knew you were going to run for president (and you did have plans to run for president), why did Bill see fit to keep them secret until 2012? (be specific please)

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