Here’s a link to the Bush E.O. concerning Executive Privilege. BTW it was November of 2001, so it wasn’t as early as I had thought it was.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2001/11/eo-pra.html
Note the allowance of EP claims for up to 12 years after a president had left office. Whether appropriate or not there were claims that some of Bush’s EP claims bordered the absurd. On some counts I might agree, but others were fairly transparent Democrat skullduggery.
You have expressed an opinion that Obama was trying to cover his own posterior, but here’s a link to an article that states his EO of January 21st, 2009 actually reversed Bushes stronger rules governing claims of EP.
Note I’m not trying to make that claim, merely providing a counter view for you review. I’ve not studied each in depth.
http://www.propublica.org/article/obama-reverses-bush-executive-privilege-claim-over-docs-090121
Gads, now I’m so confused. I know Bush acted like he had been “podded” in his second term ....and now that you posted it, I DO remember something about this.
What the hell is really going on....is my question.