BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Senator Clinton has done a bit of the Texas Two-Step recently.  Every time Senator Obama or the media brings up the Clinton papers from the old White House days, there seems to be a stall.

In the latest debate when questioned about a release date, Senator Clinton offered that they would be released as soon as possible.  But, what determines “possible”?

According to USA Today

Federal archivists at the Clinton Presidential Library are blocking the release of hundreds of pages of White House papers on pardons that the former president approved, including clemency for fugitive commodities trader Marc Rich.

That archivists’ decision, based on guidance provided by Bill Clinton that restricts the disclosure of advice he received from aides, prevents public scrutiny of documents that would shed light on how he decided which pardons to approve from among hundreds of requests.

Well, as everyone likes to say in light of the present FISA situation… if you don’t have anything to hide and if you haven’t done anything wrong…

Senator Clinton has been reluctant to comment beyond saying that everyone is trying to get the papers ready and that the process is slow and one reason or another.  The media has mostly been interested in the papers of Senator Clinton as First Lady.  If she had no security clearances to speak of and if she wasn’t sitting in on Cabinet meetings, just what could she have in those papers that she doesn’t want us to  see?

What we do know from some of the papers previously released:

Former president Clinton issued 140 pardons on his last day in office, including several to controversial figures, such as commodities trader Rich, then a fugitive on tax evasion charges. Rich’s ex-wife, Denise, contributed $2,000 in 1999 to Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign; $5,000 to a related political action committee; and $450,000 to a fund set up to build the Clinton library.

The president also pardoned two men who each paid Sen. Clinton’s brother, Hugh Rodham, about $200,000 to lobby the White House for pardons — one for a drug conviction and one for mail fraud and perjury convictions, according to a 2002 report by the House committee on government reform. After the payments came to light, Bill Clinton issued a statement: “Neither Hillary nor I had any knowledge of such payments,” the report said.

Quite honestly, these papers may not shed one bit of light on anything.  And, if they don’t that’s okay.  But, the stall is starting to smell.  If the Clintons have nothing to hide, why not show us what they aren’t hiding?