And the Orders Keep Rollin'

I've been pretty skeptical about Barack Obama's plans for the country over the last few months, but damned if I'm not pleased with what he's been doing since taking (and retaking) the oath of office. Hot on the heels of executive orders to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and shut down illegal CIA rendition sites, the new president has also fired off orders to reverse the Bush era policy of withholding federal funds from charitable organizations that provide information about abortion. Groups like Planned Parenthood could help provide valuable birth control education to poor countries that desperately need it, but they were previous held to a different standard than those who spread abstinence-only nonsense. And in another executive order, Obama was revoked the sweeping allowances made by the Bush administration to keep official executive branch documents secret after a presidential term is up. Under the new rules, an outgoing president may request that certain documents be kept secret, but he or she can't force the National Archives to do so. Yes, this is a move toward more transparent government, and it's a partial fulfillment of one of Obama's campaign promises. I'm no fan of executive orders generally (I'd prefer congressional oversight on sweeping policy issues), but I can't complain about any of these changes. And once again, it feels creepy to say that about a sitting president's decisions. More details here and here.