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12.01.08 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

Charles Homans considers “The Last Secrets of the Bush Administration” in the latest Washington Monthly.  “An accounting of the Bush years is a less daunting prospect than it seems from the outset,” he says. “If the new president and leaders on Capitol Hill act shrewdly, they can pull it off while successfully navigating the political realities and expectations they now face. A few key actions will take us much of the distance between what we know and what we need to know.”

A review of the White House website reveals unacknowledged modifications to White House press releases and suggests an unwholesome willingness to distort the public record, the authors of a recent study contend.  See “History Reloaded: Changing The Past To Suit The Present” by Thomas Claburn, Information Week, November 26.

“President-elect Barack Obama’s top pick to head the CIA blamed his sudden withdrawal from consideration on critics who blamed him for harsh Bush administration policies on interrogations, detentions and secret renditions.”  See “Potential CIA chief cites critics in ending bid” by Pamela Hess, Associated Press, November 26.

“The next White House Web site should tell us a lot about whether Obama believes what he has said about bringing transparency and accountability to the government,” writes Dan Froomkin in the Nieman Watchdog.  See “It’s time for a Wiki White House,” November 25.