Any Repukelic who cares to comment should acknowledge that President Bush did not take questions or give a press conference a full 3 months prior to elections in 2000. His handlers, certain he would say something stupid due to his lack of experience. Even afterwards with the election results in limbo, he would have aides speak on his behalf. Everyday I wonder why others didn't recognize his inability to articulate why he believed he should be President to be a sign he was not prepared to handle the job. Witness him asleep at the wheel when 9/11 happened, all the cronyism and corruption, and the unadulterated mismanagement at every level of the executive branch. George W. Bush promised one thing to powerful allies, access to government positions and contracts. John McCain was more qualified but he did not have the family legacy tied to President Bush.

Finally a real reporter who will ask a tough question. I think his response speaks volumes. Maybe now he will realize you cant critiscize someone for doing something that you also did.

They're all hiding stuff--Hillary, Bill and now Barack.

I guess concealing your records is a part of that "change" St. Barack is always talking about.

Obama should have just said 'I will not talk about things I did in the past'. That made the 'liberal' media refuse to press Bush in 2000 on his drug use, alcohol addiction and DUI arrest.

Obama is hiding something in those documents!
He knows where they are...you just don't [throw out] Senate records, and then he lied and said nobody requested them,when the Trib asked for them months and months ago!
Typical democRATs and the art of deception.

Paulo

Good Job John
Bush = Obama = unfit
Looks like a good equation to me

Ah, "John," Bush answered questions during the 2000 election season.
Anyway, this post is about Obama, not Bush. I thought Obama was the most articulate man ever? One of the smartest me ever? So, if that is the case, he shouldn't be afraid to answer questions, then, right?

Oh, anf I'm surprised Lynne Sweet didn't ask Obama if he was wearing boxers, briefs or boxer briefs, and then follow-up that she'd like to personally check.

"I was in the state senate for eight years, I had one staff person; I don't have archivists in the state senate; I don't have the Barack Obama state senate library available to me, so we had a bunch of file cabinets; I do not have a whole bunch of records from those years. Now, if there are particular documents that you are interested in, then you should let us know. But I don't have – I don't maintain – a file of eight years of work in the state senate because I didn't have the resources available to maintain those kinds of records."

OK! So you've heard, Lynn. Barack has given you and the American people a straight-forward answer. Unlike the Clintons, he has not put a ban on his records. Now, if there's a particular document you want, ask the Obama campaign. And while we're at it, let's keep pressing Hillary Clinton to lift the BAN so that her records can be made public.

Might I have a few questions for Chicago Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet??
1.As you are probably aware, our country is sinking into a recession. Could I ask you why documents from his time as a state senate in Springfield are needed?
2. As you are probably aware, the oil industry is, and has been for a long long time, been engaged in price fixing and various violations of anti trust laws. Do his records have any relevency to this? Will his records tell us anything about why none of our legislators have done anything to stop the oil industry's illegal activities?

Unless you can come up with a good reason for what seems to me as a ploy to embarrass Barack in Iowa, might I ask that you work with us to work with us and not against us?

Our country is in dire straits. This type of activity, you must realize, is counter productive.

Lynne Sweet is carrying Hillary and Bill Clinton's water. We all know it. If she thinks she's going to find some deep dark secret to destroy Obama's candidacy, she must also believe in the tooth fairy.

That old adage about "glass houses" comes to mind, doesn't it?

His records are publicly available. How in any grasp of the imagination, does this compare to the Clintons records when they were in the White House?

What Ms. Sweet is failing to miss on this whole debate is that Obama's experience is an open book. He's not saying, "vote for me because I'm experienced" and then hiding all evidence of what could be construed as experience-building. If she's looking for evidence of shakedown of dishwashers in the restaurants of tony neighborhoods around Chicago, for instance, then she should explain the change of context in her search on this blog somewhere. Obama's voting record is his evidence of experience. Like Obama asked this week, you can't say you gained experience as first lady and then hide the papers that alledgely show that experience. Sweet fails to see the difference between Obama's experience and Hillary's.

At least Barack Obama isn't like pResident Doogie Howser, who on November 1, 2001 issued Executive Order 13233 to seal off the records that would show his daddy's involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. Any presidential paper remains seal unless the ex-president AND the current sitting president agree to unseal them.

Obama doesn't have anything to hide, unlike Bush, Cheney & the rest of this Neocon administration.

obama needs to tend to the voters of his state ...but as corrupt il is it does not matter ...he'll get re-elected cause he's black plain and simple ...got to have one in the house

Oh, please, please media. Don't ask Obama or Hillary a question they're not prepared to answer! Shame on you. Hillary plants questions in her appearances, Obama avoids the questioners in his. Next candidate please.

john the first poster goes on to say Bush couldn't handle his job.
john you are wrong he has done a great job. We are now winning the surge and victory is in sight.
I met President Bush at a private home in Springfield in August, 1999.
He is charismatic in person and gave a great speech. I have been to several speeches in the past seven years that W has given.He is bright and he is much smarter than Al Gore who flunked out of Divinity school and dropped out of law school.
John F Kerry sounds more like an elitist than a good speaker. He yelled during the campaign and looked uncomfortable when he isn't at a country club.
Barack Obama sounds like the law instructor he used to be as he lectures rather speaking from the heart. Hillary sounds like nurse ratchet or someones ex wife.
Bush lowered taxes and not just on the wealthy. He lowered them across the board. The Treasury is rolling in money.Tax cuts mean prosperity when Kennedy did it and when Reagan did it. Democrat liberals would screwup America and raise taxes like the $1.3 trillion they have proposed.
john I'd take Bush over anybody in Jackasses have up for the job. Jerry White, Springfield, IL