No More Secrets.

“For the National Archives to go into cahoots with the CIA and Air Force to mislead researchers about what was going on was over the top, and a strong signal of a secrecy system that is genuinely broken.” Following the recent uproar over re-classified documents, the National Archives pledges to forego secret arrangements in the future. Said the United States archivist, Allen Weinstein: “Classified agreements are the antithesis of our reason for being…If records must be removed for reasons of national security, the American people will always, at the very least, know when it occurs and how many records are affected.“

Or else you gotta stay all night.

“Bolten told the staff that ‘if you’re thinking about leaving at some time in the future, now would be a good time to do it,’ the press secretary said.” The Dubya administration preps for a house-cleaning.

Breaking News: Rain is wet.

Sit down before you read this one, folks. In the well-duh dept., the Post front-pages the following story today: “Anger at Bush May Hurt GOP at Polls.” Really? Who woulda thunk it? Next you’ll be telling me that Santorum might be going down too.

The Abramoff Inbox.

“‘Do not allow…my name to appear anywhere,’ Abramoff wrote to a colleague at his then-law firm, Greenberg Traurig. He e-mailed his wife: ‘When you are in the room with David and the other GSA folks, identify yourself as Pam Alexander or Pam Clarke. David [Safavian] does not want Abramoff used in the meeting.'” The WP publishes excerpts of e-mail traffic between Casino Jack and David Safavian, one of his men in the Dubya White House, and the details run from the sketchy to the mundane. (“He added that he was e-mailing from Signatures, and ‘I love those tempura tuna rolls!’“)

Easter Escalation.

While the Pope, Kofi Annan, Richard Clarke, and others try to stem the increasing saber-rattling over Iran, more trouble brews in Tehran: Along with possibly expanding their nuclear fuel plants and upgrading their centrifuges, the “Iranian government has intensified efforts to illegally obtain weapons technology from the United States.” Well, let’s at least hope the White House isn’t helping them this time…

Quake II.

“‘In 1906, San Francisco was the largest city west of the Rockies. We had 400,000 people in the city,’ Eisner said. ‘Today we have 7 million in the Bay Area. And the consequences of a disaster of this magnitude in an urban area are significant.’” On the eve of tomorrow’s centennial of the great San Francisco earthquake, a new study suggests another Big One would mean a Katrina-level disaster for the Bay Area. “Seismologists generally agree that a repeat of a 1906-size earthquake is inevitable, though when and where along the fault are unknown. In 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey reported a 62 percent chance of a magnitude-6.7 earthquake or greater hitting the Bay Area within 30 years.” And, in a related story, historians look for lessons for post-Katrina New Orleans amid the rubble of 1906.

Prank Call! Prank Call!

“You have somebody who’s committing a felony, and he’s calling [the White House] during the planning, the execution and when it’s falling apart.” The Dubya administration gets in even more legal trouble after it’s discovered that, while an illegal plan to block Democratic phone banks in New Hampshire during the 2002 gubernatorial race was being carried out, its instigator, Dubya campaign op James Tobin, called the White House political affairs office 22 times in 2 days. (Looka has more.) Of course, clogging phone banks isn’t the first political dirty trick New Hampshire has ever seen — let us take a moment to reflect on the Gore campaign’s disgusting anti-Bradley traffic jam in 2000 — but that doesn’t make Tobin’s — and possibly the White House’s — actions any less reprehensible…or criminal.

Judge: No More Leaks on Leaks.

Irony of ironies, US District Judge Reggie B. Walston, presiding judge in Scooter Libby’s pending trial, threatens both sides with a gag order should information about the Plamegate case continue to make it into the newspapers. But the President told Scooter to call Judy, and maybe even Bob…

His Cup Rummeth Over.

“Secretary Rumsfeld’s energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period. He has my full support and deepest appreciation.” In response to the growing calls for Rumsfeld’s resignation among retired top brass, Dubya chooses instead, as per his usual M.O., to hug Rummy tighter to his breast. (full text.) And, in related news, Salon‘s Michael Scherer and Mark Benjamin argue that Rumsfeld was “personally involved” in at least one questionable interrogation at Gitmo in 2002.

Steep Ascent.

“‘If this election comes down to the individual, race-by-race, case-by-case campaigns, like we’ve seen for the last four cycles, the Democrats don’t have enough top-tier candidates to win 15 seats,’ Amy Walters, a House political analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said, referring to a net gain. ‘But they do have enough second- and third-tier candidates who can ride a wave.‘” Even given Iraq, Abramoff, and the current GOP implosion, it seems that Dems will have their work cut out for them if they’re going to succeed in taking back the House this November.