President Bush has ordered that all the records seized from Congressman Jefferson's Capitol office be selaed for 45 days, to allow time for the dispute between the Justice Deparment and Congress to be resolved.
I think this is a good idea. It allows time for the important principles at stake to be examined, and a compromise developed that will see the interests of justice, yet ensure that the legislative branch can operate independently of the executive.
However, it's not like Bush had much choice here (other than to return all the records immediately). The House (and the Senate to some degree as well) were more or less united against him, which would have made passing any legislation quite difficult for a while. But you can't really blame him for the problem either - the justice department and FBI sought the warrant, which was granted by a federal judge. Maybe next time they will approach the Congressial leadership first.
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