NYT: Obama Faces a New Push to Look Back

[FourScore]

Obama Faces a New Push to Look Back
By SCOTT SHANE
Published: July 12, 2009

President Obama is facing new pressure to reverse himself and to ramp up investigations into the Bush-era security programs, despite the political risks.

Leading Democrats on Sunday demanded investigations of how a highly classified counterterrorism program was kept secret from the Congressional leadership on the orders of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who is the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Fox News Sunday called it a “big problem.” Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, on “This Week” on ABC, agreed that the secrecy “could be illegal” and demanded an inquiry.

Mr. Obama said this weekend that he had asked his staff members to review a report in The New York Times about the mass killing of prisoners in Afghanistan by local forces allied with the United States as it toppled the Taliban regime there.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is also close to assigning a prosecutor to look into whether prisoners in the campaign against terrorism were tortured, officials disclosed on Saturday.

And after a report from five inspectors general about the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping said on Friday that there had been a number of undisclosed surveillance programs during the Bush years, Democrats sought more information...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/us/politics/13intel.html?_r=1&hp

[Frustratedlady]

1. Great! I was wondering if he would wait for pressure to be put on...

before he'd move. I hope he does move now, as the people still want it.

[Vincardog]

2. He will only move when we make him move. He is fighting every bit as hard as I feared another

candidate would.

[FourScore]

3. I was wondering the same thing. nt

[G_j]

4. he may not have much of a choice

whatever it takes.... I'm grateful for the Dems who are pushing for answers.

[Subdivisions]

5. WE!!! have to make this happen! First thing we should all do

tomorrow is pick up our phones and call our reps and especially the reps who are already putting pressure on the president. I know that what I'm planning on doing. I challenge all who read this to do the same.

[lamp_shade]

6. Am I the only one here who believes that the whole "bush era crimes" issue is being

very cleverly and carefully choreographed... to keep the President out of the shitty mess and to keep the Justice Dept. "independent". Am I the only one here who thinks that our very smart AG had no intention of making a move until he had all the evidence he felt was necessary? These guys are not idiots... they know how the game is played, and they intend to win.

[AllentownJake]

7. This is the right thing to do

and it is also politically savvy.

The economic conditions are worse than anyone anticipated. Going after the Bush Administration for the war crimes will be a good distraction for a while to the economic realities.

They'll do the right thing...because its politically expedient to do so.

[Solly Mack]

8. "campaign against terrorism "

it's a campaign now?

[Wednesdays]

9. K&R

:kick: