In a "surprise" move the Obama administration has taken a bold step to shore up the presidents plummeting poll numbers. Rasmussen's Presidential Approval Index has settled at -7 for the last three days, but the percentage of respondents who strongly approve of Barack Obama's performance has dropped to an all time low of 28%. And so, signaling yet again that Obama pronouncements all come with an expiration date, Attorney General Holder announced his renewed interest in Bush administration interrogation policies, saying that he might just order a criminal investigation after all.
'WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Eric Holder may order a criminal probe into whether treatment of terrorism detainees exceeded guidelines set by the Justice Department, administration officials said.
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Messrs. Obama and Holder have said they don't favor prosecuting lawyers who wrote the legal justifications for interrogation methods that the president and his attorney general have declared to be torture. They also have sought to protect CIA officers who followed the legal guidelines.
"The Department of Justice will follow the facts and the law with respect to any matter," Matthew Miller, Justice spokesman, said. "We have made no decisions on investigations or prosecutions, including whether to appoint a prosecutor to conduct further inquiry." CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said the CIA's terrorist detention and interrogation program was shaped and driven by legal guidance from the Department of Justice. The president, attorney general, and CIA Director Leon Panetta "have all said consistently that those who followed that guidance should not be punished," he said. "The Department of Justice knows, and has known for years, the details of CIA's past interrogation practices. Based on the knowledge, Justice decided when to prosecute and when not to prosecute."
The Obama administration's stance on the issue of "looking back" has evolved since the November election as the president has begun adapting some controversial anti-terrorism strategies developed in the previous administration. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama's decision in May to release the Bush-era Justice memos on interrogations set off bitter political sniping that temporarily overshadowed the president's own domestic agenda.
Mr. Holder's view on a potential inquiry has developed over time and he remains reluctant to order a criminal probe, said the person familiar with his thinking. However, in recent months Mr. Holder "saw disturbing things" as he reviewed some of the practices detailed in documents, including a CIA internal report that the Obama administration is still debating whether to release in full, according to this person.
"At the end of the day, his hand may be simply forced by what he's now seen," this person said.'
Right. And what he's really now seen are Obama approval numbers heading through the floor. It's time for a distraction from Obama's ongoing economic policy failures. Time to focus attention somewhere else. Once again the Obama administration is trying to shift some kind of blame to the Bush administration.
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