The headline on the front page of today’s New York Timescannot be welcome news to Barack Obama’s most fervent and early supporters: “Obama Reluctant to Look Into Bush Programs.”

The article goes on to say: “President-elect Barack Obama signaled in an interview …that he was unlikely to authorize a broad inquiry into Bush administration programs like domestic eavesdropping or the treatment of terrorism suspects.”

This doesn’t sound like candidate Barack Obama who rightly castigated Bush on both these topics.

What happened?

Obama, if nothing else, is a pragmatist.  He realizes (probably always knew…but that is a different story!) that he needs GOP support for many of the programs he wants to push through Congress, especially ones aimed at dealing with the current fiscal crisis.

He also no doubt doesn’t want to tangle with career CIA people whose further help he will need for what soon will become HIS war on terrorism.

Nonetheless, this is surely a dissapointment to the die-hard Obama backers who really thought he was going to sweep into Washington and turn things upside down.  He may tilt the table, but he won’t turn it upside down!

But the Bush programs on domestic spying and the torture of terrorism suspects need to be investigated.

It looks like it will be up to Congress to do any broad investigation and prosecutors to examine whether any individual or individuals ought to be brought up on federal charges.

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