Say Anything Blog

Which is convenient, no?  Obama’s domestic agenda is falling flat.  The prospects for his cap and trade carbon tax aren’t looking promising in the Senate.  His plans for government health care have created dissension in the Democrat ranks.  Even a lot of Democrats have to chuckle when, after months and months of job losses, he claims his economic “stimulus” spending has “worked as intended.”  And his poll ratings have been on a slow but inexorable march to something less that mediocrity.

So what’s a struggling President to do?  Well, sometimes the best defense is a good offense.

Holder, 58, may be on the verge of asserting his independence in a profound way. Four knowledgeable sources tell NEWSWEEK that he is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s brutal interrogation practices, something the president has been reluctant to do. While no final decision has been made, an announcement could come in a matter of weeks, say these sources, who decline to be identified discussing a sensitive law-enforcement matter.

What we’re seeing here is likely a trial balloon from the Obama administration.  They’re positioning themselves so that, if going after the Bush administration for what Newsweek is describing as “brutal torture” (now that’s some dispassionate journalism) backfires on them with the public, they can say that it was all Holder’s idea.  He’s the one who got all independent, remember?  And right now, all they’re willing to do is some selective leaks to friendly media sources to see how the public may react to the news.

Because believe you me, the goal here isn’t justice.  The goal is a prosecutorial fishing expedition to distract from Obama’s flagging domestic agenda.  Better to have the public focused on the bread and circuses of a partisan battle over issues that have long since become water under the bridge than on Obama’s plans for health care or carbon taxes.