Obama Suggests Bush-Era Officials Could Be Prosecuted

[Octafish]

A "wouldn't it be nice?" FYI:

Obama Suggests Bush-Era Officials Could Be Prosecuted

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
WASHINGTON NEWS
U.S. News & World Report

President Obama signaled Tuesday that he has changed his stance on the prosecution of Bush Administration aides over the possible torture of terrorism suspects. Coverage of the story is extensive, leading all three network newscasts, and is generally negative toward the Administration. Much of it casts Obama's comments as a reversal -- one triggered by criticism from Capitol Hill Democrats and key segments of his political base. Both print and TV reports also tend to note Obama's apparent contradiction of recent comments on the issue by his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. The CBS Evening News called Obama's remarks "stunning," and noted "the White House later denied the President had reversed policy."

AFP recounts a "contentious White House briefing" in which "spokesman Robert Gibbs denied Obama had remade previous administration policy." USA Today reports that although Emanuel and Gibbs himself "have suggested recently that prosecutions of Bush lawyers were off the table, Gibbs said Tuesday that Obama's latest comments do not represent a policy shift." The Washington Times says, "When asked about the difference between Mr. Obama's remarks and Mr. Emanuel's comments, Mr. Gibbs told reporters to heed the president."

The coverage overwhelmingly describes the President's position as a clear shift. The AP reports Obama widened "an explosive debate on torture," and ABC World News said the issue "is turning into a hornet's nest for the Obama Administration." ABC added that "current Administration officials first said there would be no prosecutions: not for those who employed the techniques, not for those who authorized them as legal." ABC added that "the White House would not explain the change." NBC Nightly News reported Obama moved "under pressure from Congress and outside critics," reversing "what the President said last week and what his chief of staff said two days ago."

Roll Call refers to a "striking turnabout" by Obama, which "came as the administration began to incur fire from its allies for appearing to exclude policymakers from culpability." McClatchy says Obama's statements "caught Washington by surprise." The Wall Street Journal says Obama "has shifted several times in dealing with the Bush-era issues." CNN's Situation Room called it "a dramatic reversal" and "a sharp break from what his press secretary said 24 hours earlier." Fox News' Special Report reported Obama acted "in apparent contradiction of his own White House staff." Congressional Republicans "said they were perplexed." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "We are interested to know what is the policy or the position of the Administration. Because now it seems to be somewhat confusing."

SOURCE: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_090422.htm

Please be so. Please.

[zipplewrath]

1. Hard to say

This is akin to what some of us were concerned about yesterday, that there was confusion and contradiction coming out of the White House since Sunday. A concern that got some of us labeled "Obama Haters" around here. Flip side is, this is an article that makes some hay mostly out of quotes from people within the press corps. Extrapolating that to an actualy conflict within either the WH or the DoJ is a leap. The press loves to magnify differences as something more than they really are. Realize that several of these quotes, and the whole story really, come from either right leaning publications, or from members of the GOP.