The deal on torture

The Democrats got themselves into a mini civil war this week as the now infamous torture memos that were released by the White House Office of Legal Counsel have made their rounds in the media.
Obama's decision to release the memos has sparked a massive firefight with pressure coming on him from both the right and the left. This seems to have developed into a full blown wedge issue now, with lines being drawn laregely across partisan lines with everyone from former Vice President Dick Cheney to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Sean Hannity and Keith Olbermann adding fuel to the fire and keeping the story on the front pages.
Obama mudd has made the issue worse by muddling his own message this week as he, his chief of staff, and his press secretary have failed to come up with a clear answer as to whether those who were proprietors of "enhanced interrogation techniques" during the Bush Administration will be prosecuted. This would most likely include a highly publicized investigation into the most senior levels of the Bush White House and would focus congress and the national media on a story that Obama most likely wishes would just go away, especially at a time when he needs as many allies in congress as possible focused on passing his ambtious agenda on health care, energy, and education reform. He also needs to preserve as much political capital as he can for the upcoming debate on such polarizing issues as the assault weapons ban, immigration, and gays in the military.
So far, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Obama administration have come to an agreement not to launch any investigations, but their Democratic counterparts in the House, under pressue from many prominent liberal groups, are more eager to press the issue and want to keep the story going as long as possible, hoping to get enough public support for an investigation that the white house would be forced to comply.
Much like Obama's economic plans, though, his plan to release the torture memos and make a firm stance against its use against even the highest value of terrorist captives, will only be seen as successful if it works. The public backlash would be devastating if something happens to any American citizens, and his policies -- which his critics say are hamstringing intelligence gathering efforts -- produce any tragedies that may otherwise have been avoided.