Upon leaving for a vacation to Martha's Vineyard, President Obama left the decision to investigate alleged abuse by the CIA in hands of attorney general Eric Holder. Although the W.H. quickly reminded the press earlier today that Obama said several weeks ago that he wished to keep the past in the past on this issue, his directive to Holder contained no opinion.
Considering that Obama is currently facing criticism for his hands-off approach to both the energy bill and healthcare reform legislation, it seems that the president is showing an unwillingness to spend his political capital on the most controversial of issues. Obama's current behavior also harkens back to criticism he faced on the campaign for voting "present" a number of times while serving as a state senator in Illinois.
While progress on the health care bill remains on hiatus until congress returns from their summer recess, a DOJ probe into CIA activities that could potentially lead to the prosecution of both CIA agents and contractors is sure to cause a stir. The question remains as to whether Obama is hurting himself by not taking a stronger stand on controversial issues.
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