“Obama: Focus not on probing Bush administration”

“President-elect Obama on Sunday said he is more concerned about ‘doing the right thing’ going forward than launching investigations into some of the programs and policies the Bush administration put in place.”

“‘We’re still evaluating how we are going to approach the whole issue of interrogations, detentions, and so forth. And obviously, we’re going to be looking at past practices,’ Obama said on ABC’s ‘This Week with George Stephanopoulos,’ adding, however, that he does not believe that ‘anybody is above the law.’”

“But the president-elect stressed that he believes ‘that we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards.’”

“His comments might irk those who want the Bush administration to be held accountable for programs that some argue were illegal, such as some detention and interrogation policies, as well as authorizing warrantless wiretapping.”

“Obama said he believes that ‘waterboarding’ detainees amounts to torture, an issue on which he disagrees with President Bush and Vice President Cheney. However, he also said that he would heed Cheney’s advice on not just implementing campaign rhetoric without getting all of the facts about some programs put in place under the current administration.”

Klaus Marre. (2009, January 11). Obama: Focus not on probing Bush administration. The Hill. Retrieved January 11, 2009, from http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-focus-isnt-on-investigating-bush-administration-2009-01-11.html

If Barack Obama fails to pursue prosecution against George W. Bush, it will be his biggest mistake.

Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993