Obama's muddled interrogation policy puts Americans at risk

It appears that lawyers will be America's first line of defense during this era of "change." Which means Miranda rights and rules of discovery, not saving lives, will be the centerpiece of Barack Obama's anti-terror anti-man caused disaster policy.

We've tried that before--the Bill Clinton administration went down that path after the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. And we know what happened eight years later.

As AP noted yesterday, last week Barack Obama said CIA agents who carried out interrogations based on what they were told was legal "will not be subject to prosecution." He added, "This is a time for reflection, not retribution" and "nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past."

But in an another piece, AP analyzes:

No wasting time digging up the past? So much for that.

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that his attorney general would determine whether anyone from the Bush administration broke the law by crafting a legal rationale for drastic, demeaning interrogations of terror suspects. On the surface, it was a pragmatic call: Let the Justice Department lawyers check it out.

Seems innocuous. But Obama's flip-flop has blindsided CIA operatives assigned to protect Americans. "Am I going to be indicted?" they will wonder. And what if agents interrogate a terror man-caused disaster suspect on what they believe is legal...and two years later the interpretation of the law changes?

"Am I going to be indicted?"

Let me remind you: These men and women are dedicated to the protection of 300 million Americans.

Why the flip-flop? The radical group MoveOn.Org, financed by George Soros, launched a petition drive a few days ago demanding that Attorney General Eric Holder investigate "the architects of Bush's torture program."

Now that we are almost 100 days into the Obama presidency, one problem has developed for the Democrats. Republicans in Congress are united against the president. Yes, the Dems control both chambers, but Obama can hardly claim to be a post-partisan president--something he said we would be.

And Obama can't abandon the far-Left. It was they who gave Obama the initial critical mass of support that led to his victory in November.

Smart politics? Perhaps.

But the ultimate responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens.

And I prefer a confident CIA to be our first line of defense--not lawyers.

UPDATE April 23: Barack Obama says he has ruled out prosecuting interrogators. Still, the goal post has moved once.

Technorati tags: Democrats Obama politics Barack Obama war on terror CIA usa Flip flop law legal moveon