An article in this morning's New York Times argues that President Obama wants to avoid spending a lot of the public's time and energy investigating the intelligence practices of the Bush administration. "It is just the kind of distraction from Mr. Obama's domestic priorities — repairing the economy, revamping the health care system, and addressing the long-term problems of energy and climate — that the White House wanted to avoid," the article says, quoting a political science professor who says that Mr. Obama "wants to dominate the discussion, and he wants the discussion to be about his domestic agenda — health care, energy and education." The article also says that "Mr. Obama has been eager not to put himself at odds with the military and intelligence agencies," and that "a rash of investigations could undercut the good will he has earned."
Not explored is an alternative possibility -- that, with the economy foundering and the taxes that will undergird Mr. Obama's climate and health care policies unpopular with voters, investigations of Bush-era intelligence practices are just the kind of distraction that the White House does want.