58% want Congress to stop torture investigations

By Rick Moran

Do the American people have more common sense about national security than Congress? Judging by this Rasmussen survey , you could make an argument that they do:

President Obama and Senate Democratic leaders are opposed to more investigations of how the Bush administration treated terrorism suspects, and 58% of U.S. voters agree with them. A number of congressional Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are pushing for a wider probe.

Just 28% think the Obama administration should do further investigating of how suspected terrorists were questioned during the Bush years, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure.

Democrats are evenly divided over whether further investigation is necessary. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans and 62% of voters not affiliated with either major party are against more investigating.

You can't even say that this is a partisan issue at this point with almost 2/3 of independents opposing any more investigations.

Apparently, only bitter end Bush hating Democrats are in favor of investigating. This is the hard core base of the Democratic party and while Obama needs them on some issues (health care, card check) he would like to distance himself from them on the torture issue.

So far, he has failed. He has shown a lack of deftness when it comes to these sensitive or "flashpoint" issues (Guantanamo, stem cells, abortion) - probably because he tries to straddle them rather than taking a strong position. The torture issue has been the same as he says he won't prosecute anyone but panders to his base by releasing the interrogation memos without following the advice of his own DCI and taking the matter to the Supreme Court.

For a guy who apparently wants the best of both worlds when it comes to most issues, he is getting neither.