Justice Dept. Math: Subtract Politics, Add Confidence

(NEWSER) - Two-thirds of Americans want an investigation into alleged Bush administration misdeeds, including torture and warrantless wiretapping, a USA Today/Gallup poll shows. Forty percent of respondents would like to see criminal probes; one-quarter would prefer investigations without the possibility of criminal charges. And even more—70% of those surveyed—said the government should look into allegations that administration officials tried to use the Justice Department for political purposes. More»

GOP had blasted Dawn Johnsen for criticizing Bush on terror

(AP) - President Obama's nominee to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel has withdrawn her bid for confirmation, after several Republicans objected to her criticism of the Bush administration's terrorist interrogation policies. Dawn Johnsen's withdrawal—a setback for the Obama administration—was announced by the White House on a day capital lelites were absorbed in the news that Justice John Paul Stevens would retire from the Supreme Court. More»

Ex-president says he won't personally make trouble for Obama

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush today offered his first public endorsement of Dick Cheney’s repeated attacks on President Obama. “I’m glad Cheney is out there,” Bush declared at a reunion breakfast for administration alumni. But he said he would personally continue avoiding the spotlight. “I didn't like it when a certain former president—and it wasn't 41 or 42—made my life miserable,” 43 said, referring to Jimmy Carter. More»

Obama invokes Bush policies as defense in Couric interview

(NEWSER) - President Obama rolled out a surprising line of defense when Katie Couric quizzed him about civilian trials for terrorists in an interview Sunday, writes William McGurn. "We're not handling any of these cases any different than the Bush administration handled them all through 9/11," Obama insisted. Invoking Bush to defend himself is quite the reversal for someone who campaigned as the anti-Bush, McGurn writes in the Wall Street Journal. More»

'President is ignoring citizen security fears'

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration's policy on captured terrorists seems like it's aimed more at pleasing America's critics than making Americans feel safer, writes Richard Cohen. Blunders like trying to hold the KSM trial in New York and giving the "underwear bomber" suspect his Miranda rights show that the administration is tone-deaf to the public's concerns, Cohen writes in the Washington Post. More»