Here's Your Change

President Obama's nominee to be U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis withdrew his name from consideration Friday after it became clear lawmakers would question his involvement in interrogation and detainee policies under President George W. Bush.

Philip Mudd, currently a top official at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said he was bowing out because he knew "this position will require the full cooperation with Congress and I believe that if I continue to move forward I will become a distraction to the President and his vital agenda."

  ABC

We can’t have any more high profile questioning. THAT is not in the President’s agenda, for sure. And we certainly wouldn’t want the fact that we tortured people to death and are harboring dozens of war criminals to distract us.

Democrats on Capitol Hill had signaled their intention to probe Mudd's knowledge of and role in approving brutal interrogation techniques -- some of which qualify under international law as torture -- used by CIA officials against detainees.

Well, hey, good for the Democrats for once. What’s their angle on this one? They sure aren’t smoothing the path for their leader the way the Republicans do. No wonder they aren’t very effective.

Mudd is the second potential Obama administration official to opt out of what was looking to be a grueling confirmatiom process because of ties to Bush-era interrogation policies.

And for the love of Pete, why does Obama insist on nominating these people? Change. Oh yeah, big man. Lots of change you’re bringing. Please, let me hear some Obama apologists say that he’s nominating these people knowing they won’t make it, just to “out” them.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.