Is Obama Turning Into Dubya 2?

President Barack Obama always talks about how his administration is going to be different from the previous one, looking to the future instead of looking back. When it comes to the topic of the alleged torture of enemy combatants on government property, however, the past keeps intruding into the future.

In case you haven't noticed, torture has become the topic du jour online and on the cable news channels in recent weeks. Keith Olbermann has made it a regular feature of his MSNBC show when he's not making fun of Fox News Channel. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been making the rounds on TV, scaring the hell out of people even though this isn't Halloween, when he really should be going back to his undisclosed location. Sometimes, listening to all this talk about torture is, well, torturous.

Really, the issue of torture has been with us since 9/11/01, when the George W. Bush administration started arresting every real or perceived threat they could find, shipping them off to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba without so much as an explanation or legal representation. Were these people treated fairly or not? Who knows? Who cares, so long as we knew when the next attack on American soil might occur? All of this was allegedly done while President Bush kept insisting that we do not torture.

Now, as Gitmo is closing and documents have been released revealing the extent to which interrogators got their answers, Obama has had second thoughts about revisiting the past. First, he is reviving military tribunals for the few detainees deemed too dangerous for the U.S. judicial system, which is something he initially opposed. This time, the administration says, it will be handled with better legal representation for the detainees.

Second, Obama has reversed himself on releasing pictures of prisoners in Iraq being abused, setting up a legal showdown with the ACLU over this. The generals convinced him that showing the photos might reveal that American soldiers are a bunch of sadists who get off on naked prisoners, and that they might become targets (like they aren't already?). We've already seen the photos from Abu Ghirab prison in 2004, so the excuses the Pentagon are making is just lame.

People like Cheney have been telling us that America is still in a War Against Terror, and that we need to be vigilant. If that's true, how come factories aren't making tanks and battleships instead of cars and appliances? (Oh, right. They're all closed.) Where are the Victory Gardens (and we're not referring to the PBS show)? Why aren't we all driving at 35 mph? Why aren't Hollywood and other celebrities out there selling war bonds? Or have I been listening to too many World War II-era radio programs?

President Obama has had the support of those who want to make a fresh start, but who don't want to ignore the past. He needs to make sure the past doesn't catch up to him.