I could have sworn that Barack Obama and his supporters told me that this constituted torture, and that such a policy was unworthy of the best traditions of the United States.

CIA Director Leon Panetta, in his first meeting with reporters. . . , also said that while CIA interrogations will have new limits, President Barack Obama can still use his wartime powers to authorize harsher techniques if necessary.

I don’t remember which distinguished blogger pointed out that promises by Barack Obama all appear to carry an expiration date. Well, this would certainly appear to be one more example of that. And while I generally agree with the policy shift, I can’t help but be struck by the inconstancy that the new chief executive is showing. Just call it one more sign of the fact that Barack Obama really needed a few more years of seasoning to gain the experience and wisdom to be an effective, competent president – especially when it comes to dealing with issues of national security.

I’m curious, though – will Barack Obama ever come out and apologize for his criticism of George W. Bush over a “torture” policy that he has now adopted himself.

And I wonder – since Obama has adopted the Bush policy that detainees outside the US in places such as Afghanistan have no rights under the US Constitution, will he do the right thing and ship the Gitmo jihadis to Afghanistan?