Obama waffling on his commitment to a no-torture policy?

Siobhan Gordon of the Wall Street Journal takes a look at Barack Obama’s intelligence team, and it’s a must-read whose headline says it all: “Intelligence policy to stay largely intact.” Gordon writes:

As a candidate, Mr. Obama said the CIA’s interrogation program should adhere to the same rules that apply to the military, which would prohibit the use of techniques such as waterboarding. He has also said the program should be investigated.

Yet he more recently voted for a White House-backed law to expand eavesdropping powers for the National Security Agency. Mr. Obama said he opposed providing legal immunity to telecommunications companies that aided warrantless surveillance, but ultimately voted for the bill, which included an immunity provision.

The new president could take a similar approach to revising the rules for CIA interrogations, said one current government official familiar with the transition. Upon review, Mr. Obama may decide he wants to keep the road open in certain cases for the CIA to use techniques not approved by the military, but with much greater oversight.

Related: John Pilger wrote last summer that “Obama is a hawk.”