I agree with all the criticism of the President's decision not to prosecute anyone involved in the crimes committed during the "War on Terror". It is wrong to not hold anyone accountable; it perpatuates an injustice which, unless he changes his mind, will harm the image of America as well as his presidency for a long time.

I have wondered why he decided to make this sacrifice, regarding both the sake of America and his own political credibility. It must be, I realize, a deep worry about the division of the American people, about his country drifting apart over fundamental differences of philosophical ideas and personal values.

As could be seen just this week, there is a significant minority of people who are so opposed to him, the Democratic party or anything that they regard as "leftist", that they go out and protest against his administration without even knowing what issues they protest against. They displayed wild anger and hatred, comparing him to Hitler, a communist, a baby killer and so on. Some southern states' officials and people play with the idea of seceding from the union.

Obama thinks he can be, and has to be, those peoples' President. Initiated by the famous speech he gave at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, in which he proclaimed to great applause that "there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America", he sees himself as the person who has to unite the country. This is, I think, above everything else what he wants to be the legacy of his presidency.

That is why he wants to look forward, not backward. He doesn't want to humiliate the Republicans and conservatives, which he could easily do. For the sake of reconciliation, he feels he can't allow them to lose their face. This, in his mind, would do even greater and more lasting damage to America than the injustice of leaving the torturers and war criminals of the Bush years unpunished.