Bush-era interrogation may have worked, Obama official says

The Bush-era interrogation techniques that many view as torture may have yielded important information about terrorists, President Obama's national intelligence director said in an internal memo."High-value information came from interrogations in which those methods were used and provided a deeper understanding of the al Qaeda organization that was attacking this country," Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said in a memo to personnel.The memo, was sent around the time the administration released several memos from the previous administration detailing the use of terror interrogation techniques such as waterboarding, which simulates drowning. Obama left open the possibility of criminal prosecution Tuesday for former Bush administration officials who drew up the legal basis for aggressive interrogation techniques many view as torture.Obama said it will be up to Attorney General Eric Holder to decide whether or not to prosecute the former officials."With respect to those who formulated those legal decisions, I would say that is going to be more a decision for the attorney general within the parameter of various laws, and I don't want to prejudge that," Obama said during a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House."There's a host of very complicated issues involved there. As a general deal, I think we should be looking forward and not backward."I do worry about this getting so politicized that we cannot function effectively, and it hampers our ability to carry out critical national security operations."