Earlier this week, I told you about the likely battle raging behind the scenes over future criminal probes of the Bush administration, which -- if pursued -- could even land a few of the president's men and women behind bars. Today, Charlie Savage of the NY Times, who won a Pulitizer Prize for writing about the frightening growth of presidential authority during the Bush 43 years, takes up the issue (including a shout-out to Attytood's Q-and-A with Barack Obama last April).

The Times article notes:

Topics of open investigations include the harsh interrogation of detainees, the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, secret legal memorandums from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel and the role of the former White House aides Karl Rove and Harriet E. Miers in the firing of federal prosecutors.

Mr. Bush has used his executive powers to block Congressional requests for executive branch documents and testimony from former aides. But investigators hope that the Obama administration will open the filing cabinets and withdraw assertions of executive privilege that Bush officials have invoked to keep from testifying.

“I intend to ensure that our outstanding subpoenas and document requests relating to the U.S. attorneys matter are enforced,” said Representative John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “I am hopeful that progress can be made with the coming of the new administration.”

Also, two advocacy groups, the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First, have prepared detailed reports for the new administration calling for criminal investigations into accusations of abuse of detainees.

For now, Obama needs to stay focused on the economy, but one hopes he will also allow the relevant committees in Congress to continue their work in the short term. One hopes...but is it more likely that an Obama administration will over-protect the old White House in order to protect their own? It happens every time.