So it turns out even a disciplined, on-message operation like the Obama White House can get ensnared in a Shakesperian web of political schemery. One of its own making, no less.

The administration's decision last week to release Bush-era Justice Department memos justifying harsh interrogation techniques some have characterized as torture, and absolve the CIA functionaries who carried them out, has emboldened the left flank of the Democratic party to agitate for investigations of the officials who formulated the policies.

As a result, a move designed to validate Obama's decision to overturn Bush's policies has morphed into a highly contentious national security debate that's dividing Democrats on Capitol Hill, emboldening conservative administration critics and very, very effectively overshadowing Obama's top-tier agenda items.

The president and his aides have not made life easier for themselves by sending mixed signals about their appetite for inquiries and prosecutions. So at week's end, let's recap where things stand: