Via Outside the Beltway comes this:

In a closely watched case involving rendition and torture, a lawyer for the Obama administration seemed to surprise a panel of federal appeals judges on Monday by pressing ahead with an argument for preserving state secrets originally developed by the Bush administration.

More:

“Is there anything material that has happened” that might have caused the Justice Department to shift its views, asked Judge Mary M. Schroeder, an appointee of President Jimmy Carter, coyly referring to the recent election.

“No, your honor,” Mr. Letter replied.

Judge Schroeder asked, “The change in administration has no bearing?”

Once more, he said, “No, Your Honor.” The position he was taking in court on behalf of the government had been “thoroughly vetted with the appropriate officials within the new administration,” and “these are the authorized positions,” he said.

As James Joyner explains, ‘[t]his will, I wager, not be the last time that the change in administration has no bearing.  Being responsible for national security is rather different from commenting on it from the outside and entering office tends to make presidents conform to their new role.’

He adds: ‘Obama’s president now.  He has ostensibly discontinued the policy of “extraordinary rendition,” the extent of which we will likely never know.  But he’s neither going to compromise national security secrets nor give away potentially useful presidential powers now that he’s in the White House.  I’m surprised anyone’s surprised by that.’

Does Obama break his promises? Yes.

Hypocritical? Sure?

Was it to be expected? Yup.

No surprises here, at least not for those of us with any sense of realism.