Before anyone accuses me of being a Bush/Cheney apologist, or a neo-con, or a scumbag, or just someone without any scruples, let me make something clear; I do not, nor have I ever supported torture. The reasons are too many to count and I will not bother doing so. However, what I never supported was the idea of prosecuting rank-and-file members of the intelligence community unless there were special circumstances(going beyond what they were allowed to do). I'll list my reasons below the jump, along with my thoughts on prosecuting those who are most-responsible for what happened.
Perhaps the biggest reason for why I never wanted to see rank-and-file agents prosecuted is because so many of them still work for the agency. We have enough problems going on throughout the world, and while we want to do what's right, we also want to make sure the trains are still running on time. Prosecuting rank-and-file agents would have turned CIA upside-down for some very obvious reasons. Given the multitude of problems around the world(Iraq/Iran/Somalia/Pakistan/Afghanistan, to name a few..), the last thing the intelligence community needs is to have the wheels come off.
Another reason for why I am happy with the decision is because the men and women who performed the actual techniques were told that it was not only legal but their duty. We can get into Eichmann-comparisons which will lead nowhere, but they were following their orders in the aftermath of an event that left all of us worried about another attack. Bringing up 9/11 is not something I like to do, given the GOP's relentless use of it during debate, but we all can still remember the mood of the country back then. I cannot blame the rank-and-file agents for doing what they thought was in the nation's best interest, and indeed they were told that it was by our then-leaders. This is so even if that interest was short-term in its goal of trying to prevent an attack(no evidence yet that torture prevented another one) at the expense of our long-term interest in retaining the moral high-ground and winning hearts and minds.
Lastly, what makes me happy with the President's decision is that the door has been left open for there to be prosecutions of those who are most responsible for what happened. Our leaders are expected to stay cool under pressure, and the Bush administration royally failed to do that. Someone needs to be held accountable, and I am glad that it won't be someone at the bottom of the totem-pole.