Maybe Obama is deeply opposed to the whole thing himself, but it's so entrenched he couldn't really do anything about it. Think of how he gets blocked routinely in the public view and imagine what cut throat stuff must be going on behind the scenes. So maybe this is a way to do an end run around whoever is keeping these shenanigans in place.
This is almost certainly not the case, but that's the answer that came to mind when you asked the question.
The appointment of Eric Holder as the head of DOJ could be the defining moment of Obama's presidency. Everything Eric Holder is involved in is turning into a huge pile of shit.
At this point, it's the only way I would still be able to justify not being disappointed in him. My hope is that given the obstructionism he's experienced over the last four years, he's trying a bit of jujitsu to use his political enemies' weight against themselves. His base complained that he wasn't doing anything on DADT (i.e. an executive order, which could be overturned under a republican administration) and he had to basically keep quiet until he got the permanent repeal behind the scenes.
That being said, I'd be surprised if that were the case here. But a man can hope.
This thought crossed my mind as well after I spent some time thinking how a president could still get things done with how little power they actually have vs. entrenched entities.
I still think it is extraordinarily unlikely though.
This is almost certainly not the case, but that's the answer that came to mind when you asked the question.