Obama won't release prisoner abuse photos

This is a Barack Obama flip-flop that I actually agree with.

He has reversed an earlier decision to release photos of alleged prisoner abuse by Us troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The real reason he has decided not to release them is political, of course, and not for any concern about security, although that is what he wants us to believe.

Since Nancy Pelosi has shown, once again, to be a liar and is caught up in prior knowledge of interrogation tactics, releasing these photos would bring her and her house of cards tumbling down, and would weaken Obama's power base in Congress.

"Change" you can believe in. "Hope" for the future.


www.monstersandcritics.com...

Washington - US President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he will oppose releasing dozens of photographs depicting the US military abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama reversed an earlier Defence Department decision to make the photos public over concerns they could produce a backlash against US troops in those two countries.

'The most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and to put our troops in greater danger,' Obama said on the White House lawn.

Let's keep in mind --- not that this will matter to some people here --- that this isn't a flip-flop. The Administration was ordered by the Court to release these pictures and was prepared to do so. After all, despite what the Bush Administration would have us believe, when the Court orders you to do something you're supposed to actually do it. But on the advice of his military advisors (imagine that, he actually listens to his advisors), Obama has decided to mount a challenge to the court order.

So paint it as an arbitrary flip-flop if you want. But the facts belie that.

reply to post by jtma508


You are correct on the sequence of events, but incorrect as to the player's motives.

The DoD had agreed to make the photos available. Obama opposed it, not after consulting with and listening to his generals, but after Pelosi was caught lying about her prior knowledge of events.

Obama's reasons?

'The president does not believe that the strongest case regarding the release of these photos was presented to the court,' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Iow, the courts did not play his game, so he wants another ruling.

Some interesting background from here:

The decision is interesting reading for geeks. Two grounds were presented for denying the ACLU's request for the photos: national security; and privacy concerns for the victims.

That's right, our government is claiming that its concern for the civil rights of people who were at least arguably torture victims at our hands prevents the government from showing the pictures of these mutilated and abused people. The victims themselves are not arguing that their privacy should be protected. There is a faintly detectable sense of shame about this argument, as it is not emphasized by the government. This is one of those arguments that, if pushed too far, could turn the judges against you.

Obama decided to see whether the Supreme Court would review this decision. There is no right of appeal. He can only ask the Supreme Court if it will review the decision. The government is restricted to the record made in the trial court, although it sounded like the government wanted to try to argue that there were new facts justifying the matter being heard anew by the trial court. That's just a guess.

While Obama was being castigated by the right as anti-American for agreeing to comply with a court order, he is now being pilloried by the left for breaking campaign promises of transparency and selling out. Both sides are calling him indecisive, even feckless.

Both sides are criticizing him on this. The question is why are the democrats criticizing him. It is because of Nancy Pelozi's involvement in the scandal.