Obama says no to release of detainee photos

Politico:

In a dramatic and high-profile reversal for his young administration, President Barack Obama is seeking to block the release of 44 photographs depicting abuse of detainees in U.S. military custody in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Justice Department had already agreed to release the photos by May 28 in response to a lawsuit, but Obama is shifting course.

“Last week, the President met with his legal team and told them that he did not feel comfortable with the release of the DOD photos because he believes their release would endanger our troops, and because he believes that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court,” said a White House official who asked not to be named.

“At the end of that meeting, the President directed his counsel to object to the immediate release of the photos on those grounds,” the official said.

Obama’s reversal is sure to set off an outcry on the left, which has pushed the Obama administration to come clean about interrogation policies and other actions carried out by the Bush administration.

Obama endorsed such openness during the campaign – and even released memos detailing interrogation practices critics call torture.

...
Obama is finding that life in the real world is complicated by factors that most liberals don't even consider. With greater responsibilities than being a candidate he is having to adjust. Will the left now be more understanding or more vilifying as a result?

Comments

  1. Ryan Biddulph9:02 AM

    I applaud the president on this move.

    What good would release of the photos do to anybody? The troops would be punished and our reputation would take a serious hit. These photos would be degrading to the people of the Middle East where most of these prisoners hailed from. It would have been a lose-lose situation.

    This is one of the first moves where I support the president 100%.

    Ryan

    ReplyDelete

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