Obama Opposes Releasing Photos of U.S. Detainee Abuse
In a sharp reversal, the White House announced Wednesday the administration will not release hundreds of photos potentially showing U.S. military personnel abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
A senior administration official told FOX News that President Obama told his legal advisers last week that he did not feel comfortable with the release of the photos because he believes they would endanger U.S. troops, and that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented in federal court.
"Obama would be the last to excuse the actions depicted in these photos," the official said. "That is why the Department of Defense investigated these cases, and why individuals have been punished through prison sentences, discharges and a range of other punitive measures.
"But the president strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing U.S. forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan," reads a statement from the White House.
The Pentagon had planned to release the photos by May 28 in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. That decision was made after the Justice Department lost its latest round in federal court and concluded that any further appeal probably would be fruitless.
But on Tuesday, the president raised the issue of these photos with Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, during a White House meeting and told him of his decision to argue against this release, the official said.
The ACLU immediately criticized the decision.
"The decision to suppress the photos is profoundly inconsistent with the promise of transparency that President Obama has made time after time," ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer said.
The group has claimed the release of the photos will help the American people decide whether the abuse was widespread or, as the Bush administration purported, bad acts by rogue actors.
Some lawmakers had urged Obama to fight the release of the photos because they feared it would turn into a sequel to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq, which caused an international backlash against the U.S. with photos in 2004 of smirking U.S. soldiers posing with detainees, some naked, being held on leashes or in painful positions.
Nine U.S. soldiers were eventually found guilty in the Abu Ghraib abuse case.
Whether the new photos are as repugnant as those from Abu Ghraib is still an open question. But one U.S. official told FOX News that hundreds of photos are involved, drawn from military investigations into alleged abuse between 2001 and 2005.
Quoting sweetie00:
Just a question, are those of you against the release of the pics also against torture? Includeing WBing?
No I am not against torture, I am just against realeasing things that could harm our men and women who are over seas, And I am againt the fact that everyone wants to know all the going on's which shouldn't be released to the public. Everyone was in a tither about the torturment of terriosts. And how terrible it was, it should of never been put out there.
All I can give him credit for is knowing when to hang it up. I don't believe for a second it was his idea. Of course he will say it was but it was only a month ago when he said there would be no danger to our troops if this information and the pictures were published to all who cared to see them. Broadcasting our methods was bad enough so now we have no leverage on the battlefield if needed. All we needed was those pictures to come out. Now he has once again changed his mind on an important issue due to pressure from people who really know whats going on. We have a President who knows NOTHING about being a President. I'm sure he finally gave in because enough Generals told him he was crazy and public opinion is that these not be out for public viewing.
As for Torture, Pulling out fingernails is torture, breaking bones is torture but In my opinion waterboarding is not torture, putting a catterpillar in a box with a man is not torture and loud music is not torture. You do what you have to do to keep Americans safe. If you have anything half credible that the prisoner has info into a plan then you do what you have to to get the information.
Quoting itsmesteph11:All I can give him credit for is knowing when to hang it up. I don't believe for a second it was his idea. Of course he will say it was but it was only a month ago when he said there would be no danger to our troops if this information and the pictures were published to all who cared to see them. Broadcasting our methods was bad enough so now we have no leverage on the battlefield if needed. All we needed was those pictures to come out. Now he has once again changed his mind on an important issue due to pressure from people who really know whats going on. We have a President who knows NOTHING about being a President. I'm sure he finally gave in because enough Generals told him he was crazy and public opinion is that these not be out for public viewing.
As for Torture, Pulling out fingernails is torture, breaking bones is torture but In my opinion waterboarding is not torture, putting a catterpillar in a box with a man is not torture and loud music is not torture. You do what you have to do to keep Americans safe. If you have anything half credible that the prisoner has info into a plan then you do what you have to to get the information.
Thank you for being smart and intelligent. Anyone in the military with any sense knows this would hurt our soldiers. People think they know everything because the liberal media told them so. They don't think for themselves anymore.
Quoting sweetie00:i think they are probably too graphic. That is why he may have changed his mind. It's too bad that we stooped so low. Now we have a huge mess to clean up.
You are pathetic. Did you ever serve in the military in a war zone? You think you know it all because you watched Keith Olbermann the biggest loser of them all. His ratings are so low I am surprised he even gets paid.
Quoting sweetie00:
Just a question, are those of you against the release of the pics also against torture? Includeing WBing?
I am not sure about the waterboarding. I know some people think it is, some don't. I have an emotional attachment to the issue in general. I was deployed twice to Iraq, once in Kirkuk and once to Baghdad before, and during the "surge". I know what it is like there and I know the environment. To say anything other than my emotions are still kind of clouding my honest judgement right now would be a lie. Sorry I can't answer better than that.
Quoting Scorpio359:
Quoting sweetie00:
i think they are probably too graphic. That is why he may have changed his mind. It's too bad that we stooped so low. Now we have a huge mess to clean up.
You are pathetic. Did you ever serve in the military in a war zone? You think you know it all because you watched Keith Olbermann the biggest loser of them all. His ratings are so low I am surprised he even gets paid.
Why do I need to have served to have known it is wrong? Even many, many troops know what they were TOLD to do was wrong. Torturing POW's is asking for them to torture us. You are pathetic for wanting that for our troops......Go on and watch FOX- if it helps you sleep at night.
Quoting Scorpio359:
Quoting itsmesteph11:
All I can give him credit for is knowing when to hang it up. I don't believe for a second it was his idea. Of course he will say it was but it was only a month ago when he said there would be no danger to our troops if this information and the pictures were published to all who cared to see them. Broadcasting our methods was bad enough so now we have no leverage on the battlefield if needed. All we needed was those pictures to come out. Now he has once again changed his mind on an important issue due to pressure from people who really know whats going on. We have a President who knows NOTHING about being a President. I'm sure he finally gave in because enough Generals told him he was crazy and public opinion is that these not be out for public viewing.
As for Torture, Pulling out fingernails is torture, breaking bones is torture but In my opinion waterboarding is not torture, putting a catterpillar in a box with a man is not torture and loud music is not torture. You do what you have to do to keep Americans safe. If you have anything half credible that the prisoner has info into a plan then you do what you have to to get the information.
Thank you for being smart and intelligent. Anyone in the military with any sense knows this would hurt our soldiers. People think they know everything because the liberal media told them so. They don't think for themselves anymore.
Holder to investigate....Holder
Fluffy AND Stupid
- rnjMOM
on May. 13, 2009 at 2:02 PM