White House Won’t Release Detainee Photos; Thank the Lord!
Time to give credit where credit is due. I’m glad to see that Obama had the sense about him to reverse his original notion to release the detainee photos which would have caused greater damage to our nation, our troops, and our national security, on top of the CIA memo release:
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.
At least some of the polling data that is decent, such as the majority of Americans disagreeing with the photo release decision, is being listened to.
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.
I better see some of those “coexist” people and the liberals who protest every single aspect of war, protesting this and Obama. I don’t much care for hypocrites so I hope they stand true to their principles and are upset about the change of heart… I won’t hold my breath, although I think some of the true progressives will protest just about anything (code pink?)
Obama endorsed such openness during the campaign – and even released memos detailing interrogation practices critics call torture.
Obama has come nowhere near keeping his promise of transparency in the government. He has had several opportunities to do so, not just regarding national security items, and he has chosen the opposite.
All I can say is that I am pleased with this decision from his administration at least!
CrabbyCon, Just the recent press on this has been damaging to our troops and national security. I am glad to learn that this president has a “comfort zone” somewhere in his being related to our troops. Let’s pray that it expands and yes “Thank the Lord” for this reprieve.