Obama Makes Terrible Mistake by Not Releasing Pictures

[BlueJessamine]

Obama Makes Terrible Mistake by Not Releasing Pictures

by Cenk Uygur

This is an unbelievable moment. Dick Cheney's PR offensive over the last month actually worked. Barack Obama just crumbled and will follow Cheney's command to not release the new set of detainee abuse pictures.

By the way, if you hadn't figured it out by now, that's why you saw every Cheney in the world on television arguing that torture works and that releasing more information would gravely harm the troops. They weren't worried about what was already released; they were worried about what was going to get released. They were trying to pre-empt the most damaging thing of all - the pictures that show the torture.

Just talk about torture doesn't really do it for the American people. But when they see pictures, they get it. That's why Bush had to apologize profusely and throw a few low-level soldiers under the bus when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out. You think there would have been anywhere near that level of controversy or accountability (such that it was) without the pictures?

How many Americans have heard of Bagram Air Base and how we tortured people to death there? A scant few. How many would have heard of it if there were pictures of detainees shackled from the ceiling in a Palestinian hanging or bleeding to death? Pictures are worth a billion words.

snip

Cenk: "Now, it looks to the rest of the world that we are trying to hide something, that we have not turned over a new leaf, that it is the same old lies and duplicity - and that Obama is on it."

And to add insult to injury, we have to reconcile ourselves to the fact that Dick Cheney still runs DC no matter how unpopular and despicable he is. He still has the Democrats eating out of his hand. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.

Daily Kos:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/13/731059/-Obama-Makes-Terrible-Mistake-by-Not-Releasing-Pictures


America Blog:
Obama reverses self on releasing detainee abuse photos after seeing them first-hand

From the Hill:

Today, Gibbs said that the President had not seen the photos in April when he made the original decision. Now he has.

"The president believes that the existence of the photos themselves doesn't actually add to the understanding that detainee abuse happened," Gibbs said, adding that the Pentagon is already reviewing interrogation practices for wrongdoing.

America Blog:
http://www.americ/ablog.com/2009/05/obama-reverses-self-on-releasing.html


The Hill:
http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/05/13/obama-reversed-photo-position-out-of-concern-for-troops-gibbs-says/

[Tutankhamun]

1. I hope someone leaks the photos.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. well, I was thinking the same thing - how long can they not be leaked?