ACLU Upset With Obama’s Reversal on Detainee Photos
Posted on May 13, 2009
For the first time in his presidency, Obama has actually made a smart decision.
President Obama met with White House counsel Greg Craig and other members of the White House counsel team last week and told them that he had second thoughts about the decision to hand over photographs of detainee abuse to the ACLU, per a judge’s order, and had changed his mind.
The president “believes their release would endanger our troops,” a White House official says, adding that the president “believes that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court.”
At the end of that meeting, the president directed Craig to object to the immediate release of the photos on those grounds. In an Oval Office meeting with Iraq Commander General Ray Odierno, the president told him of his decision to argue against the release of the photographs.The move is a complete 180. In a letter from the Justice Department to a federal judge on April 23, the Obama administration announced that the Pentagon would turn over 44 photographs showing detainee abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq during the Bush administration.
Of course, transparency to the point of stupidity advocates, the ACLU are very upset!
The Obama administration’s adoption of the stonewalling tactics and opaque policies of the Bush administration flies in the face of the president’s stated desire to restore the rule of law, to revive our moral standing in the world and to lead a transparent government. This decision is particularly disturbing given the Justice Department’s failure to initiate a criminal investigation of torture crimes under the Bush administration.
“It is true that these photos would be disturbing; the day we are no longer disturbed by such repugnant acts would be a sad one. In America, every fact and document gets known – whether now or years from now. And when these photos do see the light of day, the outrage will focus not only on the commission of torture by the Bush administration but on the Obama administration’s complicity in covering them up. Any outrage related to these photos should be due not to their release but to the very crimes depicted in them.
Yada, yada, yada…the ACLU whine that if we don’t release criminal photos to the media circus to circulate around the world, and enflame our enemies that we are not being patriotic. They are full of crap. I applaud the president’s first smart decision. The crimes can be dealt with and punished without a media frenzy.
What changed? The decision angered the military, which recalled the hysterics over the Abu Ghraib photos. Even Obama’s allies on the decision admitted that the release would damage security and put American troops in more danger, including John Kerry, who said they made great propaganda for our terrorist enemies. With the CIA already battling the White House after the release of the OLC memos, the last thing Obama needed was a war with the Pentagon.
In the end, this decision may not matter at all. You can count on the ACLU to pursue this all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court may uphold the lower court decision.
» Filed Under 1st Amendment, ACLU, Activist Judges, Iraq, Middle East, National Security, News, Patriotism, Politics As Usual, Stupidity, U.S. Constitution, War On Terror, military, terrorism
Trackback URL
Comments
3 Responses to “ACLU Upset With Obama’s Reversal on Detainee Photos”
Leave a Reply
What I’d like to know is how many other governments have “transparency” in their governments.
The ACLU started off with good intentions …back in the 20s. But now it’s just trying to hog as much spotlight as possible by opposing any sensible idea/action.
It seems that the ACLU (American Cult Liers United?!) can “dish it out”, but “can’t take the heat”, of the truth. They need to get past the sad, pity-party, of playing the “blame someone else” game, & have some integrity & move past “being the victim”. Oh, by the way if you don’t like what America is based on, founded on, & has stood for, then realize your choice to leave & go live in a country that fits your belief system.
As for releasing pictures, I wonder if anyone cares to see & be reminded of the haneous “torture” pictures of “9 1 1″, or maybe we Americans really NEED to see the horendous close-up pictures of the real brutality of that “torture”, to put into the true & proper perspective, of the ridiculous term, “the rights” of these terrorists!! I do not understand what kind of people, who call themselves “American”, could possibly care more about “waterboarding” or other necessary means to get information & prevent more terror upon fellow Americans, or innocent people in any country!! How completely sad to think about people in this country standing up for terrorists who have come to steal, kill, & destroy their very own “brothers & sisters, fathers & mothers, aunts & uncles, neighbors & friends”, fellow Americans.
I am sick of excuses, power games, money games, and most of all lies!!!!! Where did the high honor of being, honest & trustworthy, a person with high moral integrity, a person who gives & receives respect, & most of all, really CHOOSING to “DO the Right thing”, go?
Interesting isn’t it, all the talk & tearing apart of the Republican Party. Who is stirring the pot, who is continually pointing out “the problems” within the “party”? Too bad “the Democrats” really aren’t what they “used to be” either! No one seems to be talking about that, pointing out the facts of what “good ole Democrats” used to stand for & represent! (Before Jimmy Carter’s era.) He’s the guy that changed my Grandfather into a Rebublican! My Grandfather was the kind of man, & the kind of Democrat, anyone then & now would trust completely, & be proud to become like. So what happened to “them”, where did that kind of Democratic Party go?!
No wonder a great number of Americans are CHOOSING to STAND UP FOR the AMERICA, they so love, & have WORKED hard for, & have WORKED hard in. The “United States of America, In God We Trust”; “One Nation, Under God”, as it was written, that which we are based upon, IT IS TRUTH. Someone should take an honest & trustworthy pole/survey, to ask how many Americans, who did not attend the recent “Tea Party”, would have, if they could have. This would speak volumes to those in denial that this event was, of the people, by the people & for the people, & there is great strength & huge numbers of people behind it & in support of it’s message to our government!
What kind of a person, leading a nation established upon Christian beliefs, who “claims” to be a Christian, is afraid to stand up for “what he believes in” & CHOOSE to take the time to attend, his very own country’s National Day of Prayer?!…Possibly a person who doesn’t know for sure what he stands for, or isn’t clear what/who he believes in, or is so afraid of offending some other group, he isn’t secure & strong enough to “do the right thing”. Or, is he truely just a “puppet”, whose strings are tied to controlling money-men, calling the shots, that keep him “neutral” on unsafe issues, to save losses in approval ratings. BE BOLD, man, TAKE the reigns & LEAD! “If you don’t know what you stand for, you’ll fall for anything”!, wake-up, they’re making a fool out of you!
Let’s raise the flag, let’s raise the standard, let’s raise the truth! Let’s raise our children to be honest, trustworthy, respectful, faithful, responsible, productive, working, giving, citizens who are proud to be an American, & will CHOOSE to “DO the right thing”, throughout their life, while “passing the torch” on to future generations.