Obama u-turns on prisoner abuse photographs and military trials

As candidate Barack Obama was pledged to release photographs of abuse of prisoners by the military and to end the mililtary commissions that George W Bush established to try the inmates of Guantanamo Bay.

In recent days President Obama has reversed both of those positions.

He has decided that the release of abuse photographs will only risk inflaming opinion towards America and towards US forces in particular.  He has also reluctantly decided that military commissions - with reform - are the only effective way of trying prisoners who were captured in theatres of war.

Rich Lowry of National Review welcomes the White House's double shift:

"To the extent Guantanamo Bay has stoked terrorist recruitment, it probably has more to do with the photos of the facility from its earliest days — with captives bound, in orange jumpsuits — than anything that happened there. The most infamous photo from Abu Ghraib — of a man with a black hood over his head, his arms outstretched — has negatively branded the War on Terror for millions, no matter how sincerely we hope to protect Muslims from the depredations of the vile murderers in their midst. Obama isn’t going to subject us to another self-inflicted disaster in the information war. At least not yet. If he wants to keep the photos permanently under wraps — and show he’s truly willing to buck the loudest faction in his own coalition — he can’t rely on the courts, where he’s now appealing the decision to release them. He’ll have to issue an executive order exempting the photos from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act."

Comments

[Tony Makara]

The great danger with a populist and opinion conscious president is that he will always be open to suggestion. Clearly Obama has now been convinved by others that it is right to defend the nations reputation over human rights abuses. However this is the wrong decision. Where abuses have occured Obama must come clean so that justice can be done and America's reputation restored.

One can only assume that the material at hand is equal to, or even worse, than the shocking images released previously. Nontheless, America's reputation is not best served by sweeping its wrongdoings under the carpet. President Obama must release the material, especially before any of the material finds its way into the hand of others who will publish.

[Magnetic Cash Gifting]

2 shockers in about as many days. First the refusal to release the terror photos and now this.

Extreme individuals need to be brought to justice by any means necessary. The freedom which is afforded to all law-abiding citizens is a product of doing what might not be popular but what is right for the U.S. and its interests. If the ACLU attorneys always had their way we would live in anarchy. A nation of people with their own individually-decreed laws.

Congrats Mr. President. You went 2 for 2 this week :)

Ryan

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[Frogg, USA]

The individuals who committed crimes have alredy been prosecuted and punished (the photos were evidence used in those cases). No good is served by releasing the photos at this time. Obama made the right decision.