ACLU: "Obama administration is making itself complicit in Bush administration's torture policies"

[Better Believe It]

Obama reverses course on alleged prison abuse photos
From Ed Hornick
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama said Wednesday that he told government lawyers to object to a court-ordered release of additional images showing alleged abuse of detainees because the release could affect the safety of U.S. troops and "inflame anti-American opinion."

The release was ordered in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. It followed Obama's decision to release Bush-era CIA documents showing that the United States used techniques like waterboarding, considered torture by the current administration.

Amrit Singh, an attorney with the ACLU, said the president's decision "makes a mockery" of his promise of transparency and accountability.

"Essentially, by withholding these photographs from public view, the Obama administration is making itself complicit in the Bush administration's torture policies," Singh said. "The release of these photos is absolutely essential for ensuring that justice was done ... for ensuring that the public could hold its government accountable, and for ensuring that torture is not conducted in the future in the name of the American people."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who sent a letter in March urging the president to hold off on releasing the photos, also weighed in on the president's decision.

The president "took to heart the idea it might do more harm than good," the South Carolina Republican said. "I don't know what the court will eventually do, but the troops need their commander in chief standing up for them, because the people that will be affected by the release of these photos have done no wrong."

Please read the complete article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/12/prisoner.photos/index.html

[GarbagemanLB]

1. I'll take the lives of soldiers any day over this bullshit. The perpetrators in the photos

have been punished and there is no 'cover-up'.



Blind ideologues on the left and right ftl.

[ZombieHorde]

2. What evidence do you have that additional soldiers will die if those photos are released?

They are already being bombed and shot at.

[Better Believe It]

5. How many soldiers have lost their lives in vain for wars based upon a mountain of lies?

And you think a few more GI's might die because of photo's?

So you want to put all of the blame on the rank and file soldiers who carried out the commands by higher-ups to torture while leaving the architects and promoters of torture off the hook because "there is no cover up".

Sure there isn't.

[choie]

20. and how do you know they have been punished?

we're not talking about Lyndie Englund and her co-horts. these are others. and the true perpetrators just left office - with no charges against them.

[traxster]

23. I agree. Releasing these photos make it about the soldiers, not the policy that perpetuated it...

We need to keep our eye on the ball. Its about the policy.

[Purveyor]

3. "President's decision "makes a mockery" of his promise of transparency and accountability"...

Indeed!

[Thrill]

4. Oh stop this nonsense. The ACLU has no concern but for feeding its vendetta against Bush.

.

[ZombieHorde]

6. Do you have any evidence for this claim? nt

[Better Believe It]

7. Oh you think the ACLU is picking on poor old Dubya?

Makes me shed a tear.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

8. Bullshit, if you agree with not releasing the photos is one thing. But there's no need

for this nonsense. They went after the bush administration because it was a fucking criminal enterprise. The have also defended that pig Limbaugh when they thought it was necessary because of doctor/patient privacy issues (which I did not agree with.).

[madfloridian]

10. The ACLU is right on this. It is a FOIA..freedom of information request.

If Obama can stop one, he can stop all of them. Bush did the same thing.

If there is to be a fight on this we are on the side of the ACLU.

[choie]

18. so? they should have a vendetta against Bush

and so should we. There's nothing wrong with wanting justice against a serial killer.

[totodeinhere]

34. Good for them. That's a great attitude to have. n/t

[blueclown]

9. Obama is really no better than the Bush administration if he refuses to release these photos.

By refusing to release these photos, he is complicit in their crimes.

[wileedog]

13. That's utter bullshit

"The Obama official said the president believes that the actions depicted in the photos should not be excused and fully supports the investigations, prison sentences, discharges and other punitive measures that have resulted from them. But the president does not believe that so publicizing the actions in such a graphic way would be helpful."

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,189793...

YOU don't need to see the photos for those guilty to be punished. And there are no new crimes here, these are photos that were used in already concluded investigations.

There is no cover up here, no complicity. Just you and the ACLU don't get to howl and rage over a prosecution of Bush that is never going to happen.

[blueclown]

15. That's kind of hypocritical, isn't it?

The President agrees that the photos are clear cut evidence of crimes committed by the Boosh administration, yet he won't let We the People see the photos?

So much for a government "by the people, for the people" as the President promised, huh? What ever happened to Obama's promise of transparency?

[wileedog]

21. The crimes have ALREADY been prosecuted

They have gone as far as they are going to go. There are no further investigations that are going to stem from releasing them.

The "transparency" argument is a strawman - You CAN'T COVER UP A CRIME THAT HAS ALREADY GONE TO COURT AND BEEN PROSECUTED.

Why do you need to see the evidence after the fact? Especially when it jeapordizes everything else we are trying to accomplish in ME?

[blueclown]

22. Since when have Cheney and Bush been prosecuted?

Or even Rummy, Gonzalez or Yoo?

When have these criminals ever been prosecuted?

What are we trying to accomplish in the Middle East? And what does it have to do with the general public at home knowing the truth?

[wileedog]

25. What does that have to do with these photos?

Do you think there is a shot of Cheny with a branding iron in there? Condi with a whip and leather hood?

Prosecuting the previous administration is a COMPLETELY seperate issue to publishing these photos.

If Obama planned on going after Bush he would have and can still easily do so with the evidence he already has. Hell they admit to waterboarding repeatedly. Publishing these pictures is completely irrelevant to that.

Unless you think that some massive popular groundswell is going to rise up and demand we prosecute Bush just because these are pasted all over the media. And to that I say you are delusional. Again, if memos about waterboarding and the original shock of Abu Ghraib didn't do it, certainly some of the same kind of pictures that people have already seen is not.

And its a selfish reason to jeapordize troops.

As for the ME, Obama has a historic outreach speech in Egypt scheduled next month. Is this really the best time to graphically remind everyone we have been beating up Muslims pretty regularly until the past several months? For no real tangible gain at all?

[Windy]

27. Its not We the People that he is worried about with regard to handling what is depicted.

Its those that have guns pointed at our soldiers and Americans abroad who are easier targets for those who would be incensed and will not believe that we have ceased these practices. The soldiers would get the blame, not the real perpetrators.

[Uzybone]

17. What a dumb statement

Obama = Bush is rearing its ugly head on DU again.

[blueclown]

19. Well, maybe the President should stop acting like Boosh.

And excusing his crimes.

[madfloridian]

11. Hubby and I have decided to donate again today to the ACLU.

We do regularly now since we stopped most of our political deductions since they shut Dean out.

Heading there now.

[jefferson_dem]

12. I loves me my ACLU.

Signed,
Dues Paying Member.

That being said...Well played, Mr. President.

[vaberella]

24. What do you mean JD? n/t

[jefferson_dem]

30. I adore the ACLU...

having been a dues paying member since I was 16 year old. They are the nation's moral compass with regards to civil libertarian issue. I'm thrilled to see them standing strong on this as they always do.

On the other hand, the President is doing what presidents do - acting on the best interests of the nation, given the current circumstances. He's also a super-shrewd politico. If/when these disgusting images come out (I hope they do), they won't have his fingerprints on them. In the meantime, he's the reasonable, pragmatist...

[vaberella]

32. Huh...Post #28 said the exact same thing.

I hate when I think this slow. I should have known. He's brilliant isn't he?! Because they will come out.

[blitzburgh55]

14. Obama is doing this right.

Just like he was when he said no to the investigations. Let the public be outraged and someone else will get the truth out. It makes Obama look good and keeps the nutzis off of his back.

Could you imagine the right wing outrage? "Obama hates the troops, he's putting them in harms way by releasing the photos." blah, blah.

Obama is playing this right, let it work out why he fixes the rest of bush's mess.

[vaberella]

26. Good point...because it is allowed to be released. But he pays no price in it...

Huh...and it gives him open ground to release the redacted work. Right wingers will still go crazy b/c they'd be released. Huh...Huh...I hate when he thinks faster than me.

[asphalt.jungle]

28. even Ms Graham either knowingly or unknowingly acknowledged the president's line of thinking

"I don't know what the court will eventually do, but the troops need their commander in chief standing up for them, because the people that will be affected by the release of these photos have done no wrong."

this was a political softball. i would be worried if he couldn't knock these out of the park considering the major fights up ahead.

he makes no decision on the eventual release of these photos, but he damn sure proved to the troops on the ground that he has their back. when the courts ultimately rule again to release these photos it would take a massive wingnut pr campaign to make it obama's fault and label him as a hater of the troops and with the attention today's decision is getting that won't happen. the wingnuts wanted him to trip on this.

[Better Believe It]

29. So the GI's will think that President Obama is standing up for those soldiers who engaged in abuse

and that's good.

Ya .... he's got their back. Wonderful.

How about bringing them home to demonstrate his support of the troops and their loved ones?

[vaberella]

31. You're a shit stirrer...seriously. ~sigh~ n/t

[vaberella]

35. His brain moves faster than mine.

Thanks for that info. You're not the only one saying it. He's basically inoculated himself from any negative publicity in the long run. Plus the left will eventually get a clue after everything is done and the redacted info comes out. Wow.

[depakid]

16. Yes, it certainly is- and its losing both the PR battle and the moral high ground

[DU GrovelBot]

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