Sounds like "a few bad apples" to me. Give me some hope, Obama. We shouldn't be harboring torturers.
Posted by ConorClockwise on 2009-05-13 21:03:27 +0000
The main problem with this problem is that it's considered not cool to blame past administrations. Obama can't simply call out "Hey Cheney and Bush knew about and condoned the torture and they are the small number who toatlly fucked it for the rest of us," (though Cheney said as much just this past weekend).
Obama is playing total politics here, but I don't see a couth way out.
I think Obama's made it pretty clear that torture was something we used to do. Supposedly, not releasing this (damning) information will help protect troops now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I don't buy it. One thing that separates America from the regimes we oppose is that we're open about our flaws. The torture photos should be released. I think our example of transparency is more powerful than an attempt to shield ourselves from more criticism.
It's bad policy, I'm disappointed.
Posted by MF DU on 2009-05-14 17:09:58 +0000
I am with TGL and Conor here - Release the torture photos! Maybe the bonus DVD could have some of those NYC buzz-by pics.
It's possible Obama the Chicago Pol is playing some variation on the Sicilian Gambit ("You wouldn't possibly switch the wine cups since you think I would have switched the wine cups! Unless...")
Ultimately, a court will decide whether these documents should be released. If so, the information still gets released, and Obama has shown he'll fight for the military. Interesting that the administration's reasoning is exactly the same as the previous one's, which has already lost in court.
Posted by G lib on 2009-05-14 20:06:31 +0000
The memos have been released.
But what's that image worth a thousand words crap? Do we want a Danish cartoon controversey on our hands. I, personally, am against releasing the photos.
Posted by TheFullCleveland on 2009-05-14 21:05:40 +0000
The thing is that you have a lot of words out there: waterboarding, restraining, prodding, whatever - and while to an extent these are descriptive, for many people it is so easy to say these things without actually coming face-to-face with what they are, or how people end up after experiencing these things. You have pundits saying, "So they prod them a little. We're worried about people being prodded when our country is at war?!?!?!" These photos need to be released. Words in memos are not enough, and cannot effectively combat the rhetoric of the pro-torture brigade. Also, I don't think the US can put this behind itself if it continues to keep this stuff under wraps.
The administration might be more worried about domestic reaction to the photos rather than foreign reaction. The calls for a truth commission or prosecutions will only grow louder. Obama seems determined to avoid that path, unfortunately.