U.S. Wrestles with Decision Over Iraq Death Photos (Reuters)

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3144243

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials were debating whether to release graphic photos of the dead sons of Saddam Hussein to prove to Iraqis they were killed by American troops, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said on Wednesday.

"We are still weighing the decision," Wolfowitz said at a news conference. But he left little doubt Washington was leaning toward releasing the pictures.

"We are going to make sure the Iraqi people believe us at the end of the day," he said...

Wolfowitz said the United States might have to do something that makes people say "You are giving us all this shocking stuff -- why should our children have to see this on television?"

Another U.S. official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the photographs of Uday and Qusay were unlikely to be released on Wednesday, but "there are plans to do so."

"They are pretty bad," the official said of facial photographs he had seen of the two sons

"Standards are different for different regions of the world for television. In the United States, our standards for network television are more conservative than those in other places in the world. Specifically, the Arab world has no problem at all with showing very gruesome photos of human beings," the (defence)official said.

Somehow every time the administration "wrestles with" anything, somebody dies.

"In the United States, our standards for network television are more conservative than those in other places in the world."

It certainly hasn't been that conservative before. Television in the US...news and programming...is considered the most violent in the world.

As far back as Viet Nam we saw bodies and even live executions.

:shrug:

"Specifically, the Arab world has no problem at all with showing very gruesome photos of human beings," the (defence)official said."

:wtf:

Talk about arrogance! Is he inferring that the Arab world is so damn uncivilized that they have no moral standards? What the hell is he saying?

That statement infuriates me.

Wolfowitz said the United States might have to do something that makes people say "You are giving us all this shocking stuff -- why should our children have to see this on television?"

Nothing wrong with doing it. Something wrong with showing it.
Maybe if they showed it, people would be less enthusiastic about supporting it.

they wont release the photos, they will claim "we tried, but we got overruled. They were just too graphic".

Robert Fisk is very doubtful, so am i. The US has Saddam's sons dental records and DNA on file, riiiiiiiiiiiiiight :eyes:

Just like the statue pull-down FRAUD......another publicity stunt.

Just in time for the news