Obama Angers ACLU

Source: U.S.News

In what media reports are broadly describing as an about-face, President Obama announced yesterday that he will fight the release of photos allegedly showing US soldiers abusing detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. The story generated coverage in all three network newscasts including the lead in two of them and earned front-page headlines in major newspapers. The ACLU and other groups are reported to be furious over the President's decision, but the overall tone of the coverage with some exceptions is more analytical that it is critical. On ABC World News, for example, George Stephanopoulos said: "The White House argues that first of all, the President did realize he could make new legal arguments. The second is, these commanders came in hard on the President. Gen. Odierno in Iraq, Gen. McKiernan in Afghanistan, Gen. Petraeus, and they said, you are harming our troops. The President was convinced by this argument."

NBC Nightly News said Obama's "reversal" was caused by "the concerns of US military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan," who "warned the pictures could spark renewed attacks on US forces." The Politico, however, reports "legal experts are scoffing at the White House's chances of persuading the courts to consider new arguments against the release of photos of abused detainees, though a legislative fix under discussion in Congress might give...Obama the leeway he's seeking to keep the pictures secret."

McClatchy notes that "the timing of the president's decision suggests that a key factor behind his switch of position could have been a desire to prevent the release of the photos before a speech that he's to give June 4 in Egypt aimed at convincing the world's Muslims that the United States isn't at war with them." The AP says that "Obama, realizing how high emotions run on detainee treatment during the Bush administration and now, made it a point to personally explain his change of heart, stopping to address TV cameras late in the day as he left the White House for a flight to Arizona."

ABC World News added that "last week, the President told White House Council Greg Craig to prepare new legal arguments that releasing the photographs would harm national security -- an about-face that devastated officials of the ACLU, who thought they had an ally in the White House on issues of transparency about detainee abuse and torture." USA Today says "Obama's reversal puts him in step with some Republicans. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., sent kudos via Twitter. 'Strongly agree,' he said."


Read more: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_090514.htm

:thumbsup: :hi:

:fistbump:

I sent my donation yesterday...they can thank the bullcrap from Obama for the large amount of money they got from me on this last donation.

They are on the correct side of this issue ~~ Obama is on the wrong side. Anytime Mitch and Lindsay line up with a position, simple logic tells us all it is the WRONG decision. IMO, Obama needs to look around and see who is lined up on his side of this controversy. Hint...

JMHO

All that Cheney the Dick talk on all the corporate medias finally did what it was suppose to do. Stop Obama from releasing evidence of Cheney's crimes. Good job FOX, ABC, NBC, AP and all you other corporate whores. This con job was about as good as convincing millions of Americans to back an illegal war in Iraq over imaginary WMDs.

By the way -- Lindsay Graham called. He wants his logic back.

They torture suspects. The speech must be for our consumption and not Egypt's.

Aren't they? I expect the torture apologists will show up to tell you that soon enough.