Obama To Oppose Release Of Detainee Abuse Photos

It seems that Obama has reversed course on this highly controversial issue; could this be because Obama tunes in to Lost Causes on his Blackberry? Doubtful, as I believe the readership for this blog is still at depressingly low numbers (tell your friends). I'd bet that google searches for Yasser Arafat nude gets more hits than this blog. That's gross but probably true.

Anyway, as I mentioned above I wrote about this issue when it initially broke. Many of the usual suspects (I thought I could find a link to a Glenn Greenwald post, but I couldn't), took a stance that seemed to defend the administration's backing of the ruling, as if it would allow us to wash our hands of these aberrations and not suffer a serious PR hit in the Arab/Muslim world or in the world in general. That's craziness. It seems Obama was a little busy stuffing McChange (thanks Ramesh Ponnuru) into his mouth that he forgot to chew, and now that he has had a taste it's become apparent that it is a seriously dumb and dangerous idea.

As I wrote in my earlier post, this is a situation where the costs alone exceeds the benefits, but there is an additional risk element (hostility directed towards our troops, further recruitment for terrorist groups, terrorist attacks, and a host of others) that tips the scales off the table. I hope that we don't come this close to as dangerous a mistake again with this administration, otherwise it will be a long four years (I think it will be anyway).

Foolish idea, glad to see it hit the paper shredder.

It will be interesting to see the fallout from this, which I think may force people to reconsider some of their harsh and unending criticism of the Bush Administration's policies. Obama, to his credit, realizes the importance of continuing some of the policies that arose in a post-9/11 government. While he campaigned as the anti-Bush, which his admirers lapped up lovingly, he has thankfully not governed in a way that is consistent with this rhetoric, yet. I'm sure much of this is due to the fact that what his supporters on the left wanted to hear him say (and what he has heretofore refused to do) is largely impossible if the best interests of the country-and not politics-are paramount.

Bush FTW!!