President Obama Trying to Block Public Release of Abuse Photos

President Obama, in an unusual about-face, noted yesterday that his administration would attempt to block a court-ordered release of photos depicting U.S. troops abusing prisoners. Obama noted that the release of the photos might "further inflame anti-American opinion" and voiced further concern that it may place U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq in greater danger. Last month, the White House noted that it would not try to keep the photos from being released, but the reversal in positions apparently came about after U.S. commanders in the Middle East warned that the photos may incite greater violence in the region as the U.S. tries to scale back the Iraq war and focus more on fighting the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan.

"This is not a situation in which the Pentagon has concealed or sought to justify inappropriate action," Obama noted. "In fact, the most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and to put our troops in greater danger." The Pentagon has conducted many investigations into alleged abuse of prisoners by U.S. troops, including some connected with the controversial photos. White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs noted that releasing the photos would not solved any problems, but rather, "provide, in some ways, a sensationalistic portion of that investigation."

Obama went on to say, "I want to emphasize that these photos that were requested in this case are not particularly sensational, especially when compared to the painful images that we remember from Abu Ghraib." Not everyone was happy with Obama’s decision, however. ACLU attorney Amrit Singh, noted, "The decision to not release the photographs makes a mockery of President Obama's promise of transparency and accountability."