so all that talk about transparency is government was just talk. DADT seems to be off the table, now fighting to keep abuse photos private. What's next, a ranch in Crawford?

It's bad. Those photo are really that bad, I think.

I understand tranparancy and all...full disclousure, but we've seen plenty of the pictures. What point is there in releasing more of the same?

We've seen a strong uptick in goodwill towards this country since the election. Why pick this scab now? I don't think they could be released without becoming a lurid media spectacle, and that really wouldn't serve us well.

The Obam administration isn't denying anything, or trying to dodge the issue. But I tend to agree that there is not alot of positives in releasing them. I don't need to look at more of that.

Sy Hersh says there's video of sodomizing Iraqi children from Abu Ghraib.

Obama is right. It will endanger our troops in the field.

So get them the fuck out of there. Today. Now. Pronto. Start up the engines. Now. Today. Immediately.

Or suffer the judgment of history, like your pathetic predecessor, Obama.

Lead, goddammit!

I am 100% for transparency and prosecution, if warranted, of those who planned the war crimes. That being said, I was uneasy with the pending release of these photos. We've already seen the first batch and it is unlikely that these will provide any new information, other than to just pour more gasoline on a fire.

The bigger point remains the same - torture was sanctioned, now what will be done about it?

As much as the shrill, single-minded types will fill the air with high-pitched screams on this, I think he made the right move. He's always been more about nuance than black and white interpretations of situations, and with them pouring more resources into Afghanistan, how could something that will inflame those being fought help the situation right now?

He knows the pictures would simply be used as propaganda by our enemies.

Every jihadi recruiting video would use them to evoke emotion in prospective soldiers so they would take up arms against US soldiers, embassies, etc.

He's learning certain things may look good on paper, but how they play out in real life is a whole other story.

It isn't the release of horrible photos which would endanger our personnel abroad. It was the decision to torture detainees in the first place which put our people at risk, which made the U.S. contemptible to others.

President Obama doesn't have the discretion to violate a court order to release photos. His DOJ may re-argue a motion, apply for a stay, or take an appeal of a decision requiring the U.S. to release the pictures. But he knows that he cannot decide on his own to ignore a court order. I assume his DOJ will make an appropriate request of the court so that his new position can be considered.

So let's see...we all KNOW the US tortured some prisoners. We all KNOW that several prisoners were "interrogated to death" while in our custody. Some were beaten to death.

This stuff is all a matter of public record. This is not controversial or anything. We've seen many photos already.

But they don't want to "endanger" our troops by releasing this stuff?

Newsflash: the Iraqis and Afghans (and the French, British, Russians, Israelis, etc etc etc) already KNOW we tortured people, murdered some of our prisoners, started a war on false pretenses, etc.

EVERYONE already knows this.

If the thinking is that troops will be at greater risk if we *remind* the world that we're a rogue state, it's pretty stupid.

No one has forgotten. None of our victims will EVER forget.

This is all about preventing the rabble from forcing the prosecution of the Bush Crime Family. If pictures of children being sodomized come out, even some Republicans will be calling for prosecution. Of course, no one from the elite political establishment can allow any other elites to be called to answer for their crimes, thus Obama is continuing the coverup. I really miss things like the rule of law and the Constitution.

Children in United States Custody being raped in order to protect us from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not nearly as acceptable as torture or murder as a result of torture.

Besides, releasing them would make one guilty of possessing and distributing child porn and anyone who viewed them would have to be prosecuted.

Who really wants to see children getting raped anyway?

Whoever they took the pictures for, that's who.

Give them all a free pass, it isn't like it was YOUR children being raped and tortured so why should any American care?

That is how low this country has sunk.

"We have liberated so many, who will liberate us?"

You do realize that statement is contradicted by the subject of post, right?

If they weren't trying to dodge the subject, there are many ways other than today's action that would be far more effective.

We've caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million Iraqis. We've cause the horrible burning and mutilation of untold more Iraqis. We've blown up wedding parties in Afghanistan and wiped out families with our drones in Pakistan, and the torture pictures from Gitmo and Abu Ghraib circulate through the Internet like pills through Rush Limbaugh's mouth. The world already hates our guts.

President Obama should reverse course and release the pictures. Doing so will show the world that we are brave enough to own up to our mistakes and crimes, and demonstrate our commitment to mend our ways.

On the other hand, continuing to hide them shows only that we are ashamed of our actions, but not yet ready to make amends. It makes us look even worse.

then maybe WE SHOULDN'T HAVE COMMITTED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

And maybe, since obviously there's no taking back past crimes, the only way to make things right and show good faith is to PROSECUTE THE WAR CRIMINALS.

I can see an argument for not releasing the photographs IF prosecutions--all the way up the chain of command--are going forward. But they're not. I'm afraid this is going another illustration of the tendency to "let bygones be bygones," at least for the everyone in the ruling elite.

So I hope the pictures come out, because they'll increase pressure to prosecute. The original crimes endanger the troops, not the revelation of those crimes.