In my opinion it is a horrible decision not to release the Bin Laden pictures

[thewiseguy]

So we were told that Bin Laden is dead. We got him! Got rid of the body quickly but hey we have got pictures. In fact the pictures show this and that. Some pretty disturbing details of those pictures were revealed, but at the end no pictures have been released and they are not even planning to do so.

Does the administration think the rest of the world is going to buy their story that Bin Laden is dead without releasing any evidence? Why not release the pictures now? Why drag this damn thing and then release the pictures after much criticism and inquiry? Can you tell me aside from a few jackasses who are loyal to Bin Laden who else is going to be upset by the release of these photos?

To me it seems like they are just trying to milk this story as much as they can and release the photos a bit later just to get a bigger boost from it. Just like how those Bin Laden tapes would appear on Al Jazeera when Bush needed to scare the public. Remember the 2004 elections...

[Solomon]

1. Can we at least wait until my wife gets back from Istanbul?

Your opinion is horrible, not the decision.

[GusBob]

2. In my opinion nothing this president does is ever right

to some people

[thereismore]

3. Aw shucks! You are so right. nt

[thewiseguy]

4. I thought his decision to go after Gaddafi was right

So spare me of that some people BS.

[GusBob]

10. Holy Fuck one base hit in 1000 at bats!

put him on your all star team

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. Of course it is.

Only the worthy get to see information.

You're not fit to judge.

[MineralMan]

6. There are pluses and minuses on both sides of a release.

Many would not believe bin Laden was dead even if the photos were released. Releasing the photos could conceivably increase tension and create more likelihood of attacks from remaining terrorists.

It's another tough call. I'm OK with letting the Obama administration make that call. I'm sure they're considering all aspects of the decision. They still have the photos and other information, which can be released at any time, if that proves to be the best choice at the time.

[GusBob]

7. delete wrong spot

somehow obama's fault

[kestrel91316]

8. Several hundred thousand moderate Muslims who DON'T currently hate us

enough to kill us might just change their minds if we show such bad taste and disrespect for a dead person as to flash their pics all around the world. They would rightfully see it as GLOATING.

Responsible adults don't gloat needlessly over the necessary killing of their enemies. It's not an elephant killed on a 1920 safari. It's a person.

Taking the high moral ground shows the world's Muslims that we are NOT like Bush and Cheney.

[EFerrari]

Using the moral high ground to suppress informaton

doesn't strike me as all that moral.

And "gloating" is contextual and that could be handled with a minimum of skill.

Whatever. It may be better that some time pass before those images get out. People are upset enough in one way or another as it is. But they will come out.

[EC]

21. How is it suppression?

We already KNOW about the raid and death, so what else do we need to know?

[EFerrari]

23. How do you know about the raid and the death? That's one question.

And then, there's that whole pesky "free flow of information" thing that democracies seem to find necessary.

I understand, though, that people are in no mood to sort through documents and photographs at the moment.

[EC]

26. Well, the wife and daughter that were THERE have

pretty much confirmed the released report. When there are so many people involved and reporting the same thing (but not word for word)it's usually the truth. There is a free flow of info, they are telling us what we want to know, so what's the point?

[EFerrari]

28. The government telling you what you want to know about its actions

is not a very high standard. But you're right about the accounts of the witnesses.

[EC]

31. It's a higher standard than listening

to conspiracy loons.

Do you also want the names of the Seals, since that is also part of the withheld info? Or do you believe that for safety some things should be withheld?

[EFerrari]

33. Conspiracy loons aren't the only ones who might be interested

in this material. Also historians, biographers, journalists, criminologists, all kinds of people.

[kestrel91316]

38. What "information" does a photo of a dead Bin Ladin contain that is

so essential for us all to see? Seriously.

[EFerrari]

40. Your field is science. Surely you can think of people

who'd be highly interested in those images and in addition to the public which might want to see them.

Do you remember the paperback edition of the Warren Report? That had at least one graphic image in it of the president after his assassination.

Simply because *you* have no interest in them, it doesn't follow that no one else does.

[BobbyBoring]

14. You know what??

That said, maybe they should have just whacked him and left it at that. Not say a fucking word. He was pretty much out of sight, out of mind anyway. With gas at 4 bucks $5.00 loafs of bread, and an impending collapse of our financial system, he was the last thing on my mind~

[Bragi]

22. Now that's interesting

Quickly, though, AQ and others presumably would learn that OBL was dead, and would have no reason to pretend he was alive if they learned this to be the case. So they'd put oput the story. Actually, that could still work.

[crickets]

32. +1

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WingDinger]

9. Wait till the theorists demand it. Then, release in October.

[Tarheel_Dem]

11. Unrec. (nt)

[Cleita]

12. What if they invite a select group of journalists

from around the world to view the photos and then report on it. I don't want to see his corpse. I just want to verify that the official story is the truth and frankly to shut up the naysayers and I'm one of them. If the journalists all see the same thing and write about it in their news media and if the stories mostly match (I know Fox News's story will be different), then I will be satisfied with the official story and so should everyone else be.

[Bragi]

19. Interesting idea. Worth considering. /nt

[GeorgeGist]

13. I don't think Mr. Cool ...

is really all that proud of his artwork.

[Zen Democrat]

15. I'm glad we're not releasing kill pictures of Bin Laden.

He's dead. To release pictures will further enhance his martyrdom. I'm satisfied that we won't be hearing from him again. The Bin Laden family is convinced.

[flamingdem]

16. Another EXCELLENT call by President Obama nt

[chillspike]

17. If Bin Laden is not dead

he'll let us know. Plus his daughter and wife claim they saw him killed. Ask them. We don't need pictures.

[Bragi]

18. A difficult decision: I'd favor transparency

Being death shots, no doubt these images aren't pretty. They will be inherently disturbing to view. But is there anything in or about the images that might create a false or less-than-accurate impression of what happened? Or is there anything that highlights something I'd prefer not to be forthcoming about?

And what about the chain of custody? Do I have absolute confidence that the people telling me that these are genuine are not mistaken?

Beyond what the photos show, and while I am hesitant to raise this matter again, I would also want to consider as context that there has already been a lot of re-writing of the official storyline going on with this event.

Might the photos if released confirm or discredit the current storyline? Similarly, might non-release confirm or discredit the administration?

Viewed from the vantage point of the administration, I think these are all valid considerations.

On balance, based on what I think I know, I would lean towards greater transparency and release the photos, unless there is a really compelling reason (as above) not to. I can imagine, however, a reasonable case being made not to do so.

[EC]

20. Bin Laden's daughter said in a statement that he was dead.

I'm guessing that will be enough to anyone that it would really matter to. The pictures would aid in recruitment, in showing how cruel we are, yada, yada, yada.

Your last sentence says it all...when BUSH needed to scare the public....Obama has used no such techniques and will not. His purpose is not to scare us. He's not doing it to MILK this, he's doing it to move on.


And to hell with the ghouls who need the pictures, their not important anyway.

[EFerrari]

24. People are freaking out over that story but it is valuable

as you point out.

[coalition_unwilling]

42. That's not all bin Laden's daughter said. You know that, right? - n/t

[EC]

43. Yes.

But she did confirm the death. The rest is really what would have been expected, isn't it? She'd want to make it an execution and would want to make him a martyr, wouldn't she?

[Bonhomme Richard]

25. I am glad that we are not pandering to the lowest common denominator

like we so often do in this country these days.

[EFerrari]

27. There is that. But in a way, we're still shaped by them

if the information is withheld to deprive them of it.

[kentuck]

29. Did you support trials for the terrorists in this country?

Or do you think it would have been too inflammatory?

[EFerrari]

35. When did we become so fragile that a trial might do us irreparable harm?

[librechik]

30. President Obama decided to let Wikileaks release the photo

apparently

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. Geneva Convention...

that is all I gotta say...

[Blue_In_AK]

37. In my opinion, it's a great decision not to release them.

It would only serve to enflame passions. People who don't choose to believe that Osama is dead would not be convinced by a photograph which they would no doubt say was photoshopped.

[Snoutport]

39. UNLESS...a group of highly decorated and respected Navy Seals are the one telling the story

The right does not like to call servicemen liars.

[undeterred]

41. "A few jackasses who are loyal to Bin Laden"

How about people who are already critical of US foreign policy in the middle east?