Chief ACLU Lawyer: Obama broke his word

[TeamJordan23]

Obama Broke His Word On Detainee Photos: Chief ACLU Lawyer

The lawyer pushing for the release of photographs showing the harsh treatment of suspected terrorist detainees said President Barack Obama was backtracking on his word and commitment to transparency by reversing course and objecting to the release of those photos.

Jameel Jaffer, a chief litigator for the American Civil Liberties Union National Security Project, described Obama's reversal as "very disappointing" during an interview with Fox News.

"It is inconsistent not only with commitments the Obama administration has made to us and to the courts but inconsistent with the promise of transparency that President Obama has repeated so many times," he said.

Jaffer, who has filed suit for the release of these photographs under concerns over civil liberty violations and possible detainee abuse, noted that the Obama White House still had a steep hill to climb in its efforts to suppress the release of the photos. Jaffer has won his case in the district court in New York as well as a three-judge appeals court. The Bush Administration, towards the end of its term, asked the full Second Circuit Appeals Court to review the matter. They refused to do so.

"At this point," Jaffer said, "the burden is on the government because there is a court order that requires them to release these photos. So they are either going to have to seek Supreme Court review or come up with some creative strategy to get yet another hearing below the lower courts."

"These photographs are critical to the historical record so it is very disappointing... that the administration is going to try and suppress them," he added.

The President announced that he would oppose the release of the detainee photos on Wednesday after what spokesman Robert Gibbs described as a long process of determining what was the best course of action. The president, he added, was concerned about the impact such photos could have on U.S. Armed Forces. A White House aide sent this explanation for the decision on condition of anonymity.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/13/obama-broke-his-word-on-d_n_203065.html

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Oh what does he know. He just hates the troops.

:eyes:

[MADem]

2. And Fox News was no doubt thrilled to get this opinion from this guy. NT

[RandomThoughts]

3. for the long run, they should be released.

for the short run they might only hurt.

They are important for history

But they will stoke negative things.

It is one of those things that if things can still move forward, then they are added after things are less immediate it might be better. But if they are needed for people to understand what happened, then that makes it different.

Tough question for sure.

[Thrill]

4. I see no point in releasing them. Serves no purpose.

But the ACLU's vendetta against Bush.

[cascadiance]

7. Vendetta? Hardly! Pursuit of JUSTICE for the Bush Administration. Constitution REQUIRES it!

[opihimoimoi]

5. NIT PICKER.....small moot shit compared to saving the Nation/Planet

Obama is focused on big shit

[madfloridian]

6. ACLU has really worked hard on this FOIA release.

Now it is no longer a freedom of information release.

Remember how the DNC filed because they could not get access about white house visitors?

They eventually got a little.

[leftofthedial]

8. The ACLU are obviously Obama haters who wanted McCain to win

and prefer Rush Limbaugh to Colin Bowell too.



I'm beyond fed up with the Obama apologists rationalizing everything he does.

[depakid]

9. Cheney must be laughing to himself

and at the rest of us.

[Ninga]

10. Of course he is. The Democrats always find a way to fuck up and implode. Don't show the damn

photos I say.

Just prosecute the damn bastards.

No egg on the face, please.