David Kurtz thinks Obama may be backtracking on the photo release because things aren't going so well in Afghanistan, and that is his pet project. That sounds about right to me. He's hell-bent on making a "success" of Afghanistan - after all, everybody squawking about Bush's Iraq debacle was shouting that we should have been taking on Afghanistan's Taliban all along - that Iraq was the "wrong" war - and Afghanistan the right one. He means to make a success of a war where Bush made a mess of one. It also fits in with the timing of McKiernan being dumped without much explanation and replaced by McChrystal.
WIIIAI is on that same theme…
I’d guess that the real reason here, besides a lot of whining from the military, is that some of the pictures are of abuse that occurred in Obama’s favorite war, Afghanistan, where information about detainee abuse at Bagram – indeed, any information about detainees in Bagram – has been kept relatively quiet – no Lynddie Englands with digital cameras.
Another likelihood is that he's making some deal(s) with GOP members of Congress - reversal of his support for photo release in return for support on something he wants from them.
Whatever the case, this turn of events is very bad form for Obama. But not his first "reversal" - which the media would be calling a "flip-flop" if it were on something they opposed - and I wouldn't expect it to be his last. All that sterling character he seemed to have is looking rather tarnished. Something about courage of convictions - he looks to have very little of either now that he's in the Oval Office.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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