Carter Disagrees With Obama’s Decision to Block Detainee Photos

Note to readers:

I’ve been neglecting Katalusis lately as I’ve been distracted by a failed automobile and the necessity to complete several freelance writing projects. I know: excuses, excuses…

First the car. Rust overcame my old Mercury Topaz, and it was no longer safe to drive, so it’s destined for the scrap heap. The car search took awhile, but I’m now the owner of a used, dark green Honda Civic coupe that’s even fun to drive to the supermarket a few miles away.

As for the freelance writing projects, they require interviews, research, and a very different style of writing than that required by posting at Katalusis.

In the meantime, I’ve only glanced briefly at the headlines, shuddering at the murder of Dr. Tiller in Wichita, Dick Cheney’s repeated defense of waterboarding, and reading more descriptions of the yet-to-be released photos of detainee abuse, which brings me to this evening’s post featuring former president Jimmy Carter.

The Huffington Post reports:

In an interview with CNN's Campbell Brown, former president Jimmy Carter said he disagreed with President Obama's decision to oppose the release of photos depicting detainee torture. " I don't have the responsibility to deal with the consequences, but I think ... most of his supporters were hoping that he would be much more open in the revelation of what we've done in the past."

Campbell Brown: Weigh in if you will on the torture debate, what about prosecuting Bush administration officials who approved waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics. You know, there's a real split in your party about this issue. What do you think?

Former President Carter: Well, I think prosecuting is too strong a word, what I would like to see is a complete examination of what did happen, the identification of any perpetrators of crimes against our own laws or against international law and then after all that's done, decide whether or not there should be any prosecutions. But the revelation of what did happen is what I think I would support.

Read more:

Images of Rape and Sexual Assault Among Torture Photos Obama Won’t Release

As shocked as most of us were when the initial batch of torture photos from Abu Ghraib surfaced, those the Obama regime is refusing to release are even worse according to recently published descriptions.

The Daily Telegraph states that Retired Major Gen. Antonio Taguba agrees with Obama that the remaining torture photos should not be released arguing that "The mere description of these pictures is horrendous enough, take my word for it."

If the descriptions from the Daily Telegraph below are accurate, one has to wonder how on earth Obama can claim his people are too busy to even investigate the complicity of Bush Administration officials in crimes against humanity:

Duncan Gardham and Paul Cruikshank report:

At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.

Another apparently shows a female prisoner having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.

Detail of the content emerged from Major General Antonio Taguba, the former army officer who conducted an inquiry into the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq.

Allegations of rape and abuse were included in his {Taguba’s} 2004 report but the fact there were photographs was never revealed. He has now confirmed their existence in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and the Likability Factor

In yesterday’s post at Katalusis, I mentioned how Barack Obama is steadily morphing into George W. Bush. Neither Bush, nor Obama was qualified for the presidency and both men attempted to compensate for their deficiencies by picking high profile advisors. Lacking the experience and gravitas necessary to overrule the likes of Rove, Rumsfeld, and Cheney, the likable Bush made one serious mistake after another during his eight-year tenure.


As the Obama spin machine has it, their even more likable guy’s supreme confidence enabled him to appoint strong advisors when it was apparent he was trying to shore up his areas of weakness. Anyone who watched the debates in the Democratic primary knew that Hillary Clinton ran circles around Obama on foreign policy issues, but it’s not Secretary of State Clinton who is now leading our new president astray.


His advisors on the economic front aren't helping much in this worldwide financial crisis. But in foreign policy, it looks like the generals are intimidating Obama on security matters such as prolonging the Iraq War and releasing the torture photos. And don’t expect Obama to stand tall in dealing with the tough be-medalled guys anytime soon.


Tom Ricks at ForeignPolicy.com writes:

I am told that General Odierno's objections to the timing of the release of a new round of photos of detainees being abused in Iraq were decisive to President Obama's decision Wednesday to reverse himself and decide against the release of those photos.

I am surprised by Obama's reversal. I wasn't so taken aback in February when he went along with his generals and abandoned his campaign promise to withdraw a brigade a month from Iraq this year, and instead endorsed a plan that kept troop levels there pretty steady this year. But to get rolled twice -- well, he must think he is running up some pretty big chits with them. I know he is trying to do the right thing but at some point he is going to have to say, My way or the highway.

Has anyone else noticed that Obama has begun to emulate Dubya’s – “In Texas we call that walking” – swagger?