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Photo Finish

Obama administration policy:

  • Revoke the ban on photos of coffins of America’s dead soldiers.
  • Withhold photos of the dead Osama bin Laden.

New on The Corner. . .


COMMENTS   26

EXPAND  

   05/05/11 08:08

Don't forget WANTING to release new Abu Graib pics until DoD begged him not to.

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Allajn
   05/05/11 08:09

What is your point? Both are the right call.

It allows Americans to properly mourn its fallen heros while depriving the terrorists of that privilege.

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Interested Observer
   05/05/11 08:12

My question is this - do you need to see those photos, or do you simply think others might need to? Me, I trust the Seals, the military men in the situation room, if not the President when they all say bin Laden is dead.

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   05/05/11 08:22

Sloppy thinking.

How about publishing pictures of dead American soldiers as they died in full blood and guts?

Get the picture?

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 RTP
   05/05/11 08:27

Sloppy thinking.

How about acknowledging there is a difference in how you treat an honorable person and a stain on humanity?

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   05/05/11 08:28

Frank1914 - Good job equating American soldiers with the most despised terrorist in world history.

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   05/05/11 08:44

Ahhhhhhhhh. Don't you just love the smell of hypocrisy in the morning?

Not.

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   Jason
   05/05/11 09:04

This is just sour grapes because a Democratic president killed Bin Laden and Bush didn't. If he released the photos you'd be complaining about that.

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luvpolitics1
   05/05/11 09:06

Your whole post Mr. Miller dont make sense....If the family dont want a picture taken of the coffin....the military will not take one....Case closed

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   05/05/11 09:07

Maybe he needs to sleep on this. Take another 16 hours to make a decision.

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   05/05/11 09:12

So "a Democratic president killed bin Laden and Bush didn't", eh?

Now I see what that extra icon must signify. Surely glad I don't have one.

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g8tr72
   05/05/11 09:12

Normally I agree with Mr Miller. But in this case I do not think the comparison to the coffin photos of our fallen heroes is valid. Bad analogy.

Why is it that our nation is always worried about offending the Muslims? What about the sensitivities of the 911 families?

One 911 image that I will never forget is the dead body of Chaplain Judge, killed at GZ by the body of a jumper, being carried from the rubble. There were no worries or concerns about his family's reaction. He was killed at the hand of OBL.

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   05/05/11 09:14

What if both things are the wrong decision? One mistake doesn't justify another one.

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   05/05/11 09:22

The word of the SEAL team would have been good enough for me.

So why did we even take the picture?

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Ben Murphy
   05/05/11 09:25

Wow, the haters are out this morning.

The ban on solderis' coffins isn't necessary now, because the press won't be using them (in the most despicable sense of the word 'use') in their political agenda of attacking a Republican president. The previous commenters won't be able to give an example of the press using military coffins to smear a Democrat president the way they did Bush.

So far as releasing the bin laden photos, we saw Saddam Hussein's sons' photos and we saw (unauthorized) video of Saddam on the rope. I saw video of people jumping to their deaths off the Twin Towers. It wasn't pleasant, but it was a fact of life. bin laden's death will be used to whip up anti-Western hatred with or without the photos, so show the photos so the people of the world can see for themselves and not be forced to "take our word for it." It is simply another example of showing disrespect for people this administration thinks are 'below' them: that's the common citizen, including you commentors who are defending them.

This is yet another example of the Orwellian tactics of the current administration. Say you'll be "the most transparent administration in history," but then hide your college records/theses, let your birth certificate become an issue for years, have huge gaps in the White House visitors records, and then say you killed bin laden but don't be honorable enough to show the proof.

I believe 100% bin laden is dead; I also think the decision not to show the photos is based in some political agenda, like keeping the birth certificate under wraps so they can use the few disbelievers to smear everyone who opposes them.

That's the kind of behavior expected of 'leaders' in banana republics, and every week this set of slimeballs give more proof that their thinking and attitudes belong in such a tin-pot country, not the United States.

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Ben Murphy
   05/05/11 09:40

Jason-it's not sour grapes over a Dem president signing off on a plan that was brought to him by the experts. It is dissatisfaction with less-than open behavior on the part of that Democrat.

In America, the citizens are allowed to see such things; we aren't expected to simply believe what we're told.

And the pres. didn't kill bin laden. SEALS did. All he did was sign the form to say 'go' when the plan was being devised by others.

I guess that's a major difference between ideologues and people based in the real world. We don't have to wallow in delusional rhetoric to build up fictional heroes to worship.

So no, he didn't kill anyone... except those who will be denied healthcare services that they need due to cost-benefit tables under his signature law, starting in just a couple years. And that could be you as well as me, buddy.

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   05/05/11 09:58

Ben Murphy has pretty much nailed this issue in his two posts.

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   05/05/11 10:02

Re: Ben Murphy - give that man a gold star.

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   05/05/11 10:23

Agreed, Mr. Murphy hit it perfectly.

In a nation built on freedom of speech, we don't hide things because they 'might offend' others.

Besides, is showing his corpse going to make the jihadists *more* determined to kill us? somehow I don't think not showing him is lessening their hatred.

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   05/05/11 10:36

Wow. Thank you Mr. Murphy

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