Instapundit links to a post from a blogger Greyhawk who has some useful scorn for “60 Minutes’” posturing over the torture photos. This was not sleuthed-out by “60 Minutes” it was already being investigated by the army.
I agree with everything Greyhawk says, but I would add something. Whoever leaked these pictures to the press was not doing anybody any favors. Since the case was already being handled, the release of these pictures did more harm than good. I don’t blame 60 Minutes for running them — though I don’t applaud them either. But a person would/could be morally obligated to leak these pictures if the army was covering it up or refusing to investigate. It doesn’t sound like that was the case. So releasing the photos isn’t prodding the government to do the right thing, it’s encouraging millions of Arabs to hate us. That’s not whistle-blowing, that’s sabotage.
Indeed, recall that what happened to the Belgian peacekeepers in Rwanda was censored because to reveal the full story — it was believed — would cause more harm than good. I don’t know about that decision. But someone will need to explain to me why releasing these pics now — as opposed to a year from now — didn’t do more harm than good.