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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Detainee photo battle likely over

Posted: Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:50 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Pete Williams
A bill signed into law by President Obama today gives the federal government new authority to withhold photos of detainees who may have been subjected to abuse by their U.S. captors.

After first agreeing to release them, Obama reversed himself earlier this year and directed the Justice Department to seek court rulings that would allow the government to withhold them. They were sought in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The pictures, several dozen, were taken during investigations into prisoner abuse in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Obama said releasing the pictures would "further inflame anti-American opinion" and would "put our troops in greater danger."

A Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, signed today, gives the Defense Department new grounds to exempt them from release under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Justice Department has been urging the Supreme Court to wait until Congress finished acting on the issue before deciding whether to take up the case. It now seems likely that today's action will put an end to the issue, making it unnecessary for the court to hear the case.

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Too hot for Holder to handle, and Obie is terrified by his eroding support.
Obama treats terrorists better then he treats Fox News.
Yet one more HUGE disappointment from Obama!! It seems like I’m getting one a day!! This is something Bush would do!! I’m truly disgusted!!

Obama ran on transparency; Obama ran on a strong belief and promise that such photos should, and would, be released!! In fact, he stated Americans were entitled to see what their government was doing under the “Freedom of Information Act.”
“President Obama on Wednesday signed a $680 billion defense appropriations bill, which will pay for military operations in the 2010 fiscal year. The bill includes a Taliban reintegration provision under the Commander's Emergency Response Program, which is now receiving $1.3 billion. CERP funding also is intended for humanitarian relief and reconstruction projects at commanders' discretion.”

This is absolutely sickening!! History has proven over and over again that you cannot pay off these people!! Iraq was completely different; the Iraqis were sick of Al-Qaeda destroying their country and murdering its citizens; Al-Qaeda were foreigners in their country!! What’s next? Give them weapons, too, like Reagan Give them weapons, too, like Reagan did with bin Laden and the Mujahedeen?  

Some here will blast me; however, I just don’t care!! I don't want to hear "but circumstances change" - no, laws do NOT change!! And by signing this Bill in liue of bringing our men and women home as promised by the president, this war, and future loss of life, is now on President Obama!!

It’s truly disgusting!!
Yet one more HUGE disappointment from Obama!! It seems like I’m getting one a day!! This is something Bush would do!! I’m truly disgusted!!

Obama ran on transparency; Obama ran on a strong belief and promise that such photos should, and would, be released!! In fact, he stated Americans were entitled to see what their government was doing under the “Freedom of Information Act.”
“President Obama on Wednesday signed a $680 billion defense appropriations bill, which will pay for military operations in the 2010 fiscal year. The bill includes a Taliban reintegration provision under the Commander's Emergency Response Program, which is now receiving $1.3 billion. CERP funding also is intended for humanitarian relief and reconstruction projects at commanders' discretion.”

This is absolutely sickening!! History has proven over and over again that you cannot pay off these people!! Iraq was completely different; the Iraqis were sick of Al-Qaeda destroying their country and murdering its citizens; Al-Qaeda were foreigners in their country!! What’s next? Give them weapons, too, like Reagan Give them weapons, too, like Reagan did with bin Laden and the Mujahedeen?  

Some here will blast me; however, I just don’t care!! I don't want to hear "but circumstances change" - no, laws do NOT change!! And by signing this Bill in liue of bringing our men and women home as promised by the president, this war, and future loss of life, is now on President Obama!!

It’s truly disgusting!!
Obie must need some some radicals to work in his administration. What better place to look then to recruit a few terroris. . . , ehh, detainees.
Yet one more HUGE disappointment from Obama!! It seems like I’m getting one a day!! This is something Bush would do!! I’m truly disgusted!!
Obama ran on transparency; Obama ran on a strong belief and promise that such photos should, and would, be released!! In fact, he stated Americans were entitled to see what their government was doing under the “Freedom of Information Act.”
“President Obama on Wednesday signed a $680 billion defense appropriations bill, which will pay for military operations in the 2010 fiscal year. The bill includes a Taliban reintegration provision under the Commander's Emergency Response Program, which is now receiving $1.3 billion. CERP funding also is intended for humanitarian relief and reconstruction projects at commanders' discretion.”

This is absolutely sickening!! History has proven over and over again that you cannot pay off these people!! Iraq was completely different; the Iraqis were sick of Al-Qaeda destroying their country and murdering its citizens; Al-Qaeda were foreigners in their country!! What’s next? Give them weapons, too, like Reagan Give them weapons, too, like Reagan did with bin Laden and the Mujahedeen?  

Some here will blast me; however, I just don’t care, by signing this Bill in lieu of bringing our men and women home as promised by the president, this war, and future loss of life, is now on President Obama!!

It’s truly disgusting!!
First Read, first you don't post,then you double-post!! What's up with that?
The world knows we didn't follow the very war laws we helped write and it was sufficiently ugly to face up to the first time around and the original photos are all available on the web. More photos of us breaking these laws will simply confirm the abuse that the former administration incited. Those who continue to support their actions won't accept blame or will deny just as some deny the holocaust. Those who want to keep opening the sore will just have to let it heal as best it can. I'm a Dem but don't see the point in this particular case to keep publishing more of the same terrible behavior. I saw enough. I'm sure Cheney the terrible will be happy.
Obama's stimulus bill gave us all a nice tax break.
Obama's done a ton of work for Wall Street and businesses.
Obama signs this dumping water on the liberals.

Obama may be a Democrat, but his actions seem more like Reagan every single day.
I don't care about the photos.  I care about prosecutions for violation of the law.  Obama is doing pretty well in most areas (the unhinged opinions of the radical right not meaning too much to people who live in Reality) but this is not one of them.  

We are a nation of laws and those laws need to be enforced.  Otherwise we lose what it means to be American.
I saw enough. I'm sure Cheney the terrible will be happy.
mexed, san antonio, texas (Sent Thursday, October 29, 2009 5:20 PM)

I do understand what you are saying; however, I disagree; it's more of what Bush would do; Obama is not responsible for what Bush did and/or these photos; he promised us during the campaign they would be released; he's changed his mind twice now!! It's NOT acceptable to this American, regardless of Party!!  Also, the world is watching; what is being hidden?  No, if Obama is to truly be a president of change, restore our relations with the world, he must come clean, completely clean!!

I also strongly believe that we have a right to know what was done in our name; and that those that did such in our name are severely punished!! I’m looking at you Dubya/Cheney!!
Pam, San Pedro, California: '...And by signing this Bill in liue of bringing our men and women home as promised by the president, this war, and future loss of life, is now on President Obama!!...'

Pam, Obama said: 'I'll be as careful getting out as we were reckless getting in'

Think that through
That doesn't mean 'Out Now'
I don't like the war(s), but we're in now
We have t oshow some responsibility in getting out
It IS a Quandry

that said, cover ups never work
And covering up the photos of torture and war crimes is fundamentally WRONG

War Crimes were committed, in our name
Time to root out the 'Evil Doers' and their bosses
Charlie Five: '...Obie must need some some radicals to work in his administration. What better place to look then to recruit a few terroris. . . , ehh, detainees...'

Unlike Bush, President Obama doesn't have any War Criminal ins his administration

His successor won't have to suppress evidnece of War Crimes
Being in the Middle East and tramping on their sacred soil is insult enough. But we "infidels" releasing pictures of what Bushco did to them would be like rubbing salt into an open wound. People are well aware of what happened. Those pictures serve no additional purpose at this time.
Americans should be forced to see what is done in our names by our soldiers. This is a cowardly decsion.
This blog claims that "All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread." If this is true, then staff supervising these comments decided to allow the identical post to appear three times. What sort of supervision is this--"I like this comment so I'll let it in three times"?
What's the point in releasing more photos other than just to satisfy puriant interests. We know it happenned. If the pictures are of the same low level nitwits who have already been punished then there is no need to further inflame the situation. Now if the pictures were of someone new snd msybe higher up then they should be released in the course of a public criminal prosecution.
Pam, San Pedro, California, you need to brush up on your history.  Yes, President Reagan DID give weapons to bin Laden and the Taliban, but that was another war, another time. WE helped get the Russians out of Afghanistan.  BUT we also just kinda left... didn't make a presense in that region.  That's where we failed... we didn't want to seem like we were invaders.  NOW look where that's gotten us. Do not compare obie to President Reagan.  You people need to stop the Bush-bashing.  Let's face facts, what President Bush did WAS the right thing... why do you think obie CAN'T reverse things or end things?  We still have a lot to do... or not.  Either we beef up troops or we just cut and run.  NOW obie want's to start murdering our troops over there by NOT giveing the commanders what they're asking for... didn't he say they'd (the Military) get whatever they needed??  Now, ANY deaths of American Service men or women are on obie's head.


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