U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday the administration would defend in court a decision by President Barack Obama to withhold the release of detainee abuse photos.
“I think the president has made a decision that is consistent with the best interest of our troops,” Holder told the House Judiciary Committee.
Obama’s reversal on new, post-Abu Ghraib abuse photos has put the administration at odds with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, and aligned it with Republican and military leaders who had urged the photos remain secret.
Ultimately, the president’s flip-flop on the issue may better serve his own, long-term political interests, experts said.
“He feels like this is a political hit he can afford to take [with liberals] because we are not that close to the 2010 midterm elections and there is a lot on the table to worry about,” said Joe Tuman, a political scientist at San Francisco State University. Congress this week is considering a $94.2 billion supplemental bill that would fund combat operations in Iraq, economic development and military assistance in Afghanistan, plus economic and other aid for Pakistan.
Much of Obama’s political capital is riding on his stepped-up war plan for Afghanistan, gradual withdrawal from Iraq, and programs to restore civil and military order in Pakistan — all efforts that require the popular support of the Iraqi, Afghan and Pakistani people.
Angering a faction of the Democratic Party that has been pushing for a thorough airing of Bush-era war policies may be worth preventing the negative repercussions the photos could produce in the Muslim world.
Obama campaigned on a promise to bring transparency and accountability to the White House — a vow some Democrats say he violated with his decision to block the photo release.
“A lot of this is the clash between campaign promises and the realities of being president,” said Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida. “It’s a very sobering reality to face.”
Obama earlier this week met privately at the White House with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, among others.
Both urged Obama to withhold the pictures, which are being sought in a long-running lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Invoking troop safety in the decision-making gave Obama ironclad political cover, with Republicans praising the decision. Whether the administration’s arguments prevail in court remains to be seen.
“If the Obama administration continues down this path, it will betray not only its promises to the American people, but its commitment to this nation’s most fundamental principles,” said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU.
A federal judge ordered the photos released to the ACLU by May 28. The administration, which previously supported the judge’s ruling, will appeal that order.
