Is Obama Picking A Fight With His Left?

(CBS)

Bill Buckley would have been pleased. One day after the National Review's Andrew McCarthy warned that a decision to release photographs of detainee abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq during the Bush administration would "imperil our nation and its defenders," President Obama took his advice.

The president said he believed that the consequence of releasing the photos would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and needlessly endanger U.S. troops. "Moreover," he added, "I fear the publication of these photos may only have a chilling effect on future investigations of detainee abuse."

Unlike Bill Clinton, whose relationship with the military got off to a famously bad start over how to treat gays in the military, Obama's not moving faster than his generals. What's more, the decision not to release the photos is likely to prove popular with the Pentagon as well as conservatives (even if the latter are not wont to praise the move in public.) Earlier, Fox News reported that Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, forcefully argued against the release and convinced Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who passed his concerns along to the president.

Still, Obama's political advisers know that the president's policy reversal would not please the Democratic Party's liberal-left wings-and that's what happened. The president's luck is that given the speed of the daily news cycle, the photos might already be yesterday's story. The bigger brouhaha may well center on the administration's consideration of a plan to keep some terror suspects in this country locked up indefinitely without putting them on trial.

The plan remains a work in progress. But leaks suggest that it would contradict earlier pledges by Obama to shut down the commission process which began with the Military Commissions Act of 2006. That process for trying enemy combatants accused of war crimes permits different rules of evidence than those used in U.S. civilian or military courts. Democratic critics of former President Bush, who had pushed for a policy reversal, pinned their hopes on Obama making good on his earlier pledges.

So it was that as word spread about the White House deliberations, Obama came in for the inevitable tongue-lashing, courtesy, this time, of some traditional friends. Digging into the stacks, for instance, The Daily Kos contrasted President Obama's apparent change of heart with the position outlined by Candidate Obama in June 2008 after a Supreme Court decision came down against military commissions.

The problem may be symbolic but that does not make it any less real. In fact, the symbolism of Guantanamo is always going to be linked to what The Kos (and others on the left) regularly dismiss as "these kangaroo courts."

One surprise today: the left discovered an ally on this issue from the other end of the spectrum in the person of Philip Zelikow, a man once described as Condoleeza Rice's "soul mate. In an appearance before Congress, Zelikow testified that Guantanamo has become as much symbol as substance," later describing it as "a toxic problem for the United States of America."

What with Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, soon headed to the White House for what promises to be a frank meeting, Obama already has enough on his foreign policy plate for the time being. So why pick a fight with the base of his party at this time-first with the photos, and soon perhaps over the military commissions? David Ignatius of the Washington Post may have come up with the best line of all when he suggested this may be part of "Sister Souljah moment."

Interesting times in Washington.

[rickahyatt]

The way Obama gets the rug pulled out from under him, by the way, is very simple. All the shenanigans at the Supreme Court - Like one of them suddenly recently resigning - And some clerk apparently hiding or trashing attempts by lawyer Ortiz to have a hearing on Obama's eligibility - Simply come to light, and they review his citizenry status.
A "Natural born citizen he's not."
And ALL of his and Pelosi's and Reid's attempts to spend the country into the ground get reversed.
We'll need a quick special election, so perhaps the former Presidents can serve as sort of a group Presidency for the interim?
And I'll be happy to testify about former Rep. Spy Gary Condit and the "Service" he has provided the Congress for 30-odd years. Meaning, of course, a mass resignation of same now blackmailed & run by foreign and hostile Intel (See why Congress is so screwed up?) a "Royal Flush," and this same Special Election.
In this interim of political transition, the good Space Shuttle Atlantis, and maybe even the Endeavor is watching out for us up there, as a "Forward Observer." You know, space artillery.

[rickahyatt]

Obama's days as Commie Prez-wannabe are very short-lived, probably this week, I'd say. Just consider the phrase, "How do you lure out all the moles out of the woodwork? (Before a potential major, historical military conflict) "Just hoist a Barry Soetono up the Flagpole & see who salutes. Soetono has been being groomed for this position since early childhood & the CIA has known that, too. Their specialty is in counter-running traitors of his ilk, often times without their even knowing it.
How would I know? I'm an illegitimate child of former MFS (EGIS) STAZI Dir.Markus Wolf, and my whole lifetime has been one of being an espionage operative. Go to www.rickhyatt.freeservers.com for photographs, doc's & other proof that I know what I'm talking about.

[everlaw01]

pierson98.....

Ain't no woman....

3000 ... 3000 ... 3000

[pensacola8-2009]

No one on the left will complain that they can't see the torture photos. I won't. I just want the the enhanced interrogation techniques to stop and be put behind us.

What I have already seen is enough to serve proof that torture and other cruel and inhumane forms of treatment did happen.

President Obama is not picking a fight with anyone. That is not how the left infers or interprets the matter.

[scottyusa]

I see the Obamites are crying he lied he lied. Too bad lefties. There is nothing like the presidency to get a dose of reality. At least Obama has some sense. Where is yours?

[McHineguy]

"For the last time....

3000 dead, four planes crashed and 3 buildings hit

Enough bleeding for the bad guys...

Waterboard, put spiders in their beds, make them watch reruns of I Love Lucy....do what ever it takes to keep my country free and my children safe...
We know who the bad guys are....enough playing around...
Posted by everlaw01 at 9:31 AM : May 14, 2009"

The terrorists of 9/11 killed more people than teh Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Nearly a thousand more. The terrorists killed mostly citizens, the Japanese killed mostly servicemen. the terrorists destroyed mostly civilian installations, the Japanese destroyed military targets.

Yet some misguided americans still argue for fair treatment of terrorists. That makes me wonder which side of civilization these people are on.

[pierson98]

"For the last time....

3000 dead, four planes crashed and 3 buildings hit

Enough bleeding for the bad guys...

Waterboard, put spiders in their beds, make them watch reruns of I Love Lucy....do what ever it takes to keep my country free and my children safe...
We know who the bad guys are....enough playing around...
Posted by everlaw01 at 9:31 AM : May 14, 2009"
______________

Wow. You sure are scared, aren't you, old woman?

[everlaw01]

For the last time....

3000 dead, four planes crashed and 3 buildings hit

Enough bleeding for the bad guys...

Waterboard, put spiders in their beds, make them watch reruns of I Love Lucy....do what ever it takes to keep my country free and my children safe...

We know who the bad guys are....enough playing around...

[powmadeak47]

The last thing America needs is a 'moderate' or a 'centrist'.

We need a liberal to overturn the Bush disaster.

Ocrapa has been a failure since day ONE.

Just wait til you see his 'moderate' supreme court choice who vote w/ Scalia 60% of the time.

[ccfsdca]

the kids and the lefties are the ones who gave obama the nomination and the election. all they have to do is sit out his re-election bid or throw 3-5% behind a 3rd party candidate and we may well see the first woman president follow the first mixed-race prez. and don't laugh. if reagan and gee dubya could be president (for two terms each), surely palin can, too.