Gates, Clinton Advising President to Not Release OBL Photograph

ABC News ^ | 05/04/2011 | Jake Tapper

[Smokeyblue]

President Obama is increasingly doubtful that there's a compelling reason to release a photograph of Osama bin Laden's corpse, ABC News has learned.

There don't seem to be many skeptics of bin Laden's death in the Muslim world, with bin Laden's wife having survived the attack to identify bin Laden's death both to the Navy SEALs and Pakistani authorities.

Meanwhile, sources say, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are advising the president about concerns at the Pentagon and State Department that releasing a photograph could prompt a backlash against the US for killing bin Laden where one does not seem to currently exist.

The internal debate at the White House is then informed by this question: why are we releasing this photograph if no one seems to really doubt his death and releasing it could cause more harm than good?

[Andy from Chapel Hill]

The White House should invite every Ambassador in DC to come to a viewing at a secure facility in small groups. Change the layout of the pictures for each small group. Make every attendee go through security to search for cameras. Pop a small EMF generator in the viewing room to destroy any recording devices that are smuggled in.

Let them take the heat in their own country.

[MichiganConservative]

Dude, I just said half the country was a bunch of domestic enemies. Liberals like to leave the hell holes them make and move to a nicer place and make it like the hell hole they left.

I wish they’d move to Canada and take the population of Detroit and Flint with them.

[ohioman]

Gates can rot in hell with OBL. He was a key figure in the repeal of DADT. His advice not to release photos of dead OBL goes right along with his lack of character and is sadly no surprise.

[central_va]

Good one! ;)

Glad you liked it. I am a little guilty of thread hijacking here....

[waxer1]

I say release the photograph. Why are we afraid? I am tired of being afraid.

They may relatliate whether we release it or not for cryin out loud.

I think it has already been leaked anyway. Go to Face book and search marines of fallujah, they have a picture posted there. The way they describe the wounds, it appears to be authintic.

[central_va]

Gates is a POS.

[central_va]

The Confederacy was an anti-American conspiracy.

Lincoln's war was an anti-republic travesty.

[muawiyah]

Sorry to hear you think so. I happen to think Abe Lincoln was a great hero. His sister and birth mother are buried on a piece of land that was part of one of our family's farms.

So, GFYS OK?!!!?

[38special]

Not releasing it will offend millions of Americans. Which is more important offending muslims or offending Americans?

[montag813]

Let’s hear what Dhimmi-in-Chief Petraeus says. He is the expert in how to surrender to the rage of Islamofascist thugs.

[central_va]

His sister and birth mother are buried on a piece of land that was part of one of our family's farms.

Well isn't that special. That definitely lowers the value of that property.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Gates can rot in hell with OBL. He was a key figure in the repeal of DADT. His advice not to release photos of dead OBL goes right along with his lack of character and is sadly no surprise."

I have no recollection of Gates vigorously opposing the Obama Administration's reversal of the policy regarding photos of returning caskets. They couldn't get those photos out soon enough...

[al_c]

So he learned nothing from the birth certificate issue? Got it.

[muawiyah]

You might well think that but you'd be wrong.

Frankly one of the problems arising out of the Civil War was the Union stopped firing once they got a surrender.

[driftless2]

Gee, let’s not offend the anti-American Muslims around the world who already hate us for merely existing. We don’t want to hurt their feelings. Yeah, I’m sure the nutjobs demonstrating and burning American flags in the wake of his death are going to inflamed further by the showing of his death photo. Give me a break.

[central_va]

[BubbaBasher]

These people are amazing. Killing the man is not inflammatory but releasing the photo is?

[Republic]

I think it has nothing to do with offending Americans with its gruesome image-after all, as had been written, we watched people forced to jump to their deaths on 9-11. It does not get sicker than that.

I think osama and his crew are calculating something very different.

I do believe they are afraid of muslims and want to keep from offending them by having big daddy osama, the jihad master, on display, to some degree.

But more importantly.

I think they might want to let the conspiracy regarding osama's death broil up in this nation (not unlike uhbama's lack of a paper history) until all conservatives can be labeled fully, and THEN release the picture (perhaps a a leak) right befor the election to enhance that freaks chances of partying four more years on our dime.

[savedbygrace]

There was some WH dude on Fox News yesterday saying it WAS decided ahead of time, by some committee of some sort. I wish I had taken notes, or had a better memory. Sorry.

[ken5050]

The pictures HAVE to come out. Simple. If they don't, the story will NOT die down..it will get bigger every day.

The WH messed this up. What they should have done was release the pics the same time as Obama spoke Sunday night. It would have all died down by now. Now, it has a life all its own.

BTW..it's no big deal..you can turn on CSI, or any of a dozen similar forensic themed shows, and see far worse, more gruesome stuff every day.

Anyways, if the WH doesn't release them..they'll all be on WikiLeaks in a few days..