Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C. are holding the War supplemental hostage in the name of torture photos:
More after the bump...
"We strongly believe that the first responsibilities of government are the nation's security and the protection of those brave Americans who go into harm's way to defend it.
"The President has said that the release of the photos of detainees in US custody would 'put our troops and civilians serving our nation abroad in greater danger.' We agree with the Commander in Chief.
"We will employ all the legislative means available to us including opposing the supplemental war spending bill and attaching this amendment, which was unanimously adopted by the Senate, to every piece of legislation the Senate considers, to be sure the President has the authority he needs not to release these photos and any others that would jeopardize the safety and security of our troops.
"The release of the photos will serve as propaganda and recruiting tool for terrorists who seek to attack American citizens at home and abroad. We should strive to have as open a government as possible, but the behavior depicted in the photos has been prohibited and is being investigated. The photos do not depict anything that is not already known. Transparency, and in this case needless transparency, should not be paid for with the lives of American citizens, let alone the lives of our men and women in uniform fighting on our behalf in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
"Let it clearly be understood that without this legislation the photos in question are likely to be released. Such a release would be tantamount to a death sentence to some who are serving our nation in the most dangerous and difficult spots like Iraq and Afghanistan. It is this certain knowledge of these consequences of having the photos released that will cause us to vote against the supplemental and continue our push to turn our important amendment into law."
I say let them try. How many times did the Democratic Party threaten to stop the War Funding over the past 8 years and how many times did the Republican Party take the issue to the American people claiming that Democrats were WEAK on defense or they were harming our troops at war by denying the funds they need to conduct that war?
It's time Democrats to give the Republicans a little taste of their own medicine.
If this resolution had any teeth to it, it would be voted on as a bill of it's own accord.
Americans know this is just a way to HIDE the TRUTH once again. Our troops were put in danger the MINUTE it was REPORTED that torturing was being done and the MINUTE the Bush administration released the Abu Ghraib photos.
President Obama stated this past week in Cairo that no more TORTURE would happen under his watch. He also said he would tell the TRUTH to all.
The citizens of the Middle East said they liked what they heard by President Obama; but that he must now PROVE his words.
Giving out the photos and investigating any war crimes and prosecuting them -- would do the opposite of what Lieberman and Graham claim --- they'd PROVE that Obama meant what he said and that he could be TRUSTED to do what he says.
We MUST stand up against this supplemental and stop them from once again pushing the TRUTH into the future.