Breaking News: Obama to Block Release of Detainee Photos

"For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell you that we offered the U.S. administration to exchange this hostage with some of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused.

"So we tell you that the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls. You will not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins ... slaughtered in this way."

This was the statement made right after terrorists in Iraq hacked off the head of American Businessman Nicholas Berg. His beheading occurred right after the scandal of the American soldiers mistreating prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison. The solders that perpetuated the cruelty needed to be prosecuted to the FULLEST extent of the law, the pictures however, should never have been released.They became the terrorists number one recruiting tool.

Last month the White House announced that they would no longer fight the ACLU law suit that showed other "acts of prisoner abuse" by American military personnel. Thankfully the Generals on the ground (and some pressure from former VP Dick Cheney?) have convinced him to his mind. He has directed his lawyers to block the release of the pictures. According to reports the President is concerned that it will hurt our soldiers on the battle field. He also said that the "offenders" have already been prosecuted. More below:

Obama Opposes Releasing Photos of U.S. Detainee Abuse
President Obama has decided not to release photos which the Pentagon had planned to released by May 28 in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.


President Obama has decided not to release hundreds of photos potentially showing U.S. military personnel abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon.


A senior administration official told FOX News that Obama met with his legal team last week and told them that he did not feel comfortable with the release of the photos because he believes they would endanger U.S. troops, and that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented in federal court.


At the end of that meeting, the president directed his counsel to object to the immediate release of the photos on those grounds, the official said.


The Pentagon had planned to release the photos by May 28 in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. That decision was made after the Justice Department lost its latest round in federal court and concluded that any further appeal probably would be fruitless.


But on Tuesday, the president raised the issue of these photos with Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, during a White House meeting and told him of his decision to argue against this release, the official said.


"Through his actions from the first days of his administration, the president has made it clear that the United States will hold itself and all the men and women who serve our country to the highest standards of conduct," the official said in a statement.


"Obama would be the last to excuse the actions depicted in these photos," the official continued. "That is why the Department of Defense investigated these cases, and why individuals have been punished through prison sentences, discharges, and a range of other punitive measures.


"But the president strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing US forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan."