Image via WikipediaSince the news broke late Sunday night that US Special Ops forces had broken into a compound and killed Osama bin Laden, the speculation has been whether or not the Obama administration would release photos of the SOB's corpse to prove that bin Laden was dead. Word came from the administration today that the photos will not be released.Due to the military burying his body at sea in accordance with Islamic tradition, there are those that are apt to subscribe to conspiracy theories who will not believe that bin Laden is dead without seeing photos of the body. Of course those that subscribe to conspiracy theories could also argue that any released photos were photoshopped.
The administration, for their part said that they do not want to release the photos because they are graphic and gruesome. Their feeling is that by releasing the photos that it could inflame the passions of the Islamic extremists and lead to action on their part. The counterargument to that would be that putting a bullet through his brain would also incite them.
I am an avowed conservative. I listen to talk radio. One of the programs that I usually listen to is Sean Hannity's because it is on during my commute home. Most of the time, I find my self in agreement with his positions. Today, during the hour I drove home, Hannity basically decried the decision by the President's decision to not release the photos, and the decision to bury bin Laden at sea in accordance with Islamic tradition.
It is not so much Hannity's position that the photos should be released that I disagree with, but rather my view that he is being somewhat hypocritical in regards to his position regarding "inciting the radical Islamists." Previously, he had interviewed Pastor Terry Jones who held a Koran burning. Hannity criticized Jones because he had burned the Koran despite the warnings from General David Petreaus that such actions would incite the extremists to vengeance.
Meanwhile, he criticizes the Obama administration because they are not releasing photos of bin Laden for that very same reason. I understand that General Petreaus is a hero to conservatives like Hannity and to myself. For the most part, there has been precious little that Barack Obama has done as President that I and most conservatives agree with. For me it has been the killing of bin Laden, and the killing of a fly during an interview. It just seems inconsistent to me to support Pereaus in this case and not Obama.
I personally have no desire to see the photos. I tend not to subscribe to conspiracies. I understand the desire of some to see them. There are high profile conservatives that do not think the photos should be released, and those that think they should. Which side of the fence do you fall on in regards to the decision to not release the photos? Do you think that Sean Hannity's position is inconsistent, and is he just looking to find any fault with President Obama?
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