When asked whether he would make public the pictures showing the dead Usama bin Laden, President Obama said in a CBS News interview: “That’s not who we are. We don’t trot out this stuff as trophies. The fact of the matter is that this is someone who is deserving of the justice he received. … We don’t need to spike the football.”
I believe all humans have a penchant for morbid curiosity, and if there’s one thing we can count on, it’s our almost gleeful hunger for the titillation of gawking at pictures of death and violence. After ten years of violent rhetoric, images of war and death in Iraq and Afghanistan, the execution of Saddam Hussein, and now bin Laden dead, are we ready to pack that all up and put it away?
According to CNN, Obama’s choice comes as a poll shows a majority of Americans support making the photographs public. When 700 adults were asked by a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation whether or not the President should make public the photos proving the death of bin Laden, 56% of those asked said yes, the government should release a photo of bin Laden’s body. Another 39% said no. The poll of 700 adults had a sampling margin of 3.5%.
Here is a sampling of opinion about the President’s decision:
“I know bin Laden is dead. But the best way to protect and defend our interests overseas is to prove that fact to the rest of the world,” he said in a written statement. “I’m afraid the decision made today by President Obama will unnecessarily prolong this debate.” – Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).
“I want to see them, personally, I did three tours. I’m not talking as a member of the Armed Services Committee — (but) as a Marine who did three tours because of 9/11. As Americans we deserve to see them.” – Rep. Duncan Hunter, (R-California).