As a journalist, I always lean toward disclosure, sunlight, and public debate. Secrecy is toxic to a free society, except during narrow windows of time.<\/p>\n
President Barack Obama has declined to release photographs of the techniques used by U.S. intelligence operatives against detainees.<\/p>\n
The logic here is that the photographs would inflame and outrage the Muslim world and perhaps alienate our allies in Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n
Mr. Obama’s position raises three horrifying possibilities.<\/p>\n
First, American agents engaged in activities so brutal — and, as a growing number of experts have testified, illegal — that it would devastate America’s image in the world if these images were released. <\/p>\n
Second, those activities were sanctioned at the highest levels of our democratically-elected government.<\/p>\n
Third, we as a society are incapable of confronting what we have done. <\/p>\n
It seems to me that Mr. Obama has two choices. He can either release the photos and allow our society to face the music. <\/p>\n
Or he can convene a 9\/11-commission type panel charged with probing America’s conduct of the War on Terror.<\/p>\n
It may be that we will decide that the decisions made during the last eight years were necessary or justifiable. <\/p>\n
Perhaps former Vice President Dick Cheney is right that torturing detainees was a necessary strategy.<\/p>\n
What is certain, however, is that this chapter in our history can’t simply be swept under the rug.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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