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| Pentagon to Allow Media Photos of Returning War Dead |
| 2009-02-26 |
| News organizations will be allowed to photograph the homecomings of America's war dead under a new Pentagon policy, defense and congressional officials said Thursday. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will formally announce Thursday that the Pentagon has changed its policy to allow media coverage of fallen soldiers arriving at Dover Air Base in Delaware, pending family approval. The current ban was put in place in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush. Like that's going to make a difference to the media. They'll just skip the families "The president is supportive of the Secretary's decision," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday. Since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, media has been forbidden access to images of flag-draped coffins returning to U.S. soil. Critics of the policy accused the Bush administration of hiding the "true cost of war." But Gates told reporters Thursday that speculation over the ban's intent was of no concern to him. "This policy was first put in place in 1991 ... as far as I'm concerned, that's ancient history and I'm not going to try to figure out the motives," he said. Obama asked Secretary Gates for a review of the policy earlier this month. Gates said he initially asked for the ban to be reviewed a year ago, and was advised then that family members might feel uncomfortable with opening the ceremonies to media for privacy reasons or that the relatives might feel pressure to attend the services despite financial stresses. Now families will be able decide if they want the public to witness the returning war dead. "I think that the thing we always have to keep at the forefront of our minds ... should be the families and giving them choices," Gates said. At least two Democratic senators have called on Obama to let news photographers attend ceremonies at the air base and other military facilities when military remains are returned to the United States. The Dover base is where casualties are brought before they are transferred on to the hometowns of their families. Shortly after Obama took office, Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey also asked the White House to roll back the 1991 ban. The new policy, which still has some details to be worked out, closely resembles the one at Arlington National Cemetery. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #8 The DEMOLEFT has officially arrived in the GWOT. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-02-26 22:55 |
| #7 O's cynical version of "transparency". |
| Posted by: ryuge 2009-02-26 20:29 |
| #6 Sure, to build support for quick withdrawl. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-02-26 19:40 |
| #5 You don't think they're going to run many of these photos now that it's "Mr. Obamas War", do you? |
| Posted by: Steve 2009-02-26 19:15 |
| #4 There was a very good reason this policy was put in place, and it saved the US military all kinds of heartburn. There is no way to photograph the dead, any dead, that makes the US military look good. Even if they were the ones who stopped the killing. I guess Obama really wants to try and reenact Vietnam. But on his head be it. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-02-26 19:06 |
| #3 This is the leftist Dem's backlash to the HBO film Taking Chance. Taking Chance was a reenactment. You know, like "I'm not a doctor, but I slept at the Holiday Inn..". The fact the lefties can't tell the difference [they can when they 'reenact' numerous slanderous bits of media theater], says far more about them [it's not about truth, it's about power] than its says anything about Gates. The reality, that the MSM has moved on to other venues and is ignoring the WOT now that Bush is gone, means the need for such political props is minimal, particularly since its now Obama's War and they'll hide anything that detracts from their 'One'. Of course, campus commie parasites will try to use such pictures, but their audience is going to be distracted by other big events [like the life long bondage that Congress has pressed upon them]. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-02-26 16:55 |
| #2 This is the leftist Dem's backlash to the HBO film Taking Chance. Gates...you're a freaking a-hole. |
| Posted by: MarkZ 2009-02-26 16:46 |
| #1 One last chance for NYT to boost its circulation. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-02-26 16:05 |