The Senate report on CIA torture techniques may only be the beginning. Soon there may be pictures.

Courtesy of The Daily Beast:

The Obama administration is withholding hundreds, perhaps even thousands of photographs showing the U.S. government’s brutal treatment of detainees, meaning that revelations about detainee abuse could well continue, possibly compounding the outrage generated by the Senate “torture report” now in the public eye. 

Some photos show American troops posing with corpses; others depict U.S. forces holding guns to people’s heads or simulating forced sodomization. All of them could be released to the public, depending on how a federal judge in New York rules—and how hard the government fights to appeal. The government has a Friday deadline to submit to that judge its evidence for why it thinks each individual photograph should continue to be kept hidden away. 

The photographs are part of a collection of thousands of images from 203 investigations into detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan and represent one of the last known secret troves of evidence of detainee abuse. While the photos show disturbing images from the Bush administration’s watch, it is the Obama administration that has allowed them to remain buried—all with the help of a willing Congress. 

The president may have entered office promising a new era of transparency—and was even prepared to release at least 21 of the photos in 2009. But Obama pulled back at the last minute at the urging of his top commander in Iraq, who worried the graphic images could generate a backlash against U.S. troops.

The possibility that terrorists might get angry enough to launch an attack on American troops of embassies overseas in response to anything released to the public concerning our torture of detainees is bullshit.

As others have said we are actively bombing the crap out of ISIL. If THAT has not convinced them to attack us it is hard to believe that a couple of reports or photos will push them over the edge.

However it just might cause the conservatives defending CIA torture to suddenly go quiet.

One of the reasons that the incident in Abu Ghraib grabbed the public's attention was that the American people were able to see what we were doing and they were disgusted.

I think the same thing will happen this time.

Which in my opinion would be a good thing, and would do much to ensure that we never revisited this type of inhuman treatment again.

In other words, bring-em on.

Well at least somebody agrees with Dick Cheney on torture.

Fox News host Shepard Smith just lost a bet to give White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest "every penny he will ever make" at Fox News. See? This is why I don't gamble.

Just in case you did not hear that clearly, here is a transcript of the exchange courtesy of Newscorpse: 

Earnest: We are going to have Muslim majority countries, Muslim led countries, as part of this coalition. This is not going to be the United States against ISIL. This will be the international community, including the Muslim world, against these extremists. 

Smith: Like Saudi Arabia’s going to have some boots over there, or Jordan. 

Earnest: Well, I will let the individual members of the coalition announce the commitments that they’re prepared to make. 

Smith: There will be no commitment from those two. On this I will bet every penny I will ever make at this network. 

Earnest: That’s a substantial bet. 

Smith: It is a big bet, and it is a good bet, because it’s not going to happen and the whole world knows it.

That was from last week, and now as all of you undoubtedly now know the President launched air attacks against ISIL. And the Pentagon issued this report as to who provided support in the fight:  

U.S. military forces and partner nations, including Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, undertook military action against ISIL terrorists in Syria overnight, according to a U.S. Central Command news release. 

Wait, Saudi Arabia AND Jordan? 

But that would mean that Shepard Smith is now working for Fox News without compensation, as all of that now goes to Josh Earnest. I mean unless Smith is not a man of his word that is.

What am I saying? He works for Fox News. Those people are overflowing with integrity.

Right?

Lindsey Graham is almost over come with the vapors during Fox News interview about ISIL.

Senator Graham sat down with Fox News this morning, and well he kind of lost his shit.

You know I have plenty of experience transcribing lunacy from my years of doing so for our favorite batshit crazy half term governor, but I do declare that Graham gives her a run for her money.

Take little peek into the mind of somebody on the verge of a full blown nervous breakdown.

First let's get the Hitler comparison out of the way:

"The first thing I want to tell the America people, from my point of view it is our fight. It is not just their fight. This is a radical Islamic army that's pushing the theory of a master religion. Not a master race like the Nazis."

So they are just like Hitler, in that they also hate the Jews, but instead of co-opting the Catholic church to help spread their ideology they are sticking with their perverse brand of Islam.

Please continue Foghorn Leghorn.

“It’s about protecting millions of people throughout the world from a radical Islamic army. They’re intending to come here. So, I will not let this president suggest to the American people we can outsource our security and this is not about our safety. There is no way in hell you can form an army on the ground in Syria to destroy ISIL without a substantial American component. And to destroy ISIL you have to kill or capture their leaders, take the territory they hold back, cut off their financing, and destroy their capability to regenerate."

Hey does that kind of sound like religious genocide to anybody else?

I mean I think ISIL needs to be stopped as well, but isn't this a little Crusade-y for this day and age?

And then Graham really starts with the hysterics.

“This is a war we’re fighting! This is not a counter-terrorism operation! This is not Somalia, this is not Yemen! This is a turning point in the war on terror! Our strategy will fail yet again! This president needs to rise to the occasion before we all get killed back here at home!” 

Holy crap! I think this is usually the part in the move where John Wayne slaps the woman to get her to calm down. 

When the host suggests to Graham that his plan of making this an America fight would only attract more people to join ISIL and that the best way to handle this is to support the indigenous forces, Graham just about comes unglued.

"Apparently nobody's been listening to what Senator McCain and I have been saying for the last three years."

That could be because the both of them are constantly calling for the military to invade every country who gives us the finger, and destroy every political faction that won't kiss Graham's countrified ass cheeks when he and McCain stop by for a visit.

Graham continues on to warn that it will require American boots on the ground to "go in there and dig these guys out," and that failing to do so will have the following result:

“They will open the gates of hell to spill out on the world,” he said.

Yeah, okay Screaming Mimi, let's not get our panties in a twist.

It is true that this will not be easy, and it will undoubtedly require more of a military commitment than what is being proposed right now, however what is also true is that the President can only do so much without the support of Congress. (A Congress we should be reminded who is currently threatening to sue him for taking executive actions and doing things without their approval.)

And that approval is not expected to be coming any time soon.

So if Graham and McCain are so all fired ready to send American troops back into Iraq, then the first place they need to start working is to convince their own party of that need, and lay off pissing and moaning about the President's unsatisfying response.

President Obama is doing the best that he can with the little that the Republicans have left him to work with.

Personally I think that if John McCain and his Southern belle think that the solution to the Iraq situation is American boots on the ground then they need to strap on a parachute, grip a bowie knife between their dentures, and have a military transport drop their wrinkled asses right into the middle of the conflict.

But don't forget, America does NOT deal with terrorists or pay for the release of hostages.

John McCain lets slip that President Obama went against all advice and refused to arm Syrian rebels back in 2013, many of who now make up the dreaded ISIL.

Appearing on Fox News with Greta Van Susteren, John McCain let this slip: 

McCain continued his push for war in both Iraq and Syria, saying the fight requires the “full weight of American air power” as well as “some more boots and support on the ground.” He added, “All this didn’t have to happen. We could have left a force behind in Iraq that would have stabilized Iraq. And we are paying an incredible price for the president’s leading from behind, whether it be in Iraq, in Syria, in Libya, or a number of countries in the Middle East. We are seeing the chickens coming home to roost.” 

The senator proceeded to seriously misspeak when he described a 2013 meeting in the White House in which everyone on the administration’s national security team “recommended arming ISIS.” But, he explained, “the president, by himself, turned it down.” 

What McCain likely meant to say was that Obama’s team, including then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wanted to arm the “moderate” Syrian rebels in their fight against President Bashar al-Assad, but Obama did not want to. Van Susteren neglected to correct his mistake. 

As Obama decided at the time, the lack of distinction between the “moderate” rebels and the Islamic extremists, including ISIS, who were fighting Assad made the idea of arming any opposition in Syria an extremely risky proposition.

In other words President Obama made a careful calculation, and determined that the USA could not adequately determine who among the Syrian rebellion could be trusted not to misuse American provided weaponry.

Which in still other words meant that he made a carefully considered intelligent presidential decision, which is clearly something John McCain is not capable of doing.

Look who Fox News tapped for his expertise on religious fanatics.

Fox News finally has a military analyst on who wasn't directly involved with the disastrous Iraq War. pic.twitter.com/FDYeU1tPob

— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) September 3, 2014

You know I was all ready to laugh at the idea that Phil Robertson knew anything about a fundamentalist religious group seizing power and oppressing those who do not share their faith. But then I remembered his religious point of view and thought, "Who better?"

Sarah Palin, and her cub Bristol, pimping a Fox News exploitation piece while doubling down on calls for a religious war with Islam.

This from Joan of the Arctic's Facebook page: 

Be sure to tune in tomorrow at 7pm ET to FOX for Greta's special on the persecution of Christians around the globe.

She then links to Bristol's ghostwritten blog, which in turn posts a video of Greta Van Susteren  promoting the Christians Under Attack special appearing on Fox tonight. (Palin also posted a video previously

Of course as we know Christians are certainly being brutalized in Iraq by the ISIL, however they are far from the only group that is being targeted and in fact they are not the ones being targeted the most aggressively.

As I wrote last Saturday, the Iraqi people under attack include not just the Christians, but the Yazidi, Turkmen, Shaback, and Kurds.

As it turns out the Yazidi were the group most in danger and the Obama administration reached out to protect them and it appears that may have been successful.

However both the Palins and Fox News seem to be actively ignoring the fact that this ISIL group is going after all kinds of groups that it finds offensive to its political and religious beliefs, and are instead focusing on the Christians in an attempt to fan Islamophobia in this country.

This is an incredibly divisive and potentially dangerous tactic as it encourages people in America to think of the conflict in Iraq not as genocide, but instead as a religious conflict in which they have a vested interest because it involves "their" religious brothers and sisters.

I swear Sarah Palin and Fox News will not be happy until American forces show up in force on Iraqi soil to beat the infidels to death with steel covered Bibles while yelling at them to repent their sins and accept Jesus as their Lord and savior.

P.S. By the way Brancy offered up a way for people to help stop the "Christian massacre in Iraq," which included prayer, giving money to a religious organization, and signing a petition started by a Christian organization.

So in other words you can help by doing everything you can think of that falls short of actual help.