The latest hints suggest that President Obama will eventually authorize the release of photographs of Osama bin Laden in death. I don’t pretend that there’s an obvious or easy answer to whether these photograph should be made public. I remember feeling somewhat repulsed at the time by the release of the photographs of Saddam Hussein’s sons in 2003. But since the news broke Sunday night I’ve thought pretty strongly that, given the unique circumstances of bin Laden’s life and death, some photographic evidence should, really must be released.
A friend of mine today seemed even more adamant that releasing any photos was a terrible idea.
It’s such a unique set of facts I don’t pretend any certainty about it. So I’d be curious to hear your thoughts. Is releasing one or more of these photos a good idea? A necessary step? Or an awful idea?