The anti-American left has for the time being, at least, been denied a brand new dog and pony show featuring close up pictures and graphic videos of detainees being abused at Abu Ghraib. In a move sure to bring wails of anguish from the moonbats, the Pentagon has refused to turn over the materials to the plaintiffs in the FOIA case on the Abu Ghraib investigation. Plaintiffs in the suit include the ACLU, Veterans for Peace, Veterans for Common Sense, and Physicians for Human Rights – you know, organizations whose job it is to keep the American public “informed.” Curiously, the organizations who really do have the responsibility to keep Americans informed – the press – did not join in the ACLU suit.

Also participating in the suit are international entities that just have to know every single detail of abuse so they can incorporate the information in their anti-American propaganda. These International organizations include:

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

UN Human Rights Committee

Convention Against Torture

Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War

It’s nice to know so many of our friends overseas are eager to see the American people “informed” of something they already know -bad things happened at Abu Ghraib. This begs the question; why then release more pictures and videos?

The government has turned over more than 60,000 pages of documents on the treatment of detainees, some containing graphic descriptions of mistreatment. But the material that the judge ordered released – the A.C.L.U. says there are 87 photographs and 4 videos – would be the first images released in the suit. The judge said they would be the “best evidence” in the debate about the treatment of Abu Ghraib prisoners.

“There is another dimension to a picture that is of much greater moment and immediacy” than a document, Judge Hellerstein said in court.

“Best evidence in the debate?” What debate? Why a political debate of course! In other words, the judge in this case has decided that its up to the courts to help out the anti-American left in their efforts to score points in the political debate over the war in Iraq.

Anyone who doesn’t think that the ACLU hasn’t morphed into a highly partisan, far left advocacy group should examine some of the recent cases the ACLU has taken on. For that, I recommend you go here and browse through some of the eye opening issues the ACLU has decided to advocate recently. It’s very sad to see an organization I once admired for its championing of human liberty degenerate into partisan hackery of the worst kind.

The Pentagon was supposed to turn those pictures and tapes over to the moonbats yesterday. The fact that they filed a “secret brief” detailing the reasons why they haven’t complied will probably not sit well with the judge in this case. Judge Alvin Hellerstein is the same judge that ruled back in 2003 that since the attack on America was “forseeable,” plaintiffs had a right to sue the government. He also ruled that the plaintiffs had the right to sue the Trade Center owners for negligence because they had an inadequate evacuation plan (for a plane flying into the building?) as well as opening the door to sue Boeing, the manufacturer of the airplanes for – get this – negligence due to the inadequate locks on the door to the cockpit.

My guess is that the judge will deny the Pentagon’s motion and once again order them to turn over the graphic material on abuse at Abu Ghraib. At which point, we’ll be treated to a full blown press conference with the ACLU gleefully smacking the Administration around and calling for an “independent” investigation of abuse at all US detention facilities that would include an international component. In other words, representatives from countries where torture is endemic will be sitting in judgment on Americans. The fact that the military itself and the Pentagon has now carried out three separate investigations on abuse of prisoners, including the independent Schlessinger Commission that faulted both the Administration and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld for unclear policies on interrogation as well as a lack of responsibility in the chain of command, will be ignored.

The FOIA suit was politics pure and simple. Evidently, the release of 60,000 documents isn’t enough for the moonbats. In order to really skewer the Administration, we absolutely have to be treated to more pictures of activities at Abu Ghraib. I would guess that the reason the ACLU et. al. want the graphical material above anything else is that nothing will put America in a worse light than videos of the abuse. Still pictures are one thing. Videos will really hammer their points home.

Their points are political ones. It doesn’t have anything to do with our “right to know.” It will do nothing to advance the real debate over Iraq. The only thing it will do is inflame the passions of people worldwide against America and lower the morale of the American people.

All in a day’s work for the ACLU.