Obama's recent reversal on releasing compromising photos at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, as well as his extension of the Military Commissions, has been well vetted in terms of who knew what, constitutional law, advice of generals, and other related anguished details. It is also red meat for the Republicans. So the continuing political, ethical and constitutional chewing on the subject can become tiresome. Nevertheless, I come to this issue from a slightly different direction than those already discussed, and it is the one that disturbs me most as an ardent Obama supporter.

I think Obama made a mistake in his decision for at least these three reasons:

1. He has estranged his base in a way that is more severe and disturbing than his lesser reversals.

2. Far from mollifying his domestic opponents, he fed them a valuable issue; nor will he pacify our foreign enemies by hiding the photos.

3. He is displaying a slow but disconcerting transition into a "politics as usual" mode most of us had hoped would be behind us.

He'll need the base
Taking each separately, offending his base was a critical error, because he is going to need them (us) in the days ahead — especially on the extraordinary issue of health care reform. Moreover, he received a mandate — indeed a demand — to make certain changes in the way our government was run. And the resolution of the torture issue, as well as coming clean on Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, were a firm part of that demand.

In advertising (my profession for 45 years), what he's doing is called simply "bait and switch." The torture issue is not peripheral to his mandate — it is at the very core of what his base wants America to be. Say what you will about the Republicans, but they are committed to their base. As former Vice President Richard Cheney said the other day: "We are what we are." Now Obama's base is beginning to wonder exactly what he is.

The difference here is that the Republican base is small, narrow and out of touch. Conversely, Obama's base is wide and reasonably articulate on their goals. By offending his base, Obama has not served them well, nor as he represented. Indeed, what his base wanted and expected from him was cogent, and I believe, needed. Thus, they deserved better. There's a wonderful old saying: "you better go home with the guy who brung ya" — come on back home with us, Barack.

Generals have been wrong before
The response from the administration has been that Obama received the "recommendation" to oppose release of the photos from his generals. I might remind him that the generals have been wrong and have given such consistently poor advice on such matters from the start of this conflict that they are replaced almost as often as one changes one's underwear — most recently this very month! Maybe it was Robert Gates — a Bush holdover.

Moreover, this whole issue of torture, prisoner mistreatment, and prison scandal is a huge,  ongoing, festering sore that will not go away until Obama elects to clear the air fully and completely, with total transparency and unrestricted honesty. The whole ball of wax, unfettered and uncut. Get it behind us once and for all!

Let the chips fall where they may in a nonpartisan way, and get us moving on a path to the future, as was promised. Obama's actions only add time, dissent, diversion and confusion to the issue.

Obama gave cover to the GOP
Which brings us to point 2. By reversing himself, Obama has given undeserved cover to the Republicans. Liz Cheney, on various talk shows, has driven this home relentlessly. The GOP has had few issues it can score with; this one has some traction. So, if Obama has done this in part to throw a bone to his Republican opponents, he has not only failed, he has given them an issue they can exploit.

At any rate, he cannot and should not count on them to help with his agenda, because they won't.  On the same theme, Obama's claim that releasing the photos will give comfort and/or fuel for our overseas enemies, that too is a spurious claim. They hate us anyway. They will keep hating us, whatever. They already know their compatriots have been tortured and mistreated in American prisons; they want to kill us, and will not make "nice." More or fewer photos are not going to change any minds or actions, not in a war. That argument holds little credence — most importantly, not enough to compromise our own ethics and values.

In fact, (point 3), hiding the photos merely confirms (in their minds) that Obama is just an extension of Bush. This is exactly the kind of thing the Bush administration would do, did do, and is now being done.  Hiding stuff.  Running an opaque government. Playing to the right. Morphing to unflattering positions not represented as a candidate.  All this is excused as being "pragmatic," or seeing things differently as president from his view as a candidate, or needing to compromise now that he is in office.  All good excuses — but that's not what this election was supposed to be about! 

This was going to be different this time. This was going to be a change from the past. This was going to be a new day in America.

The same old same old
What it is turning out to be is politics as usual and same old same old.

If the whole issue of torture and prisoner mistreatment (along with the extension of the travesty of Military Tribunals) was just "another" political issue, perhaps it could be forgiven. But it is not. It is much larger than that. It is an ugly stain on American values. It lacks desperately desired transparency. It is a mighty constitutional affront (being perpetrated, ironically, by a constitutional lawyer). It is a metaphor for larger aberrations of American combatant prisoner actions. It goes to the very core, heart and soul of what America is all about.  

That is why it cannot be forgiven. That is why Obama is wrong. That is why the issue needs to be revisited and redressed.

Myles Spicer of Minnetonka is a businessman and writer who owned several successful ad agencies over the past 45 years.