[Commander8]

It doesn't make sense. Those pictures do not take away from the heroism of those servicemen. There doesn't seem to be any real malice behind taking those pictures. I heard on the radio last night that this policy of not allowing photos of caskets started during the Clinton years.

[sakic]

To me those photos are incredibly moving and beautiful despite the horrible reality of the situation.

[ljmiii]

It was in 1991 during the first Gulf War that Bush the Elder's DoD issued a prohibition against taking photos of the coffins of servicemen returning home. Clinton relaxed this rule and not only allowed photographs but took part in ceremonies honoring our arriving fallen heroes.

In March 2003, the DoD issued a directive it said was established in November 2000, saying, "There will no be arrival ceremonies of, or media coverage of, deceased military personnel returning to or departing from" air bases. However, investigation after the Seattle Times photo episode has shown the November 2000 directive to be MIA.

Instead, in the news conference in which the White House reported that President Bush was "moved" by the published photos of coffins containing U.S. military personnel slain in Iraq the White House fell back on the 1991 prohibition in explaining why the policy would be continued.