It's been nearly two month since the U.S. government announced the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Citing they had proof of the killing, evidence of these claims has yet to fully come to light.
Time softens the zeal for the truth.
Maybe the pictures would help put some closure on this chapter of the 9-11 tragedy? Perhaps the need to have evidence of bid Laden's death is no longer needed as the U.S. begins plans to de-escalate military involvement in Afghanistan? More than 1,400 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan since operations to rout out bin Laden began in October 2001, and with his the death the justification for the war has shifted.
The public outroar demanding to see, what have been described as "gruesome" images, has become a murmur. What happened to cause such apparent disinterest? Public support for viewing the death photos, according to NBC/Wall St. Journal and AP polls, diminished dramatically after President Obama addressed the nation on May 4. After the president's interview on 60 minutes, a majority of Americans, 64 percent, backed off from calling for the release of the pictures. As is the case with many major news stories once public interest wanes, the drumbeat of media attention also quiets.
Although the release of the pictures has lost appeal in the court of public opinion, over time court decisions base on Freedom of Information Act requests will reinvigorate the debate and help bring the affair to a close.