McCain urges Obama to classify detainee photos

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain and three allies urged President Barack Obama on Thursday to classify photographs said to depict the abuse of terrorism suspects to ensure they do not become public.

Obama is fighting release of the photos in the courts because of concern they could lead to violence against U.S. troops abroad but has not declared them secret.

"All he has to do today is use an executive order to declare these photos classified material," said McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential election to Obama.

"That's all he has to do," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

The White House had no comment.

The photos, taken by U.S. personnel, are at the heart of a political debate in Washington. Some Democrats want them released as a way to close the books on Bush-era harsh interrogation practices that Obama has banned.

Obama, after agreeing initially to release them in response to a court order in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, reversed himself last month.

The president sided with military commanders who want to avoid making them public fearing they would unleash a backlash against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.