I’m sorry. I apologize. It’s all my fault that the Obama administration won’t release the Osama bin Laden death-porn-shot-in-the-eye pictures.

Let me explain. I created a ridiculous photoshopped image (as I tend to do) combining two hot news items of the day, the OBL killing situation room photo and the I’m-so-rich-but-money-can’t-buy-taste Royal wedding.

Politico reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates said:

One of the things that I think concerns Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton and I is the risk not only of the pictures themselves inflaming people who were bin Laden’s adherents and radical extremists, but we were also worried about the potential for manipulation of those photos and doing things with those photos that would be pretty outrageous in terms of provoking a reaction that might in fact put our troops at greater risk in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

-snip-

I have gotten from friends all over the country copies of the picture that was this iconic picture taken in the Situation Room while we were watching the operation. And they have been photoshopped in every way you can imagine, including putting you know, coming after the royal wedding, one of these had all of us in one of these big, wide-brimmed hats from the wedding. Another had various football players seated at the table that had been photoshopped in.

Apparently Sec. Gates saw this image and it put the fear of jihad into him (I was frightened the first time I saw that hat too).

Gawker picked up on it. (thanks to Watertiger)

What he’s saying makes sense, though I’d take issue with the defense secretary on one minor but crucial point — and that’s that the hat is more “high-brimmed” than “wide-brimmed.” Also, to Twolf, the artiste responsible for the infamous Beatrice Room Photoshop: Congratulations. The people in that room have actually seen themselves wearing the hat. Just try not to incite a jihad with your magic wand tool.

Great excuse though — as if shooting an unarmed guy in the eye, blowing the top of his head off wasn’t what would provoke a “reaction that might in fact put our troops at greater risk in both Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Damn intertoobz.