Top Brass Shares Responsibility for Prison Abuse

Wow, what a surprise. (sarcasm mode OFF)

From the AP:

The Pentagon's most senior civilian and military officials share a portion of blame for creating conditions that led to the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq, according to a new report. The report, by a commission appointed by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, was briefing Rumsfeld on its findings and recommendations Tuesday in advance of a Pentagon news conference to release the details. The commission was headed by James Schlesinger, a former secretary of defense.

I find it difficult to summon much pity for some of the enlisted men and women being charged in all of this. I, however, have never walked in their shoes. They have been through situations I never have, and hope never to experience.

But please, let's stop pretending this was just a few rogue individuals getting sadistic jollies with prisoners. It's clear that the rush to indict and try these military people at the south end of the Pentagon ladder is based upon trying to shield those at the top. We sent these young men and women into Iraq, and we have to take responsibility for what they did. If indeed - as it seems - they were effectively ordered into the abuse, we cannot simply punish them.

This is the "freedom" we brought to Iraq, which smells a lot like the "freedom" we brought to Afghanistan.

Nothing makes me more ill than to listen to that new Bush campaign ad where he takes credit for turning Iraq and Afghanistan into glorious democracies. These countries are neither glorious nor democracies. We have NOT improved their quality of life. We've devastated their countries and left them in worse shape than before.