Report on Iraqi prisoner abuses

Posted on May 5, 2004 by Gene

The U.S. Army report on abuses of Iraqi prisoners is now available at The Smoking Gun.

Prepared by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, the 53-page document details mistreatment of prisoners held in the section of the lockup where some inmates were interrogated. The classified Taguba report, completed in March, concluded that soldiers “committed egregious acts and grave breaches of international law” at Abu Ghraib, where detainees were subjected to assorted sexual and psychological degradations–some of which were photographed by Army jailers.

It’s amazing how quickly information appears on the Internet. I can’t imagine what would have been different during, say, the Iran-Contra scandal if the web had been a ubiquitous presence then.

Meanwhile, President Bush took part in Arab television interviews:

President Bush said in Arab television interviews that the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison was “abhorrent” and does not represent “the America that I know.” In two interviews, he stopped short of apologizing. Bush said he retained confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

I’m not saying that Bush is responsible for the abuses, but it’s very telling that he once again stopped short of apologizing. I don’t get it, this constant lack of responsibility from this man. Who knows whether it would be the right thing to do or not, but I can’t help wondering what would happen if he stepped up to the Arab street and said, simply, that he apologizes on the behalf of the American people for the abhorrent treatment of the prisoners, and that those responsible would be punished.
Has he ever apologized for anything in his life? I just wonder. Perhaps being a Bush means never having to say you’re sorry.