Battle over where buck stops in abuse claims

The abuse of Iraqi prisoners caused enough concern that the US President, George Bush, was told about an investigation during the northern winter holidays, White House officials have said. Within months, the scandal cost the military career of a reserve army general and several other officers.

Now Washington insiders are asking how high the blame will reach. With outrage growing over the mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib, the military's main prison in Iraq, accountability is a key issue.

Mid-level military officers implicated in the case are accusing superiors of trying to avoid responsibility. In Washington, politicians are complaining of not being informed of the military's investigation and are planning to conduct their own.

Until Tuesday, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, said they had not read an investigative report on the matter. Mr Rumsfeld said he had seen a summary and recommendations from the investigation. Mr Bush has not read it.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/05/1083635207614.html

This administration would never have told the American people about this.

Moreover, that would be the word that describes much of what this administration has done: COVER UP!!!!

Even selected presidents and their administrations are not allowed to cover up stuff.

Of course, this particular administration has covered up so much shit, it's hard to even get a handle on all of it.

before something or combination of things will bring them down.
We are looking at a widening cascade of errors.
It may be beyond control already.
one can only hope.

that little fact is pretty damning. Difficult for even the republicans to paper it over,
though they will try.

sites on the internet, nobody would have known about this (except Chimpy and Co, of course, and for some reason they hadn't gotten around to mentioning it yet....)

There's always a report that someone claims not to have read.

understandable....his brain has been so severely marginalized by coke and booze that he can't concentrate.....poor george

Sounds familiar: the traditional Bushista excuse.

Actually, sounds like dereliction of duty to me.

And so on up the chain from them, to the Buckpasser-in-Chief.

but I can't see mugging for the camera like those soldiers did if they thought there was any chance that their superiors didn't either condone or at least tolerate what they were doing.

The question is how far up the ladder does it go.

how the photos actually surfaced? Was it someone involved bragging, or a disgusted associate?

<<The photos were made public Wednesday, yet Myers said Sunday that he and Rumsfeld hadn't read the report on the alleged incidents at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (news - web sites). Asked again Tuesday, Rumsfeld said he has now read the executive summary and that he had asked to see the pictures earlier but they were not available in the Pentagon building.


Bush learned of the allegations sometime after the Pentagon began its investigation in late January and first saw the pictures when they became public, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Tuesday. He said Bush learned of the classified report only after it was reported by the news media. >>

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&ncid=718&e=10&u=/ap/20040505/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/prisoners_who_noticed

with her lawyer spinning like mad. I didn't trust her or anything she said.

Today, I read the MSNBC transcript of the AR 15-6 investigation. This woman should never have been placed in a position of responsibility over wayward dogs or even a trout farm, let alone a Brigade of soldiers and thousands of Iraqi prisoners.

The Army lives by four fundamental issues: Courage, Candor, Competence, and Commitment. Let's review the tape:

Courage: This is both moral and physical courage. I make no comment on her physical courage, as I have no description of her performance thereunder. But Moral Courage is that abiltiy to stand forth and take responsibiility for one's actions. She fails utterly.

Candor: Telling the truth and being straight forward. Again, she fails utterly.

Competence: We wouldn't be discussing her were she competent. Her actions and lack thereof regarding commanding are beyond belief.

Commitment: She is totally, at least in my perspective, commited to the furtherance of herself. No one else.

To every person ever under this person's authority, my most since apologies on behalf of serving members and veterans across America.

The administration is trying to lay this on her.

I don't blame her for being defensive.

The Truth will come out. It always does!

...."Until Tuesday, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, said they had not read an investigative report on the matter."

...."Mr Rumsfeld said he had seen a summary and recommendations from the investigation. Mr Bush has not read it."


Stories are circulated accusing the DOD of knowing about the atrocities since last Nov..

Six months have gone by and no one alerted the President?

Are the American people supposed to buy another Bad Intelligence 911 "I didn't know?" explanation?

From Senator Byrd:

"It is not clear at this point who should
be held to account," Senator Byrd said.
"No one has stepped forward to take responsibility
for the conditions in Iraqi prisons.
Instead, fingers are being pointed in every direction.
With whom does this buck stop?"