Think Again: On Officers and Control

by Robert Bateman
May 20, 2004


Dear Eric,


I've been on the road again, more TDY. But that is why I haven't written since this whole prison thing broke. Now that I'm back at home station and have had a little time to digest everything I think that I can answer a few of your questions. This might be longish, so you better grab some coffee - I've got a lot of ground to cover.


First things first though, I have to make sure that you and everyone out there know that what I am about to say is my opinion only. I'm not speaking officially for the Army, or the DoD, or anyone but my own lonesome self. That being said, lemme talk a little about the events at Abu Ghraib, and what has been coming out since then. Maybe this will help some people understand, at least in a narrow sense, how the professional military feels about some of what has been going on and what has been said.


Frankly, and surprising nobody, we're pissed. The most common terms for the prison guards I hear around here are, "the six idiots who lost the war" and "Rush Limbaugh's frat brothers." That last part needs explanation.


Since I was on the road last week and I believe in listening to everyone, I was listening to Limbaugh the other day and heard him talking about Abu Ghraib. What stunned me was that he was actually defending the morons at the prison. Transcripts of what he said have been floating around on e-mail since then. Bottom Line: He was trying to justify the behavior of those prison guards through a combination of saying "that's not so bad" and suggesting that they were just "blowing off steam." Eric, that dog don't hunt.

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=80273