http://joatmoaf.typepad.com/i_love_jet_noise/2004/05/military_not_cb.html"For a sense of proportion, let's rehearse the timeline here. While some accusations of abuse go back to 2002 in Afghanistan, the incidents at Abu Ghraib that triggered this week's news occurred last autumn. They came to light through the chain of command in Iraq on January 13. An Army criminal probe began a day later. Two days after that, the U.S. Central Command disclosed in a press release that "an investigation has been initiated into reported incidents of detainee abuse at a Coalition Forces detention facility." By March 20, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt was able to announce in Baghdad that criminal charges had been brought against six soldiers in the probe.
By the end of January, meanwhile, Major General Antonio Taguba was appointed to conduct his separate "administrative" probe of procedures at Abu Ghraib. It is his report, complete with its incriminating photos, that is the basis for the past week's news reports. The press didn't break this story based on months of sleuthing but was served up the results of the Army's own investigation.
By February, the Secretary of the Army had ordered the service's inspector general to assess the doctrine and training for detention operations within all of CentCom. A month after that, another probe began into Army Reserve training, especially military police and intelligence. Those reports will presumably also be leaked and reported on, or at least they will be if they reach negative conclusions.
Tempting as it is to want abuse of this kind exposed immediately, it is also important to ensure that it is investigated - and that the information that is released is accurate - especially as the matter is so inflammatory. Lives are at stake. Investigations often throw up conflicting, contradictory, and even inaccurate information in their early stages. It is not wrong to investigate first, and report only once a more accurate picture of events has been obtained. In fact, in wartime I would argue that this is crucial.
There must be full accounting and disclosure of what has transpired at Abu Ghraib, but what we need to get to are the facts, not speculation. And that is what the military has been trying to determine ever since they uncovered evidence of the abuse. Now we need to decide what to do about it."
The government knew about this for MONTHS folks - MONTHS. Bush has once again lied to the American people and to the world. I know I shouldn't be shocked, but I am outraged, because the Dems need to start pointing out these discrepancies and calling him on his lies!
Send Rush Packing
http://www.geocities.com/sendhimpacking/Coming Soon: Send them ALL packing!