Bush: Iraq prisoner abuse is "wrongdoing of a few"

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07349363.htm

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said on Saturday images of abuse and humiliation at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad represented the "wrongdoing of a few" as he sought to quell worldwide outrage over the scandal.

Bush's comments in his weekly radio address came a day after embattled U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned in congressional testimony that more damaging images of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners might be published.

The president's attempt to play down the extent of wrongdoing conflicts with an International Committee of the Red Cross report that mistreatment, sometimes close to torture, was rife and may have been condoned by U.S. forces.

Photographs in the media last week showed U.S. soldiers grinning as they posed with naked Iraqi prisoners shown in humiliating positions.

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[DenverDem]

1. "wrongdoing of a few" AT THE TOP

who set the tone for the organization.

bushler, rummy, perle et al

[0007]

2. Start looking toward the Carlyle Group with offices

just down the street from the White House on Pennsylvania ave.

[Webster Green]

3. Thats our story and we're sticking to it!........

Uh.......unless those other photos and those videotapes come out.

[nodictators]

4. Another Bush lie, as we see from the article:

Red Cross director Pierre Kraehenbuehl said in Geneva on Friday that the group's visits to detention centers in Iraq between March and November 2003 had found mistreatment that was "in some incidents tantamount to torture."

"What we have described is part of a pattern and a broad system," Kraehenbuehl said.

Invasion -- Occupation -- Subjugation

[The empressof all]

5. Once Again

This is the standard Bush-Republican response and refusal to accept any responsibility for their policies. This war was created by them. The anger and hostility towards the em-prisioned was encouraged by their leadership. Their spokespeople continue to fan the fires of hatred.

Excuse me but they make me want to puke

[boxster]

6. It may truly be the wrongdoing of a few....

but it's the responsibility of all, including the chain of command, all the way to Rumsfeld, if not further.

With video and hundreds of pictures, it's quite obvious that this behavior was discouraged by no one. That makes it the responsibility of the entire military culture.

[Merlin]

7. This is why WE MUST MAKE THE CONNECTION TO POLICIES !

This stuff will not stick to Bush unless we make it perfectly clear to the media and the public that there is a direct connection between failed Bush policies and these torture abuses.

Those policies include pronouncements:

1. that detainees "do not have any rights" under the Geneva Conventions, which are "outdated",

2. that there will be no formal hearings to determine whether detainees are prisoners of war or unlawful combatants (as GCs require),

3. that Army regulations on the interrogation of prisoners no longer apply,

4. that detainees may be held incommunicado,

5. that detainees may be deprived of legal representation, even if they are US citizens,

6. that, after waiving previous standards of conduct, no new rules were put in place to ensure against violations of conduct.

The point is there is a direct connection between the policies of this misadministration and the abuses that occurred. That point needs to be made clear to the American people. The media is not doing it.

We must be the ones to do it!

Write letters to the editor. Contact media. Call in to talk shows, CSPAN, etc. We must not let Bush off the hook!

[sandnsea]

8. Iraq vs. Gitmo

I don't think they set out the same rules for both of them. I think the Iraqi's were considered POW's, from what I've read. Do you have something that says different, cuz we have to get every detail right on this and I'd really like to get it straight in my own mind.

[Merlin]

10. Oh, all right. There go several hours googling!

I suppose you're right. I'm hoping some industrious journalist will do the work. But I guess it must be done by those of us who are motivated to do so.

[sandnsea]

11. No, you don't have to

You made those comments and I just figured it was based on gathered information. I just asked if you were sure those comments were made in regards to Iraq, or just Gitmo. That's all. If you don't know, you don't know. I'm capable of googling on my own.

[Merlin]

20. Thank you. Thank you.

I got much of it from the WaPo editorial last week, but it didn't have references. Whatever you can find, I will be very grateful if you will post it. I feel this is exceptionally important work.

[central scrutinizer]

15. also point out the hypocrisy

When Abu Ghraib was in Iraqi hands, the systematic torture of prisoners by Saddam's army was Saddam's fault and has become the raison du jour for why we invaded (since all of the other reasons have been exposed as lies). Now systematic torture is going on under Bush's army and they want it to be the army's fault. Both regimes have sanctioned torture and in both cases, the guilt lies at the top.

[cliss]

18. That's such a good point, CS.

When it was Saddam, everything was his fault. Now, it's the "fault of few", or maybe a lieutenant a little further up.

Also an interesting point is that Bush said that the perpetrators "must be innocent until proven guilty". What about the people being held in the Abu Ghraib prison? Some have been there a long time, under what charges?

[cliss]

17. Merlin, how interesting that you

mention the Geneva Convention. I was listening to Rummy's testimony yesterday on the radio. Randi Rhodes was playing it live on Air America Radio. Rummy kept repeating that the guards were "adhering to the Geneva Convention", they followed the established rules, etc etc.

I thought he was the one who said they wouldn't apply anymore?

[Merlin]

24. Exactly!

Not only did they abrogate the Geneva Conventions for our side, they failed to put any substitute rules in place. They have reaped what they have sown.

[Mz Pip]

9. Wrong doing of a few.

Well, we'll have to see about that. This scandal is just beginning and more will come out. I suppose it will all come down to what the meaning of "a few" is.

MzPip
:dem:

[ScrewyRabbit]

12. "wrongdoing of a few" -- yeah, and the insurgents

are just a few "dead-enders".

First they deny anything is wrong, and when that's no longer tenable they downgrade numbers. Next they'll try to change the subject.

[bluedog]

13. and just how

would the idiot in chief know? He claims he hadn't seen the pictures until TV....he says they started investigating in Jan or Feb...just how come this slipped his feeble mind? He's only pissed because he got caught....and if he didn't know.it proves he is unfit to be resident!!

[Gemini Cat]

19. Amazing how much slips through/past his feeble mind.

That's to be expected when the resident never reads a newspaper and his advisers spoon feed him the info.

He knew. He knew right from the start. I agree, he's mad he got caught.

[ConcernedCanuk]

14. hmmm - bad Americans = "wrongdoers"

.
.
.

bad Muslims = "evildoers"

Is this the new Americanese?

Are there no American "evildoers" ?

Must be a decision of that "higher" father that Junior talks to

:freak:

[mn9driver]

16. This response is going to be his undoing.

This thing is way more widespread and endemic to the Gulag system that the Bush administration has created since 9/11. The US holds thousands of prisoners worldwide that are completely outside of any legal framework at all.

Abu Ghraib and Iraq itself, are just the very tip of this gigantic, iceberg sized pustule.

[Moderator]

21. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=540482

[demoman123]

22. This "few bad apples" story is completely disproven here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1212197,00.html

This Guardian story says that the hoods, sexual humiliation, etc., at Abu Ghraib were routine techniques used for pre-interrogation by US and UK.

DU thread here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x539425

[wishlist]

23. With at least 35 investigations underway , blaming a handful is bogus

Latest count I heard on CNN was 35 investigations- it goes up every day. White House correspondent Dana Bash earlier today talked about reporters being unable to get answers to their questions about when and what Bush was told earlier this year and his responses to the reports. Another coverup and another big phony act of being shocked just like he pretended to be so shocked that the events 9/11 could occur.

[Malva Zebrina]

25. He is feigning ignorance

by saying it was only a few who are guilty.

That way, the notion that he did not know anything about it, seems plausable. He has used that "dumb me" approach far too often. It will be the talking point next week, from a lot of his psycho fonts. They will sound absolutely ridiculous. They will do it anyhow. I hope he will not be able to divorce these terrible events from his entire presidency--in other words, well, we are sorry this awful terrible thing happened, and blah blah but look what good things I have done--got rid of the guy who gassed his own people, hunting down the terraists, and blah blah blah--vote for me.

[Whoa_Nelly]

26. Hey, George!

When are you going to say, "The buck stops here. As CIC, I take full responsibility."

In my dreams...

[Jim__]

27. More bush lies!

They took away the safeguards from the interogations. Just by chance?