Sen Kennedy: Abu Ghraib Worst Fall From Grace In US History-But Admin Avoids Responsibility For It.

[kpete]

Ghosts of Abu Ghraib

The familiar and disturbing pictures of torture at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison raise many troubling questions: How did torture become an accepted practice at Abu Ghraib? Did U.S. government policies make it possible? How much damage has the aftermath of Abu Ghraib had on America's credibility as a defender of freedom and human rights around the world? Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy looks beyond the headlines to investigate the psychological and political context in which torture occurred.

Premieres Thursday, February 22 at 9:30pm.


http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/ghostsofabughraib/index.html


Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
02.20.2007
Abu Ghraib and American Moral Authority

................

The images of cruelty and perversion are still difficult to look at. An Iraqi prisoner in a dark hood and cape, standing on a cardboard box with electrodes attached to his body. Naked men forced to simulate sex acts on each other. The corpse of a man who had been beaten to death, lying in ice, next to soldiers smiling and giving a "thumbs up" sign. A pool of blood from the wounds of a naked, prisoner attacked by a military dog.

These images are seared into our national conscience. The reports of
widespread abuse by U.S. personnel were initially met with disbelief, then incomprehension. They stand in sharp contrast to the ideals America has always stood for: our belief in the dignity and worth of all people, our unequivocal rejection of torture and abuse, our commitment to the rule of law. The images horrified us, and severely damaged America's reputation in the Middle East and around the world, and made the war on terrorism harder to win.

It may well be the steepest and deepest fall from grace in our history. Yet at every opportunity, the Administration has tried to minimize the problem and avoid responsibility for it.

They call it the work of "a few bad apples"--all conveniently lower-rank soldiers--in a desperate effort to emphasize the role of senior military officials in exposing the scandal and insulate the civilian leadership from responsibility.

more at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-edward-m-kennedy-/abu-ghraib-and-american-m_b_41700.html

[patrice]

1. How do you explain doing such things AND taking picturs of your crimes?

Blackmail? Is it possible some intelligence contractor had the bright idea that they could blackmail the Iraqi population into cooperation by threatening a number of the men with pictorial "proof" of what they were going to claim were their perversions.

The whole thing just seems so crazy, un-explainable, and maybe I just don't believe that our troops would do that sort of thing just for fun.

[Nabia2004]

6. Yes blackmail, according to British Special Forces officer interviewed...

when the story first broke. By photographing Iraqis' in compromising "positions", once released, they would have ready informants at their command.

I'll see if I can find the articles, but no promises.

[patrice]

7. I would like that cite very much.

I've been suggesting blackmail for a few years now, and I know it sounds "too far fetched" to a lot of people.

But something just doesn't make sense here. I know War is crazy, but the Troops just aren't THAT weird, not that many of them, not that particular strain of pathology and if there did happen to be that many psychos at abu Ghraib - WHAT IN HELL were they doing photographing and video-taping all of this stuff?

I know it's probably dangerous to say it, but I think the Army got some very bad psy-ops advice. Where did that come from?

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. The republicans have always downplayed the whole thing.

Like it was nothing.

[Toots]

3. Downplayed??? They are OUTRAGED..outraged at the outrage over it...

Senator Inhofe.....

[cadmium]

4. Outraged!! you're right. That's because they got caught. It is the same

with their lack of enthusiasm about the Saddam hanging after it didn't turn out to be the public relations coup the thought it would be.

[AikidoSoul]

5. If we fail to impeach those who enabled torture - then we have lost America's soul, and betrayed

our country's promise to the world and to ourselves

The very thought that these people will go unpunished is too abhorrent to bear.

Unless we punish these criminals we will never be able to begin to cleanse ourselves.

[Solly Mack]

8. Bush Inc will NEVER "take responsibility" for it

This isn't about asking/expecting war criminals to take responsibility for their war crimes, it's about holding the war criminals accountable regardless of what they take responsibility for...

Who gives a fuck what they take responsibility for? It's not as if a "the buck stops here" moment would exonerate them of their crimes...it's not as if an apology would exonerate them of their crimes...

The idea that claiming to take responsibility somehow equates to accountability is bullshit and a lot of politicians seem to think it means the same...

Not saying Kennedy equates the two...just saying the idea is promoted among a lot of politicians.

Pols say "I take responsibility for (whatever)" and suddenly that makes it right?

I don't fucking think so.

[Mandate My Ass]

9. those were neither simulated electrodes nor simulated sex acts

all of it is real, and it's torture NOT ABUSE.