As I'm sure you know, a new set of photos has surfaced, first on Australian TV and now in Salon.
Old news, old news, says Rumsfeld.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, testifying Thursday on Capitol Hill, said the soldiers responsible for the Abu Ghraib abuses have been "punished for the behavior that was unacceptable."
But who created the climate in which those soldiers thought the abuses would be tolerated, Rummy? The "bad apples" argument is wearing a little thin, in light of stories like this.
Waivers, which are generally approved at the Pentagon, allow recruiters to sign up men and women who otherwise would be ineligible for service because of legal convictions, medical problems or other reasons preventing them from meeting minimum standards.
The article goes on to document instances of soldiers with drug convictions, assault, and other crimes being recruited into the Army. This isn't exactly "the few, the proud, the Marines" anymore.
(Both of those stories are from Salon, so watch the ad to get to them.)
Update: If you can't be bothered to watch the ad at Salon, some of the pictures are here. Don't click that link if you've got a weak stomach. The pictures are graphic, they're ugly, and they make me ashamed to be an American, and even more ashamed that the clowns that did this wore a similar uniform to the one I once did.
Posted by Linkmeister at February 16, 2006 02:48 PM | TrackBack