June 17, 2007

Abu Ghraib

Well, as if we weren't pretty sure already, the man who was charged with investigating prisoner abuse there, Major General Antonio Taguba, now says that the orders to mistreat detainees at the Iraqi prison came from higher-ups at the Pentagon.

From the WaPo via Josh Marshall:

Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba said that he felt mocked and shunned by top Pentagon officials, including then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, after filing an exhaustive report on the now-notorious Abu Ghraib abuse that sparked international outrage and led to an overhaul of the U.S. interrogation and detention policies. Taguba's report examining the 800th Military Police Brigade put in plain terms what had been documented in shocking photographs.

In interviews with New Yorker reporter Seymour M. Hersh, Taguba said that he was ordered to limit his investigation to low-ranking soldiers who were photographed with the detainees and the soldiers' unit, but that it was always his sense that the abuse was ordered at higher levels. Taguba was quoted as saying that he thinks top commanders in Iraq had extensive knowledge of the aggressive interrogation techniques that mirrored those used on high-value detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that the military police "were literally being exploited by the military interrogators."

Taguba also said that Rumsfeld misled Congress when he testified in May 2004 about the abuse investigation, minimizing how much he knew about the incidents. Taguba said that he met with Rumsfeld and top aides the day before the testimony.

No wonder our leaders refused to sign on to the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction.

How do they look themselves in the eye when shaving?

Update: Hersh's article.

Posted by Linkmeister at June 17, 2007 12:59 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Can American citizens petition The Hague to have their own president, Vice President, and other members of the government tried as war criminals?

Might be something someone wants to consider.

Posted by: Curmudgeon at June 17, 2007 01:31 PM

As I understand it, the ICC only has jurisdiction when a country's courts are deemed incapable of trying the accused; I don't think that's gonna happen, regrettably.

Posted by: Linkmeister at June 17, 2007 02:30 PM

How do they look themselves in the eye before shaving? Easy. Thery go to the barber, who does the shaving for them.

Posted by: Serge at June 18, 2007 07:27 AM