Pres. Obama says torture happened because we were 'afraid,' ignoring those who stood up against it

[BlueMTexpat]

12. Another name that should be featured in the OP

is that of the VERY brave Major General Antonio Taguba.

In 2004, Taguba was assigned to report on abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In May of that year, he published an extremely critical report that was leaked to the public.[10] Later that month, Major General Taguba was reassigned to the Pentagon to serve as deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness, training and mobilization in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.[9] Describing his thoughts upon being informed by John Abizaid a few weeks after the leak that he and his report would be investigated, Taguba said "I’d been in the Army thirty-two years by then, and it was the first time that I thought I was in the Mafia."[10]

In January 2006, General Richard A. Cody, the Army's Vice-Chief of Staff, instructed Taguba to retire by the following January. No official explanation was given; Taguba himself believes his forced retirement was ordered by civilian Pentagon officials in retaliation for his report on abuse of prisoners.[10] Taguba's retirement, effective January 1, 2007, ended a 34-year career of military service.[7]

More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Taguba

I am very disappointed in the President's remarks, which do a great disservice to all those who risked their careers - or had them prematurely ended - simply for reporting this.

So far as I am concerned, the chapter can never be closed until all Bush Administration war criminals have answered for their crimes.