Iraq abuse 'ordered from the top'

[The Sushi Bandit]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3806713.stm

The US commander at the centre of the Iraqi prisoner scandal says she was told to treat detainees like dogs.

Brig Gen Janis Karpinski told the BBC she was being made a "convenient scapegoat" for abuse ordered by others.

[LeftHander]

1. DIng...fries are done

That is it.

game over for Rummy....

Violated very US Torture statue he used to justify policy.

[candy331]

2. Finally learned that the compassionate conservatives

eat babies, huh Janice.

[AndyTiedye]

3. Not as long as it Only Gets Reported Overseas

[The Stranger]

4. No coverage in the New YorkTimes and other outlets.

This might as well be buried. The BBC just doesn't have the circulation in the U.S. to make a difference.

[papau]

6. Wash Post is carrying Reuters version on net - but inside paper???

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4829239.html

Accused contractor at Abu Ghraib says guards told to keep prisoners awake
Matt Kelley, Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42454-2004Jun15.html

Abu Ghraib General Says Told Prisoners 'Like Dogs'

Reuters
Tuesday, June 15, 2004; 5:56 AM


LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. general in charge of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was told by a military intelligence commander that detainees should be treated like dogs, she said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

[Kid_A]

It's a shame that the facts have an anti-Bush bias...

Now it's up to the American media to make some shit up, just to keep things Fair and Balanced.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. This was evident from the testimoney of Rummy and Meyers

I remember watching the hearings (had a heck of a time find the transcripts, btw). Anyway, I distinctly remembered either Rummy or Meyers stating that they (Pentagon top) had sent in Miller because he had cleaned up and done some a faboo job at Gitmo. Here's the testimony:
http://www.4law.co.il/rum1.htm
"SESSIONS: Yes, I'd just like to ask you a little bit about it because our time is short.

But as I see back in August of last year, you appointed an assessment team. Is that right? Long before this occurred.

MYERS: Right. As I said in my opening statement, I think we ought to have a lot of confidence in our military leadership, handling the detention situation in Iraq.

It was on 11 August that General Sanchez was worried about detention and interrogation ops, and that resulted in General Ryder going over there and submitting a report.

We, kind of, pushed General Miller on him in August of '03, to look -- because he was so successful in Guantanamo, look at our detention operations to make sure we're doing it right. And that we're also -- that it's well-connected, that the intel is getting to the analysts and so forth, so we can win this...

I don't know about Karpinski being a scapegoat. I'm still holding judgement on her depth of culpability and knowledge. Her statements aren't beginning to wash with me. In one interview with claiming she had no idea she tried supporting the claim with the assertion that not even other soldiers eating and sleeping with the accused abusers knew what was going on. Now, we've come to learn that others did know and complained about it...to no avail, but they did know and said something.

[Redhead488]

7. She is culpable

The soldiers who carried out the torture and humiliation were under HER command. If they took orders from someone NOT in their chain of command, she is to blame for that as well: poor training and oversight. If she had been doing her damn job, she might have been able to prevent some of this. Where are her official protests up her chain of command at not having total control of the jail? Where are her statements to superiors that she disagreed with the amount of control in HER prison being granted to military intelligence? At the VERY least she should have been courtmartialed for dereliction of duty.

[Moderator]

8. Duplicate topic, please discuss here, thanks

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=623119