One year ago today, Dan Rather presented the world with unspeakable photographs taken by American soldiers serving in Iraq. The photographs provided dramatic, disgusting evidence that the US military was physically and sexually abusing people in Iraq. We saw smiling American soldiers forcing people to pile naked on top of one another; we saw hooded and blindfolded people threatened with snarling attack dogs,we saw people led around on leashes; and we all remember the hooded man with electrodes connected to his testicles and fingertips.
The world was shocked.
See, despite all the tough talk before the Iraq war started, the world really had hope for America to do something good in Iraq. Even though the war's justification was based on lies, even though Iraq had never attacked the US, even though the President failed to create a real coalition -- the world held on to a glimmer of hope that that America would step up and do this right. They'd be better than Saddam, at least, right?
The photos brought those hopes crashing to the ground. No. America is no better than Saddam, after all.
And in the battle for hearts and minds, it would have been very helpful to see some shock and awe from the White House at the spectacle of its own failure. Instead, President Bush chose to minimize the significance of this scandal. He chose not to punish those at the top of the chain of command. He chose to put all the blame on the people at the bottom. He chose not to apologize. Really, he chose not to say or do much of anything at all.
After seeing Bush's non-reaction, the world fully accepted what it had hoped wasn't true -- that America really was just like any other warmonger. The lofty idea that America's army was better than invading armies of the past was completely quashed. That's when shock turned to utter outrage. Hearts and minds around the world hardened.
One year on, we still don't have a full accounting of what happened not only at Abu Ghraib but what appears to be a pattern of American torture around the world. Just today, the US military finally announced new guidelines for "interviewing," but the policy of sending prisoners to known torturers continues. If we want to be the greatest nation on the earth -- and we can be -- then we need to get serious about it. Where's the outrage, America? Where are all of you "moral values" conservatives on this one?
The world was shocked.
See, despite all the tough talk before the Iraq war started, the world really had hope for America to do something good in Iraq. Even though the war's justification was based on lies, even though Iraq had never attacked the US, even though the President failed to create a real coalition -- the world held on to a glimmer of hope that that America would step up and do this right. They'd be better than Saddam, at least, right?
The photos brought those hopes crashing to the ground. No. America is no better than Saddam, after all.
And in the battle for hearts and minds, it would have been very helpful to see some shock and awe from the White House at the spectacle of its own failure. Instead, President Bush chose to minimize the significance of this scandal. He chose not to punish those at the top of the chain of command. He chose to put all the blame on the people at the bottom. He chose not to apologize. Really, he chose not to say or do much of anything at all.
After seeing Bush's non-reaction, the world fully accepted what it had hoped wasn't true -- that America really was just like any other warmonger. The lofty idea that America's army was better than invading armies of the past was completely quashed. That's when shock turned to utter outrage. Hearts and minds around the world hardened.
One year on, we still don't have a full accounting of what happened not only at Abu Ghraib but what appears to be a pattern of American torture around the world. Just today, the US military finally announced new guidelines for "interviewing," but the policy of sending prisoners to known torturers continues. If we want to be the greatest nation on the earth -- and we can be -- then we need to get serious about it. Where's the outrage, America? Where are all of you "moral values" conservatives on this one?
"The photos brought those hopes crashing to the ground. No. America is no better than Saddam, after all."
Erik, seriously now. I mean, I know that you have to bring something up because it's the anniversary of the event, and you're liberal and you're bored, and you have little else to write about, but come on. You're taking it just a little too far. Even you know better than to say that.
To quote your hero, "That's baloney, Erik."
Ian
"If we want to be the greatest nation on the earth -- and we can be -- then we need to get serious about it. Where's the outrage, America? Where are all of you "moral values" conservatives on this one?"
I'm right here, Erik. Tell me in great detail exactly what you'd like to do to resolve the issue. I'm more than willing to listen. Abu Ghraib was a black eye for the military and the country, but what happened there and interrogation of prisoners and war criminals has little in common.
Interrogation is sometimes necessary in times of war - and sometimes even in times of peace - to get information from the enemy. Frankly, unless we intercept enemy transmissions, I can't think of a better method for extracting important information.
Explain to me what method you'd prefer to use other than interrogation in order to extract information from the enemy. Putting them up in five-star hotels will not break their resolve, I promise you.
Ian
Ian, as always, excellent comments. Thanks for the constructive criticism. See my latest post for a full response.
One point of clarification. When I said "America is no better than Saddam," I was refering to the perception that most people in the world and a fair number of Iraqis have of the US since the fall of Baghdad. We have killed just as many civilians as Saddam ever did, and we have tortured, just as Saddam did. Do I believe that we're just as bad as Saddam? No. But a lot of people in the world do. IN the battle for "hearts and minds," we're losing badly. And that's Bush's fight -- he's our chief representative. And he blew it on this one, big time. That's my point there.
And as for "breaking their resolve," using 5-star hotels isn't necessary, but being nice to prisoners is remarkably better than attaching their testicles to electrodes. See my latest post and check your military history for more on that.
You are the man,
Erik