Iraqi prison probe dominates news

By Carol Devine-Molin
web posted May 10, 2004

Excuses failed to resonate over fifty years ago in the aftermath of
World War II, and they'll certainly fail to resonate in today's
world. No, the Iraqi prison probe is certainly not the Nuremberg
Trials. However, the human capacity for rationalizing criminal
actions never seems to diminish. The assertions made by family,
friends, attorneys and even some politicos that the American
soldiers charged with Iraqi prisoner abuse were "just following
orders" -- purportedly issued by military intelligence, the CIA, or
civilian contractors conducting interrogations -- are not going to
float legally or in the court of public opinion.

Soldiers have sworn to abide by the Uniform Code of Military
Justice and the various Geneva conventions. If an order is
unlawful, a soldier is duty-bound to report it. Atrocious assaults
and other forms of vile abuse against Iraqi detainees are clearly
not within the realm of acceptable behaviors of our troops. If
interrogations of Iraqi prisoners are required, they need to be
conducted exclusively by experts. Our troops must not be
tasked with "softening up" detainees for interrogation -- that's
patently wrong.

On January 13, 2004, a member of the 800th Military Police
Brigade informed his superiors about Iraqi prisoner mistreatment,
which was promptly relayed to Pentagon officials and Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. On January 14, the U.S.
commander in Iraq, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, initiated a
criminal investigation. Despite the carping by critics of the military
and the Iraq war itself, there is no question that the American
command moved rapidly forward to address these very serious
matters. And although the criminality in question is a "stain on our
country's honor and our country's reputation," it's still vital to
note that a minuscule segment of the military is implicated in these
unsavory actions. Moreover, the sexual nature of many of the
crimes or alleged crimes is especially noteworthy, which clearly
calls for an extra measure of scrutiny by the military.

Army Pfc. Lynndie England, 21 years of age, who has emerged
as a sort of poster-girl for the scandalous behaviors under
discussion, has since been charged with assaulting prisoners and
conspiring to mistreat them. The photo of England dragging a
naked detainee by a leash is surely one of the most infuriating
depictions to emerge in this tragedy -- It epitomizes the wanton
and sadistic behaviors that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
has referenced in recent remarks. Moreover, Rumsfeld has
warned of additional photos and tapes of prisoner mistreatment
that will soon surface in the media. My hunch is that the shock is
quickly wearing thin, and that subsequent images of detainee
abuse will fail to have the same impact as the initial ones
garnered.

President Bush, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and various military
bigwigs have more than issued numerous mea culpas -- They
have vowed to fully investigate the malfeasance, prosecute the
wrongdoers, address underlying problems, and attempt to make
the victims whole. In sum, the Bush administration and the
American military have exhibited moral clarity on this entire issue
of the prison probe. Furthermore, individual accountability,
proper training and proper oversight are all considered part of
the mix to improve the Iraqi prison milieu.

Clearly, world opinion was enflamed by this scandal, particularly
since one of the overarching reasons for "regime change" was to
ensure human rights for all Iraqis. America is not perfect -- we
never claimed to be. However, the hallmark of a civilized society
is our response to barbarity and abuses, and our efforts to
redress wrongdoing. America, as the world's only superpower,
continues to demonstrate true leadership despite difficult
circumstances. It's important for the global community to
consider that when America's enemies commit atrocities against
our civilians and soldiers, apologies and attempts to make
amends are very rarely forthcoming.
 
The question du jour throughout the media seems to be "Can
Rumsfeld survive this scandal? " In my opinion, undoubtedly yes.
Polling seems to indicate that about seventy percent of
Americans want Donald Rumsfeld to remain Secretary of
Defense. Most Americans are cognizant that Rumsfeld has
performed magnificently during this "war on terror." Removing
Rumsfeld would not only be a victory for the terrorists, but for
the political opponents of President Bush.

Carol Devine-Molin is a regular contributor to several online
magazines.

Enter Stage Right -- http://www.enterstageright.com