Ted, Because Bush and Rummie are playing dumb doesn't mean we can't point a finger. It seems politicians are becoming infamous for not admitting their guilt.
Of course Bush and Rumsfeld know more than they are admitting to. How much more, however, is a matter of debate. My opinion is that they had no specific knowledge of what was going on in Abu Ghraib because they're way too high up on the chain of command. They might have heard the reports of prisoner abuses early on and decided it wasn't worth pursuing until now, but that's about it.
Its possible that Bush was shielded from the happenings at Abu Ghraib but Rummie was getting direct reports. And when the spectacle was discovered by an Army investigator, why did Rummie sit on the story, requiring the WA Post to break it instead of him?
I guarantee you, however, that Bush's most vocal opponents weren't kept in the dark regarding these reports, either. That's why when it comes down to it, the whole thing is going to blow over by quiet mutual agreement by both the Bush administration and the Democrats who are responsible for oversight into this mess.
Seriously, how would the Dems know........the report was plugged in Rummies office. It would require a leak in his office for the Dems to know. Do you think there was a leak?
I might agree with you if Abu Graib were an isolated event......it was not. Similar tactics were used in Afghanistan and Gitmo but not to the degree of those used in Abu Ghraib
Actually, that's exactly why I think the CIA was involved, because these acts don't seem to be isolated to Abu Ghraib. You seem to think it's Bush's fault because it all happened under his watch, but then again, so did the war on terrorism. The only thing I could imagine Bush doing is telling George Tenet, "You have a job to do, so do it," which of course could be taken any number of ways, especially by a known bureaucrat.
Are you telling me that Bush did not know that Rummie had baulked at following the Geneva Conventions? By reputing the Conventions, we were able to perpetrate the behavior at Abu Ghraib. And trust me, very few neocons were upset that Iraqis were treated in that fashion; they only thing that disturbed them is all the bad press Bush got over the issue.
And I bet you that Rummie sees nothing wrong with what was done. To him, all's fair in love and war.
ted |
