Senate report blames abuse on top Bush Administration officials

December 14, 1:45 PMProgressive Politics ExaminerJay McDonough

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Shortly after the atrocities of Abu Ghraib were reported, and the subsequent public revulsion to the stories and photos that emerged, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld issued the following statement:

"These events occurred on my watch. As secretary of defense, I am accountable for them. I take full responsibility. It is my obligation to evaluate what happened, to make sure those who have committed wrongdoing are brought to justice, and to make changes as needed to see that it doesn't happen again. I feel terrible about what happened to these Iraqi detainees. They are human beings. They were in U.S. custody. Our country had an obligation to treat them right. We didn't do that. That was wrong. To those Iraqis who were mistreated by members of U.S. armed forces, I offer my deepest apology. It was un-American. And it was inconsistent with the values of our nation." 

The Bush Administration, including the president, went into damage control mode and cast a group of American servicemen and women who participated in the abuse at Abu Ghraib as "rotten apples", acting on their own and in violation not only of American military rules but of long held and deeply regarded American principles. 

The NY Times reported the abuse at Abu Ghraib included:

• Urinating on detainees
• Jumping on detainee's leg (a limb already wounded by gunfire) with such force that it could not thereafter heal properly
• Continuing by pounding detainee's wounded leg with collapsible metal baton
• Pouring phosphoric acid on detainees
• Sodomization of detainees with a baton
• Tying ropes to the detainees' legs or penises and dragging them across the floor.

Twelve U.S. soldiers were convicted of various crimes related to the abuse at Abu Ghraib.

We know now that the torture at Abu Ghraib was not the work of some deranged "rotten apples" on the night shift at the prison.  Well documented evidence that a policy of torture and abuse was developed and condoned by the Bush Administration is abundant; released memos, testimony of key participants in the policy, FBI personnel internal documents, and exhaustively researched journalism articles and books.  The Bush Administration policies were designed not only to sanction the use of torture but to use subterfuge to hide the policy's architects culpability.  That principles, such as Mr. Rumsfeld, would allow some rag tag group of American night shift soldiers to take the fall while maintaining their own lack of responsiblity is offensive and cowardly.

Last week, a bipartisan panel of senators concluded the abuse of detainees stemmed directly from Bush Administration policy.

In the most comprehensive critique by Congress of the military's interrogation practices, the Senate Armed Services Committee issued a report yesterday that accuses Rumsfeld and his deputies of being the authors and chief promoters of harsh interrogation policies that disgraced the nation and undermined U.S. security. The report, released by Sens.  Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) and  John McCain (R-Ariz.), contends that Pentagon officials later tried to create a false impression that the policies were unrelated to acts of detainee abuse committed by members of the military.

"The fact is that senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees."  (Link)

So, as we're deluged with reports about the sleazy governor of Illinois and whether he, in fact, broke any laws or was just being a dumb, boastful buffoon, it's worth noting that clear evidence links the highest levels of the Bush Administration with war crimes that have strengthened our enemies and placed Americans lives at risk.