Defense Department set the agenda for prison scandal
BEHAVIOR like that which occurred at Abu Ghraib prison depends on enabling conditions being set and is not a result of "a few bad apples." Those in the upper echelons of the Defense Department set the conditions for the violation of human rights. Early on, this Defense Department indicated that some people did not deserve basic human rights and dignity. International standards such as the Geneva Conventions would not apply, though the criteria for identifying this "other" class of people remain murky. Once unencumbered by international norms and our own cultural values, the Army reversed policy and practice by allowing the use of prison guards in the interrogation process and placing military prisons under the control of military intelligence.
As the prison scandal erupted, General Richard Myers and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appear most interested in ignoring the obvious, with perhaps some futile hope of covering it up. Myers, chair of the Joint Chiefs, knew that this was a big deal in January, and later that it was a big enough deal to ask CBS to delay breaking the story. Yet incredibly, Myers did not read the Taguba report or view the photos until just before the congressional hearings. Rumsfeld knew it was a big deal and is sure he mentioned it to the president, though he doesn't recall what he said. Rumsfeld met with Myers daily but did not discuss these incidents because the true import was not apparent until he saw the pictures. He needed photos? What is it about torture that he does not understand? I have no doubt that Rumsfeld deeply regrets just about everything but the torture itself. He is sorry that Congress and the press don't understand that all this was communicated in January, February, and March; sorry -- actually, annoyed -- that somebody was taking photos, although this may have been part of the official interrogation technique; sorry that there is a 24-hour news cycle that elevated something so trivial to national attention; sorry -- actually, angry -- that the Taguba report was leaked "illegally," and sorry that he did not do a better job of communicating to Congress. He is sorry that this abomination was discovered.
The slippery slope began with the creation of a class of people who are not entitled to the human rights, dignity, and fairness outlined in the Geneva Convention. The slope has led to disaster. Rumsfeld should resign.
ANN and TOM KENNEY South Dartmouth 