Rumsfeld admits nothing on Al Ghraib

Raw Story article on Rumsfeld denies knowledge of extent of torture used at Abu Ghraib, Major General Antonio Tabuba remembers differently

A general who investigated US troops sexually humiliating Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison said in a report out Saturday that top Pentagon officials denied knowledge of lurid photographs of the acts. Army Major General Antonio Taguba said he met with then secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld and other top officials and described to them some of the contents of a report he had prepared on the notorious prison.

Secretary Rumsfeld testified before Congress the following day that he had no idea of the extent of the abuse.

Taguba told the New Yorker magazine in an interview:

“He’s trying to acquit himself and a lot of people who are lying to protect themselves,” He was referring to Rumsfeld’s May 7, 2004 testimony.

The photographs taken by American jailers humiliating their prisoners.  Images show prisoners posing nude or wearing hoods, on leashes or piled in a pyramid naked. President George W. Bush has said he regretted this about the war, one of few admissions that reflect negatively on his leadership. Taguba described to Rumsfeld what he called “torture” of “a naked detainee lying on the wet floor, handcuffed, with an interrogator shoving things up his rectum” the magazine reported.

So there you have it! Rumsfeld most definitely had no idea what was going on at Al Ghraib. How could he? He was only the Secretary of Defense for the super power United States military.

Anyone remember from a Few Good Men:

Colonel Jessup:You want the truth, you can’t handle the truth!

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I’d prefer you just said thank you and went on your way.

Kaffey: Did you order the code red!

Jessup: You’re God damn right I did! 

Somehow, I don’t believe that Rumsfeld and United States prosecutors will create the same amount of drama.  The magnitude of the deception and lack of accountability in Washington is tremendous, however.  This is more than just some fictional story about marines suffering from a “code red” gone-too-far…

Fred Soto is an Attorney and Entrepreneur from the Silicon Valley.
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