US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld came under fire on August 24, 2004 from a high-level inquiry into the Abu Ghraib prison scandal but a U.S. military judge ruled he did not have to testify at a trial arising from the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. A four-member panel headed by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger(L) issued a report accusing the chain of command from Rumsfeld down of leadership failures that created conditions for the abuse late last year that sparked anti-American outrage across the world. Panel members Schlesinger Air Force General Charles Horner(C) and Former U.S. Representative Tillie Fowler are seen at the Pentagon Tuesday. [AP Photo]
Along a prison walkway, a hooded detainee seems to havecollapsed with his wrists handcuffed to the railings.
Abuse Of Iraqi POWs By GIs Probed (click here)
60 Minutes II Has Exclusive Report On Alleged Mistreatment
April 28, 2004
60 Minutes II Has Exclusive Report On Alleged Mistreatment
April 28, 2004
(CBS) Last month, the U.S. Army announced 17 soldiers in Iraq, including a brigadier general, had been removed from duty after charges of mistreating Iraqi prisoners. But the details of what happened have been kept secret, until now. It turns out photographs surfaced showing American soldiers abusing and humiliating Iraqis being held at a prison near Baghdad. The Army investigated, and issued a scathing report. Now, an Army general and her command staff may face the end of long military careers. And six soldiers are facing court martial in Iraq -- and possible prison time. Correspondent Dan Rather talks to one of those soldiers. And, for the first time, 60 Minutes II will show some of the pictures that led to the Army investigation....
CBS broke the story to the public after having allowed the Executive Branch time to digest it and while waiting for a response. None came. The nation again turned to 'cleaning up the mess of Bush's Executive Branch, circumventing the demands of the USA Constitution for impeachment due to high crimes and misdemeanors' and all Schlesinger could do was stipulate there were no policy issues or laws broken.
That is more than outrageous. People died in a prison overseen by the USA with it's own military after taking occupation of Iraq, illegally at that, and there was absolutely no way of holding those in the Executive Branch accountable?
There is no decency in this Executive Branch or with Republican legislators. None. The 'idea' Iraqis died for no reason, when they should have been treated humanly and taught justice without torture and intimidation has lead to more than hatred of the military occupation of the USA.
"There was sadism on the night shift at Abu Ghraib, sadism that was certainly not authorized," Schlesinger said. "It was kind of 'Animal House' on the night shift.
Schlesinger noted, however, that there was "no policy of abuse."
