General Blames Prison Abuse on Commanders

[Rose Siding]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Army general who once ran detention operations in Iraq (news - web sites) said a "conspiracy" among top U.S. commanders has left her to blame for the abuses of Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib prison.

Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, who commanded the Army's 800th Military Police Brigade, said she fears more senior Army generals may escape punishment, even though they issued or approved guidelines on the interrogation of Iraqi prisoners.

Karpinski said in an e-mail interview with The Associated Press that she was unfairly cited by a report issued last month by an independent panel of nongovernment experts headed by former defense secretary James Schlesinger.
...
"It was a conspiracy all along," Karpinski said. "Sanchez and Miller and likely Fast had fallback plans and people to blame if anything came unglued."...MORE...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20040904/ap_on_go_pr_wh/iraq_prisoner_abuse

[bushwakker]

1. I knew she'd break ranks eventually, but

frankly I don't think most Americans care about this story.

[wurzel]

2. Americans may not, but the rest of the world does.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Shrub should, since he

is so intent on "freeing" people... and setting a proper example of how the rest of the world is supposed to act.

[0007]

3. I hope Karpinski can kick these guys in the balls

This conference looks more than just a little routine visit to me.

[wurzel]

5. The civilians are sure getting a walk on this.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. The Party of RESPONSIBILITY!

They threw Lynndie England to the wolves.

They hung Janice Karpinski out to dry.

They're spinning the story about how "them Libbruls care more about A-Rabbs than them 3000 people they killed."

Sanchez, Miller, Rumsfeld, et al., have used every device at their disposal to disclaim responsibility. The higher we go, the more excuses we hear. And to think, there was a time when The Buck Stopped on the desk currently occupied by Junior Bush. And when military discipline meant "No Excuses."

The Abu Ghraib atrocities happened because of a failure of command. Period. Yes, a lot of the enlisted "perps" deserve punishment, including the aforementioned PFC England, but there ought to be officers' careers finished by this. Right now, we are simply bringing the hammer down on a bunch of dumb-ass grunts used and abused by the brass to establish a private, feudal thugocracy.

So give the grunts time in the stockade and dishonorable discharges. But the corrupt little clique of brass should feel the heat of a thorough investigation -- before their own lengthy visits to the house of military corrections.

--bkl