Nelson's Weblog: politics / usIraqWar / jailForTorture

Why aren't military leaders in jail?

There's something I just don't get about the ongoing shame of US troops torturing prisoners in Iraq. Why aren't military leaders going to jail? We've had a few token trials of individual soldiers, but so far no one in command seems to be held accountable.

Are we really expected to believe the official story that Abu Ghraib was just a few bad apples on the night shift? What about other torture prisons like Camp Nama? What about the persistent reports of CIA involvement? What about direct approval of torture by the Secretary of Defense?

The NYT has a bit of the story today.

Some military experts said one reason there had not been attempts to pursue charges up the military chain of command was that the military does not have anything tantamount to a district attorney's office ...
Several generals and colonels have received career-ending reprimands and have been stripped of their commands, but there is no indication that other senior-level officers and civilian officials will ever be held accountable for the detainee abuses that took place in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I fear the US has become a place where we think it's OK to torture people. Bush-induced hysteria about terrorism combined with one too many seasons of 24 makes us think that near-drownings, beatings, and terrorizing people with animals is just fine. Only 1/3 of Americans say torture is never right, so why bother prosecuting?

politics • usIraqWar
2006-03-23 14:51 Z


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