The straight line between Abu Ghraib and the torture memos
Twelve U.S. soldiers were convicted for their crimes at Abu Ghraib prison in 2004. Among the more notable are Specialist Charles Graner, found guilty of conspiracy to maltreat detainees, assault, and obstruction of justice. He was convicted in January 2005 and is serving a 10 year prison term in a federal prison. Private First Class Lynndie England was convicted of four counts of maltreating inmates and conspiracy and was sentenced in September 2005 to three years in prison.
When the Abu Ghraib scandal broke and photographs of detainee abuse became public, the Bush Administration labeled the accused as "bad apples" running amok on the night shift and in no way indicative of acceptable practice.
With the release last week of Bush Administration memos outlining what they considered "acceptable" torture (including stress positions, intimidation, degradation, forced nakedness, etc.) it's pretty clear the soldiers managing Abu Ghraib were, in fact, operating in accordance with the instructions laid out in the OLC memos. Not "bad apples" as President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld claimed, but soldiers doing as they were ordered.
Brig. General Janis Karpinski was another whose career was aborted by Abu Ghraib. As commanding officer of Abu Ghraib, she was demoted to colonel when President Bush approved her demotion, effectively ending her opportunity for further advancement. She is now retired from the Army. She was on Countdown last night discussing the release of the OLC memos and their link to Abu Ghraib:
As the general notes, given President Obama's decision not to prosecute any CIA operatives who acted in accordance with the Bush Administration Department of Justice memos, there's no justification for keeping Mr. Granger and Ms. England in prison. It also seems appropriate that the ten other soldiers convicted should receive some kind of pardon for their crimes.
The interview clearly points out the shocking level of cowardice exhibited by Mssrs. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al. They chose, when confronted with the evidence of their policies, to deny any knowledge and allowed twelve U.S. soldiers to take the rap for them. The soldiers were convicted of crimes and dishonorably discharged or demoted and, as a result, their lives were irrevocably altered by the ramifications of their service at Abu Ghraib. It was a gutless, dishonorable and shameful performance by, what's obvious now, weak men without principle or morals.
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