When throwing a Hissy Fit isn't effective

Today, the US Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings with some of the important civililan and military leaders involved in the Abu Ghraib crisis. The television media was there, in full color, along with photographers from print media. You ask, why bother?

Well, for instance, Major General Antonio Taguba - the author of the Army investagatory report culminating the allegations and actions of the 800th MP Battalion at Abu Ghraib - along with Lt. Gen. Lance Smith (Deputy Comander, US Central Command) and Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, Stephen Cambone.

With the senators firing all questions - and some posturing for the audience and cameras - there were some excellent questions, and some questionable statements. One of those statements was from Sen. Inhofe (R-OK). He states, "I am more outraged over the outrage than the treatment."

Taguba was through, with his investigation into leadership problems involving MP Battalion commander Brigidier General Janis Karpinski along with Military Intelligence General Pappas.

The first person to question Maj. Gen. Taguba was the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John Warner.(R-Va.) His first question was a simple: how did this happen?

Taguba was brutally honest why there were problems with this one small group of enlisted soldiers to cause what happened to the prisoners in their care:

If a two-star investigatory general says that a battalion has a failure of leadership and a lack of supervision, then some field command heads will be rolling when the judicial procedures are finished.

Senators Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pointedly asked Maj. Gen. Taguba if the soldiers in question were directly ordered to perform these actions on the prisoners in question? Taguba stated that he had no evidence of these orders for the enlisted soldiers.

This statement directly conflicts with the lawyers for the soldiers in question, who have stated through their legal representatives that they were under direct order to soften up the prisoners for interrogations.

Somewhere, there is a dispute, and the military courts will determine the actions and reasons behind these events, and decide the fate of the soldiers in question.

As the Senate session was wrapping up, Sen. Warner inquired if any of the people testifying had any closing statements to make to the committee.Undersecretary Cambone finished the morning commission investigations with a refreshing honest statement for the committee:

If everyone who is trying to do the best for their job and their country, this mess would have never occurred.

As an aside from the Gonzo News Service, our prayers go out to the family of Nick Berg, a 26 year old contractor who was working in Iraq. His ghastly and grusome death at the hands of terrorists is being shown through an Islamic Website. The video, which we have not seen, nor wish to see, shows Berg identifying himself, listing his family, and then killed in a graphic manner.
Berg's remains were found Saturday on a bridge overpass in Baghdad.

I'm not sure if Taguba's reply was in direct contradiction to the claim of the defendants. Time will tell. What I've heard - and maybe I've missed something - is that the defendants claim that they were told to "soften up" the prisoners (not likely the words of a written order) or "set the conditions" for later interrogation. I haven't heard the defendants claim - and maybe I've missed it - that "CPT X of the MI detachment or Mr. Y of the CIA ordered me to take prisoners A, B, and C and simulate and orgy." When the general was asked if these soldiers were ordered to do these things, I assumed that he was referring to a direct order to do these particular acts. If the defendants claim to have done these things in response to a general direction to put stress on the prisoners, they are all going to Leavenworth. There is still a possibility that some low-to-mid level intelligence types pulled the old "wink wink nudge nudge" bit with these guards. "Soften them up, if you know what I mean." Giving directions without taking repsonsibility for clear, direct orders. My hope is that people will stand up and take responsibility for what they said and did. Lesson learned for junior guys - insist on clear, direct orders, and if it is questionable, get it in writing! If in doubt, clarify and make the boss take responsibility for what he wants you to do.

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