Rumsfeld Apology Fails to Calm Arab Anger [warning: graphic photos]

YAHOO News ^ | Sat May 8,11:28 AM ET | By Andrew Hammond

[RaceBannon]

Rumsfeld Apology Fails to Calm Arab Anger

Sat May 8,11:28 AM ET Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By Andrew Hammond

DUBAI (Reuters) - His apology was late and the damage done, said Arab and European commentators on Saturday, reacting to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Reuters Photo

AP Photo Slideshow: Abuse of Iraq Prisoners Investigated

Some Iraqis Not Satisfied With Rumsfeld Apology (Reuters Video)

Latest headlines: · Iraq jail abuse albatross on Bush candidacy AFP - 14 minutes ago · British Fight Shiites in Southern Iraq AP - 29 minutes ago · Bush Calls Iraq Prisoner Abuse Wrongdoing of a Few Reuters - 48 minutes ago Special Coverage

"While he (Rumsfeld) has been in charge, murder, torture and humiliation were heaped on Iraqi detainees almost as a matter of course," the Saudi daily Arab News commented.

"Rumsfeld's apology came too late," said Jordanian analyst Hani Hourani. "I believe Rumsfeld should resign because the torture reflected a widespread policy adopted by the U.S. army in Iraq (news - web sites) and maybe Afghanistan (news - web sites) as well."

Rumsfeld took responsibility on Friday for abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops and offered his "deepest apology" to victims during U.S. Senate hearings broadcast live in the Arab world as well as the United States.

But Rumsfeld said he would not resign just to satisfy his political enemies.

Many Arabs and Europeans, however, said he should quit.

Reinhard Buetikofer, chairman of Germany's Green Party, a junior partner in the government, said: "The minister who is responsible for such things must resign: Mr. Rumsfeld."

[RaceBannon]

Mere words cannot erase these images.

No Arab anger here!

No Arab/Muslim Anger here, either!

Where is the Arab Anger here? I just dont seeit!!

And I dont hear the Arab or Muslim world apologizing to us for these acts, either, I hear them rejoicing over it!

[RaceBannon]

Nope, no Arab/Muslim outrage over these pictures, either!!

[RaceBannon]

Nope, no Arab/Muslim outrage over these pictures, either!!

[pdfw]

Boo frickin hoo!

[WHBates]

Personally I don't give a sh*t about Arab anger or the Arab street. I do can about American anger and the American street.

[DoctorMichael]

Bump!

[Joe Boucher]

At this point I don't give a damn how the "arab", countries feel about the United States.
These soldiers did wrong and will be held acountable as will those that allowed it or encouraged it to happen.
Do I feel bad? Hell no I didn't do it. Did the Muslims or arabs appologize for 9-11?

[pdfw]

[jammer]

IIRC, you're a strong Christian. I am.

Was your teaching different from mine, i.e., that one savage act justifies or exonerates us from doing something not close to as savage, but wrong? I think not.

These pics may serve a propaganda purpose to the choir of believers, but they don't justify our actions. I know your rage--I feel it too, but this is gratuitous.

[prairiebreeze]

Arabs and Muslims were just as angry the day before these photos came out as the day after. BFD.

Prairie

[wtc911]

It's naive to think that the apology was meant to influence the "arab street".

[livius]

Agreed. I fail to see that anything has changed.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Me either. Screw arab, muslim, and democrap anger. I have had about all I can take... The whole world has turned upside down and that includes too many damn Americans (by birth only evidently).

[CzarNicky]

I haven't really seen any Arab anger. Where are the mass protests in the street. Could it be that the Arab in the street going about their business don't really care if a few disrupters get marched around naked?

[dougherty]

Right on! They are an angry, bitter people. They've been this way for hundreds of years and it will be the same a hundred years from today.

[Catspaw]

The Arabs hated us before, they hate us now. What's changed?

They're just waiting for another chance to dance on the streets like they did on 9/11.

[goodnesswins]

Uh Oh....you're gonna get in trouble for posting THOSE pics..../sarcasm.

[Polybius]

Rumsfeld Apology Fails to Calm Arab Anger

"Having Every American and Israeli Man, Woman and Child Commit Hari Kari Except for One Survivor Fails to Calm Arab Anger"

[jbarntt]

Rummy just isn't sensitive to other cultures and peoples. I think he missed the sensitivity training sessions. To help him, let's review "Apologizing to Islamic terrorists, 101":

1. Launch RPG at your car when you are driving.
2. Drag your dying body onto the street.
3. Pour gasoline on yourself.
4. Smoke cigarette.
5. Enjoy acclaim from cheering crowd.
6. Do encore on bridge.

For extra credit, apologize to Dems in congress for driving an SUV and supporting the evil tobacco lobby.

[RaceBannon]

My God is the same in the New Testament as the Old.

That means some times it is ok to go to war.

We are not talking about personal enemies or personal slights, we are talking about WAR.

We stripped Japanese prisoners of all their clothes and KEPT them naked until we had them corralled behind barbed wire, or put upon a ship.

I worked with a man who was on D-Day+3, he told me that German prisoners of war who were on graves detail were caught urinating on American bodies. He told me they took their rifle butts and knocked out all their teeth, young and old. NO ONE thinks that the WWII generation was abnormal, do they?

Now, using new techniques that do NOT involve physical abuse like burning with cigarettes or using lead pipes on prisoners, but use personal humiliation to make a person talk is torture??

Torture that we need to go around and apologize like women for?

These people were tying to kill Americans when they were captured, and they would NOT be going through this unless they NEEDED to be softened up for interrogation, and all we see mostly is we are embarrasing them?

It is only ones or twos that got physical abuse of any kind beyond sleep deprivation or having to walk around naked??

Yet, these people as a matter OF POLICY slit captives throats, dismember bodies, drag bodies through the streets...and we go and apologize to them??

WHERE IS THE DEMAND FROM PRESIDENT BUSH THAT THE ARAB WORLD APOLOGIZE TO US FOR DANCING IN THE STREETS FOR 9/11?

WHERE IS THE DEMAND FROM PRESIDENT BUSH THAT THE ARAB TELEVISION NETWORK AL-JAZEERA APOLOGIZE FOR AIRING THE KILLING OFOUR SOLDIERS FROM THE 507TH?

This is a hippocritical calling for apologies. We need to keep our mouths shut, do the courts martials in private, and demand that the Arab/Muslim world start acting like they care when we are killed if they want our respect, not always demanding that we respect them while they slaughter us and parade around on our dead bodies!