It has seemed very strange that Gen. Sanchez would be sent to 'get to the bottom' of the Iraq atrocities mess when he seemed implicated in them himself. Of course, if you want a cover-up, send the guy with a lot to hide. Now Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, not obviously the world's most disinterested source herself, fingers Sanchez, and maybe Rumsfeld, for ordering the use of dogs and other “types of coercive interrogation methods for detainees at Abu Ghraib'” like those that Gen. Sanchez approved for use on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Note also that “The Pentagon denied the assertion Thursday,” so this may be CYA by Karpinski…
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The problem with Karpinski’s assertion is that the photos show troops under her command with the dogs, pyramids, etc. Whether there were abuses in the MI interrogations as well (which seems likely, based on various reports), is irrelevant to the central abuse scandal and allegations against the MPs. Karpinski is in the MPs’ chain of command. She can’t credibly claim there were orders from higher headquarters for them to abuse prisoners unless she passed those orders on herself–which she consistently denies.
As Professor Froomkin pointed out in a recent post, where is Congress on this?
Instead we get shocked, shocked responses, sort of apologies, and nothing else. (I keep thinking My Lai.)
All the photos should be released and let the American public decide in November. Of course, for that reason, we will probably not see the photos.