After the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to light, the Army ordered Major General Antonio Taguba to investigate. He did. His 2004 report was chilling -- listing "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses" that "were inflicted on several detainees. . . systemic and illegal abuse." And what did he get for the thoughtful, thorough investigation he was asked to conduct? He was forced to resign -- a Bush euphemism for being fired.
The New Yorker has an interview with Taguba done by the great investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. Taguba is now publicly accusing the Bush administration of committing war crimes and, lo and behold, calling for those responsible to be held to account. I guess he hasn't read the memo that says the only people in the U.S. who have no accountability for anything are those affiliated with the Bush administration. Hersh's interview ends with:
Taguba went on, "There was no doubt in my mind that this stuff" -- the explicit images -- "was
gravitating upward. It was standard operating procedure to assume that this had to go higher.
The President had to be aware of this." He said that [Secretary of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld,
his senior aides, and the high-ranking generals and admirals who stood with him as he mis-
represented what he knew about Abu Ghraib had failed the nation.
"From the moment a soldier enlists, we inculcate loyalty, duty, honor, integrity, and selfless service," Taguba said. "And yet when we get to the senior-officer level we forget those values.
I know that my peers in the Army will be mad at me for speaking out, but the fact is that we
violated the laws of land warfare in Abu Ghraib. We violated the tenets of the Geneva
Convention. We violated our own principles and we violated the core of our military values.
The stress of combat is not an excuse, and I believe, even today, that those civilian and
military leaders responsible should be held accountable."
Now Physicians for Human Rights has released a report that outlines the medical evidence for the torture we perpetrated and Taguba has written the Preface. He starts out with an amazing statement: "This report tells the largely untold human story of what happened to detainees in our custody when the Commander-in-Chief and those under him authorized a systematic regime of torture." [Emphasis added.] Read it again. And again. And again.
Taguba went on:
"In order for these individuals to suffer the wanton cruelty to which they were subjected,
a government policy was promulgated to the field whereby the Geneva Conventions and the
Uniform Code of Military Justice were disregarded. The UN Convention Against Torture was
indiscriminately ignored. And the health professions, including physicians and psychologists,
became complicit in the willful infliction of harm against those the Hippocratic Oath demands
they protect."
Taguba is describing war crimes. There is no doubt. But remember that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) is still saying that impeachment is off the table. I wonder what, in her eyes, the president would have to do to put impeachment ON the table. Or maybe it has nothing to do with what Bush, Cheney, et al. have done. Maybe it has to do with what she and her high-level Congressional cronies have done.
There is quite a bit of evidence that, from about 2002 to 2005, the so-called Gang of 8 were probably complicit in Bush and Cheney’s crimes. You’ve heard Bush say many times that he has fully advised the Congressional leadership of various controversial policies. This would be a good strategic move on his part and is probably true. Remember James Comey’s testimony that the "Gang of 8" had been fully briefed on the warrantless wiretapping? And it came out last December that the “Gang” had been regularly briefed on the CIA’s kidnapping, extraordinary rendition, and torture techniques since 2002. If you look at the people involved in the Gang of 8 from 2002 to 2005 you’ll see that they encompass the highest ranking Democrat and Republican elected officials, people who, even if no longer serving, still wield much power. If an investigation into the crimes of Bush and Cheney would expose such "prestigious" powerbrokers as these, it’s no wonder that "impeachment is off the table." Pelosi would be signing her own and her buddies impeachment articles too.
The unbelievable issues facing us today are no longer Democrat vs. Republican. They are citizens vs. powerbrokers. And if we don't get off our asses, the powerbrokers will win. Call and keep calling Pelosi's office. And if you live in her district -- vote her out of office.