The US Defence Department's most senior civilian and military officials share a portion of blame for creating conditions that led to the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq, according to a new report.
The report, issued by a commission appointed by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, briefed him on its findings and recommendations in advance of a Pentagon news conference on Tuesday.
The commission was headed by James Schlesinger, a former secretary of defence.
"There was indirect responsibility at higher levels in that the weaknesses at Abu Ghraib were well known and that corrective action could have been taken and should have been taken," Schlesinger said.
The report cited the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the military command in Iraq for leadership failures that resulted in naked detainees being abused and humiliated, the reports said.
"The abuses were not just the failure of some individuals to follow known standards, and they are more than the failure of a few leaders to enforce proper discipline," the report said.
Shlesinger also called described Abu Ghraib as an "animal house" where the abuse was "sadistic".
Aljazeera article
The report, issued by a commission appointed by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, briefed him on its findings and recommendations in advance of a Pentagon news conference on Tuesday.
The commission was headed by James Schlesinger, a former secretary of defence.
"There was indirect responsibility at higher levels in that the weaknesses at Abu Ghraib were well known and that corrective action could have been taken and should have been taken," Schlesinger said.
The report cited the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the military command in Iraq for leadership failures that resulted in naked detainees being abused and humiliated, the reports said.
"The abuses were not just the failure of some individuals to follow known standards, and they are more than the failure of a few leaders to enforce proper discipline," the report said.
Shlesinger also called described Abu Ghraib as an "animal house" where the abuse was "sadistic".
Holy Moly Mother. "Indirect responsibility" is a little lighter than I'd like to see in the conclusion, but still, it's a far cry from "seven bad apples" in the Army's report. And those bad apples look pretty bad in that report. But not nearly as bad as they ultimately were, if Seymour Hersh and dozens of Iraqis are to be believed. And I think they are.
The Army report, which is also due to be released this week, "will show that MPs (military police officers) were using their animals to make juveniles, as young as 15 years old, urinate on themselves as part of a competition".
Shlesinger's report also hits that lying sack of shit Sanchez (again, probably not hard enough).
The outside panel led by former Defence Secretary James Schlesinger criticizes Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez who was the top US commander in Iraq when the abuse occurred between October and December of last year.
Sanchez is criticized "for not paying close enough attention to worsening conditions at Abu Ghraib, (and of) delegating oversight of prison operations to subordinates".
Sanchez is criticized "for not paying close enough attention to worsening conditions at Abu Ghraib, (and of) delegating oversight of prison operations to subordinates".
At least the Shlesinger report is something. We'll see what the Senate does with it September 9.
Yeah, I know. That esteemed, honorable house of self-serving suckups.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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