It is a dark and stormy night. That is, it's sixty-five degrees outside and there's no wind. Beyond the lights of the nearby houses I can see stars. This isn't, you'll note, the kind of storm that requires one to move the balcony furniture inside and grab a flashlight. It's a subtler variety.

It's stormy in my soul as I grapple with the murder of Nick Berg. I go up and down the scale of grief, from horror to anger and back again. I honestly half-believe I could go to Iraq right now, find these guys, and kill them with my bare hands. "Look, Ma--no gun!" My reason seems to have fled; I hope it'll come back soon.

Here's what I do know:

First of all, there's no real reason to think this had anything to do with the prison abuses at Abu Ghraib. This truly appears to be a crime of opportunity: I suspect the AQ operatives got the bright idea of mentioning the prisoner abuse issue before they shot the video. They suddenly realized they could paint this as vengeance for the excesses at the prison. You'll recall that this is only one in a long string of attacks on Americans and other Westerners, including 9/11, the murder of Daniel Pearl, the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole . . . I could go on and on. None of the previous attacks were related to the actions of Americans in any way. These guys managed to capture an American, and there was a media circus going on, so they felt bringing that issue up would muddy the waters a little.

I believe the very same thing about their contention that they had been in touch with the U.S. authorities and offered to save Berg in exchange for Abu Ghraib prisoners: that truly appears to be another red herring. I don't believe the U.S. should bargain with people like this, but I don't think in this particular instance the attempt was even made by our friends in AQ. That line appears to be a way of trying to create a stress-fracture between men and women in the U.S. Or between those who support this war and those who think there are other, better ways to fight terror.

I also think that our friends in AQ are idiots. In those moments when my grief and anger ebb, I can almost laugh at how strategically stupid it is, with a group of photos circulating that embarrass the U.S., to release a video that makes your own cause apppear much, much worse than the Americans ever did their own.

The Arab street, much-maligned and written about in such patronizing tones by our friends in journalism, is not going to be turned on to jihad by this video: AQ will lose a lot of potential converts as the images get wider and wider circulation. No one is going to be fooled by people chanting about God as they murder an innocent man.

There is something that was said a lot about the jihadists after 9/11 that I kept remembering today as the awful news leaked in: these guys underestimate us because they have, fundamentally, no idea what we are about as a nation and--speaking of the Western World that still wants to survive (including England and Australia)--as a force of fucking nature. There seems to be this idea that an atrocity will make us flee. Wrong, Buck-O.

We are not the rich spoiled people you see on television. We are not the people of the obesity epidemic, who gorge on McDonald's food and never exercise. We are not the sex addicts, the beer men who go to strip clubs for a cheap thrill on a Saturday night. We're much, much more than that, and each time the jihadists try to prove how weak we are they will be dealt another crippling blow until they have trouble finding a goddamned Western kitten to kidnap and torment.

We are halfway done. Keep the faith.

The BBC story is here.
The Command Post piece, which supposedly has pictures (I can't get them to load properly).
The New York Times gets in on the action. And another NYT article discusses the Berg family's concerns.

And one more thing: if I hear one more comparison between the actual Abu Ghraib incidents and this murder--with us coming out ahead--I'm going to puke. You might as well say you live a moral life because you don't kill as many men (or fuck as many women) as Tony Soprano or his real-life counterparts: no one convinces anyone of their morality by comparing themselves with society's reprobates. Stop it.

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. . . from a former Navy Intel officer, now living in the Upper Midwest. This is my cousin, who gathered intelligence during the Vietnam War. He has a thing or two to say about the Abu Ghraib scandal.

I am not sure I agree with what they did, and I don't know if I condone it, but having been in the service during a war, I certainly understand it.

I cannot honestly say I feel bad for those prisoners. Having been in the field and collecting intelligence, I can tell you we miss out on a lot of good intel by interrogating as we do. I consider myself a civilized person, but a very rational part of my mind refutes the cries of the liberal do gooders (and many honestly good people) in thinking that when you fight people who follow no rules, you must win by following the rules.

I do not really believe that we stoop to the level of the terrorists when we employ their tactics. It matters not the size of our forces: the bad guys will eventually wear down the morale of the good guys by decrying their use of tactics the terrorists themselves use. With the press bombarding the public with negatives, it is an uphill battle to win against someone fighting with no rules, when you yourself are bound by civilized actions.

My biggest fear is that the press will scare honest Americans into self-destructing with all the negativity. Also my biggest dilemma is how far do we go into the rules (or non-rules) of the terrorists. A truly sticky problem here. According to some rules of war, it was a crime. More realistically, it was a horrible lapse in judgement by a bunch of young people in a situation most Americans won't experience even in their worst nightmares. In addition, the brass will engage in a full-court cover your ass (liberally stuffed with bullshit), and those few will suffer the brunt. Six ruined careers and probably six ruined families.

For what it's worth, it looks like some of the shit that getting thrown around is, in fact, landing on officers. And while we may never settle the issue of responsibility (that is, Army Intel vs. CIA vs. the MPs) in a totally satisfactory way, the rest of the world is seeing the U.S. reacting to this, including Congressional hearings. The Arab world saw the President of the United States offer an apology. Much as that action may defy logic in some bloggers' minds, it made a big impression on many observers, a few of whom asked, "hey--how come our leaders never say they're sorry?"

It's a good question, and one for which even Al-Jazeera doesn't seem to have a real answer.

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Donald Sensing on why people--people like me, I think he means--need to stop making excuses for the guards who abused Iraqi prisoners. And/or stop comparing these crimes to those that occurred under Saddam.

The absolutist point of view (this is always wrong, we cannot ever condone it or even accept it) appears to be the dominant view among the Milbloggers, as it runs counter to their training (which is damned gratifying). I'm just not sure it encompasses all the truth.

For more, see Sensing's comments thread, in which some people explain why torture may be justified under some circumstances. Not fun reading, but important, I think. The best comment was from someone named Yehudit (whose home page is here):

I also agree with Donald that torture should never be officially sanctioned. This may have been in the Atlantic article: they interviewed an Israeli human rights worker who said that in her experience, if any torture is allowed (even by special warrant) it always grows into gratuitous abuse, it is never restrained to the specific case. She said you have to make it illegal, knowing it will go on anyway, but make sure the interrogators know they will face heavy punishment if they are caught. If they are convinced it is necessary anyway, if they are willing to take that risk, then they will go ahead, but they will be much less likely to use it gratuitously.

I don't happen to think this applies to the current situation, in which the guards were apparently trying to keep the Iraqis awake, and either went over the line or were ordered over the line (I want to see the evidence presented at trial) but it's probably the best balance between letting thousands die for our principles in a ticking time-bomb scenario vs. becoming the thing we are supposedly fighting against.

Hat tip: James, who doubtless disagrees with me heartily on this score. (I may stop actually writing and just link to Outside the Beltway from now on; it would certainly save time. Or I could re-title my blog the OTB Amplification Page.)

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James discusses the standards for training of MPs, and how these are going up: there will be more specialized training for military prison guards than there have been in the past. But he points out that every soldier is instructed in such basics as the Geneva Convention and general standards for treatment of prisoners, and those who are MPs are given a special course in this as well. James has insisted all along that there is no way the soldiers involved did not know they were acting outside accepted guidelines.

(Non-military people: no matter the branch of service an MP [Military Police member] is in, he or she always gets the MP training through the Army. For instance, my husband is a former Marine, but he received his MP training at an Army base.)

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Via Blackfive, the Navy Cross was just awarded to Marine Captain Brian Chontosh for his heroic actions during the drive to Baghdad last spring. He was in charge of a string of vehicles that was suddenly ambused. Under heavy enemy fire, he ordered the Humvee he was in straight toward the enemy position, and jumped out firing. When he ran out of ammo he switched to his sidearm; when his sidearm ran out he used AKs seized from the dead Iraqis. He killed 20 and probably wounded as many. And he saved the lives of his fellow Marines.

Blackfive's commenters inform us that "it's 'OOH-rah,'" contrary to the way the news stories about Chontosh have the Marine saying. Nice to know; I hate to wake my husband up for little questions like that.

OOH-rah, indeed. And Semper Fi. This guy is the real deal.

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Via The Command Post, an Iraqi blogger gives us a view of Abu Ghraib from the inside. (Americans reading this should note that I believe "hall" means "room"--I believe the usage here is like that in "dormitory hall" or "study hall." More European than American in that sense.)

ABU GHRAIB, OTHER PARTS OF THE PICTURE

Yesterday a friend of mine, whoÂ’s also a doctor, visited us. After chatting about old memories, I asked him about his opinions on the current situations in Iraq. IÂ’ve always known this friend to be apathetic when it comes to politics, even if it means whatÂ’s happening in Iraq. It was obvious that he hadnÂ’t change and didnÂ’t show any interest in going deep into this conversation. However when I asked him about his opinion on GWB response to the prisonersÂ’ abuse issue, I was surprised to see him show anger and disgust as he said:

- This whole thing makes me sick.

- Why is that?! I asked.
- These thugs are treated much better than what they really deserve!

- What are you saying!? You canÂ’t possibly think that this didnÂ’t happen! And theyÂ’re still human beings, and there could be some innocents among them.
- Of course it happened, and IÂ’m not talking about all the prisoners nor do I support these actions, and there could be some innocents among them, but I doubt it.

- Then why do you say such a thing?
- Because these events have taken more attention than they should.

- I agree but there should be an investigation on this. There are other pictures that were shown lately, and there are talks about others that will be shown in the near future.
- Yes, but what happened cannot represent more than 1% of the truth.

- Oh I really hope there would be no more than that.
- No, thatÂ’s not what I meant. What IÂ’m saying is that these events are the exception and not the rule.

- How do you know that!? I must say I agree with your presumption, but I donÂ’t have a proof, and I never thought youÂ’d be interested in such [an] issue!
- I was there for a whole month!

- In Abu-Gharib!? What were you doing there!?
- It was part of my training! Did you forget that!? I know you skipped that at SaddamÂ’s time, but how could you forget that?

- Yes, but I thought that with the American troops there, the system must have been changed.
-No itÂ’s still the same. We still have to do a month there.

-So tell me what did you see there? HowÂ’s the situation of the prisoners? Did you see any abuse? Do they get proper medical care? (I was excited to see someone who was actually there, and he was a friend!)
- Hey, slow down! IÂ’ll tell you what I know. First of all, the prisoners are divided into two groups; the ordinary criminals and the political ones. I used to visit the ordinary criminals during every shift, and after that, the guards would bring anyone who has a complaint to me at the prisonÂ’s hospital.

- What about the 'political' ones?
- IÂ’m not allowed to go to their camps, but when one of them feels ill, the guards bring him to me.

- Are the guards all Americans?
- No, the American soldiers with the IP watch over and take care of the ordinary criminals, but no one except the Americans is allowed to get near the political ones.

- How are the medical supplies in the prison?
- Not very great, but certainly better from what it was on SaddamÂ’s times. However my work is mainly at night, but in the morning the supplies are usually better.

- How many doctors, beside you, were there?
- There was an American doctor, whoÂ’s always their (His name is Eric, a very nice guy, he and I became friends very fast), and other Iraqi doctors with whom I shared the work, and in the morning, there are always some Iraqi senior doctors; surgeons, physiciansÂ…etc.

-Why do you say they are very well treated?
- They are fed much better than they get at their homes. I mean they eat the same stuff we eat, and itÂ’s pretty good; eggs, cheese, milk and tea, meat, bread and vegetables, everything! And that happened every day, and a good quality too.

-Are they allowed to smoke? (I asked this because at SaddamÂ’s times, it was a crime to smoke in prison and anyone caught while doing this would be punished severely).
- Yes, but they are given only two cigarettes every day.

- What else? How often are they allowed to take a bath? (This may sound strange to some people, but my friend understood my question. We knew from those who spent sometime in SaddamÂ’s prisons, and survived, that they were allowed to take a shower only once every 2-3 weeks.)
- Anytime they want! There are bathrooms next to each hall.

- Is it the same with the 'political' prisoners?
- I never went there, but I suppose itÂ’s the same because they were always clean when they came to the hospital, and their clothes were always clean too.

-How often do they shave? (I remember a friend who spent 45 days in prison at SaddamÂ’s times had told me that the guards would inspect their beards every day to see if they were shaved properly, and those who were not, would be punished according to the guardsÂ’ mood. He also told me that they were of course not allowed to have any shaving razors or machines and would face an even worse punishment in case they found some of these on one of the prisoners. So basically all the prisoners had to smuggle razors, which cost a lot, shave in secrecy and then get rid of the razor immediately! That friend wasnÂ’t even a political prisoner; he was arrested for having a satellite receiver dish in his house!)
- IÂ’m not sure, from what I saw, it seemed that there was a barber visiting them frequently, because they had different hair cuts, some of them shaved their beards others kept them or left what was on their chins only. I mean it seemed that they had the haircut they desired!

-Yes but what about the way they are treated? And how did you find American soldiers in general?
- IÂ’ll tell you about that; first let me tell you that I was surprised with their politeness. Whenever they come to the hospital, they would take of their helmets and show great respect and they either call me Sir or doctor. As for the way they treat the prisoners, they never handcuff anyone of those, political or else, when they bring them for examination and treatment unless I ask them to do so if I know that a particular prisoner is aggressive, and I never saw them beat a prisoner and rarely did one of them use an offensive language with a prisoner.

One of those times, a member of the American MP brought one of the prisoners, who was complaining from a headache, but when I tried to take history from him he said to me “doctor, I had a problem with my partner (he was a homosexual) I’m not Ok and I need a morphine or at least a valium injection” when I told him I can’t do that, he was outraged, swore at me and at the Americans and threatened me. I told the soldier about that, and he said “Ok Sir, just please translate to him what I’m going to say”. I agreed and he said to him “I want you to apologize to the doctor and I want your word as a man that you’ll behave and will never say such things again” and the convict told him he has his word!!

Another incidence I remember was when one of the soldiers brought a young prisoner to the hospital. The boy needed admission but the soldier said he’s not comfortable with leaving the young boy (he was about 1 with those old criminals and wanted to keep him in the isolation room to protect him. I told him that this is not allowed according to the Red Cross regulations. He turned around and saw the paramedics’ room and asked me if he can keep him there, and I told him I couldn’t. The soldier turned to a locked door and asked me about it. I said to him “It’s an extra ward that is almost deserted but I don’t have the keys, as the director of the hospital keeps them with him”. The soldier grew restless, and then he brought some tools, broke that door, fixed it, put a new lock, put the boy inside and then locked the door and gave me the key!

- Did you witness any aggressiveness from American soldiers?
- Only once. There was a guy who is a troublemaker. He was abnormally aggressive and hated Americans so much. One of those days the soldiers were delivering lunch and he took the soup pot that was still hot and threw it at one of the guards. The guard avoided it and the other guards caught the convict and one of them used an irritant spray that causes severe itching, and then they brought the prisoner to me to treat him.

- So you think that these events are isolated?
-As far as I know and from what IÂ’ve seen, IÂ’m sure that they are isolated.

-But couldnÂ’t it be true that there were abusive actions at those times that the prisoners were afraid to tell you about?
-Are you serious!? These criminals, and I mean both types tell me all about there 'adventures and bravery'. Some of them told me how they killed an American soldier or burned a humvee, and in their circumstances this equals a confession! Do you think they wouldÂ’ve been abused and remained silent and not tell me at least!? No, I donÂ’t think any of this happened during the time I was there. It seemed that this happened to a very small group of whom I met no one during that month.

- Can you tell me anything about those 'political' prisoners? Are they Islamists, BaÂ’athists or what?
- Islamists?? I don't care what they call themselves, but they are thugs, they swear all the time, and most of them are addicts or homosexuals or both. Still very few of them looked educated.

- Ah, that makes them close to BaÂ’athists. Do you think there are innocents among them?
- There could be. Some of them say they are and others boast in front of me, as I said, telling the crimes they committed in details. Of course IÂ’m not naive enough to blindly believe either.

- Are they allowed to get outside, and how often? Do they have fans or air coolers inside their halls?
- Of course they are! Even you still compare this to what it used to be at SaddamÂ’s times and thereÂ’s absolutely no comparison. They play volleyball or basketball everyday, and they have fans in their halls.

- Do they have sport suits?
- No, itÂ’s much better than SaddamÂ’s days but itÂ’s still a prison and not the Sheraton. They use the same clothes but IÂ’ve seen them wearing train[ing] shoes when they play.

-Are they allowed to read?
- Yes, IÂ’ve seen the ordinary criminals read, and I believe the political are allowed too, because I remember one of them asking me to tell one of the American soldiers that he wanted his book that one of the soldiers had borrowed from him.

- So, you believe thereÂ’s a lot of clamor here?
-As you said these things are unaccepted but IÂ’m sure that they are isolated and they are just very few exceptions that need to be dealt with, but definitely not the rule. The rule is kindness, care and respect that most of these thugs donÂ’t deserve, and that I have seen by my own eyes. However I still don't understand why did this happen.

-I agree with you, only itÂ’s not about the criminals, itÂ’s about the few innocents who could suffer without any guilt and itÂ’s about us; those who try to build a new Iraq. We canÂ’t allow ourselves to be like them and we canÂ’t go back to those dark times.

As for "why"; I must say that these few exceptions happen everywhere, only in good society they can be exposed and dealt with fast, while in corrupted regimes, it may take decades for such atrocities to be exposed which encourage the evil people to go on, and exceptions become the rule.

What happened in Abu-Gharib should be a lesson for us, Iraqis, above all. It showed how justice functions in a democratic society. We should study this lesson carefully, since sooner or later we'll be left alone and it will be our responsibility to deal with such atrocities, as these will never cease to happen.

-By Ali.

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Dean Esmay gives us word of a new drug that may help prevent and treat obesity. Not a moment too soon.

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There's a great discussion going on at Outside the Beltway regarding Donald Rumsfeld, and whether or not he'll be asked to resign from the administration. Novak thinks so, and is quoted taking the temperature of the Army (in particular). James makes the point that only someone like Rumsfeld--who doesn't care whether or not people like him--could achieve what he has in such a short amount of time, in terms of transforming the military into the lean machine it (almost) is now. more...

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Madfish Willie is re-running some of his classic entries, including a series on how to cope with hangover (including preparing for a night out). There's a significant caveat to the effect that any given person should only have to use this advice once, as alcohol poisoning is real--and dangerous.

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This wouldn't be enough to change my decision about whom to vote for. But it makes me feel good about the decision I happen to have made.

Via Dean Esmay.

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I didn't hit the road today until 1:00 or so, so I didn't get back home until 6:45. That's 5 3/4 hours, and not quite my personal best along Highway 5 (that would be five and a half hours).

We used to consider the LA-Bay Area trek (and vice versa) a 7-8 hour trip, but that includes things like meal breaks, which I'm far too butch to engage in. (I have snacks in the car, supplemented by cold cans of Coke obtained at gas stations when I gas up and pee.)

Driving is the most wonderful thing--particularly when there's no discussion with the CHP; frankly, I don't miss our heart-to-heart chats. It's been years.

Particularly when you have a tape in the car with a few full-on rock numbers to get you over the grapevine. Today it was "Los Angeles," by X (how appropriate), and "Ain't This the Life," by Oingo Boingo (also pretty appropriate).

I'm considering getting a convertible as my next car. One hopes my practical side will take the reins before I do such a thing, but one never knows: it's beautiful outside right now, and the PT Cruiser has a turbo version.

I'm tired, sweaty, and covered in road dust. I'll be in bed soon, sleeping the sleep of the okay. The sleep of the not-too-egregious.

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I have some real mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, I don't like anything that smacks of censorship, and I despise the idea that Jeb Bush might somehow retaliate against Disney if Miramax distributes Michael Moore's latest piece of shit. If true, that's unacceptable behavior for a governor. Furthermore, I believe it's idiotic of Disney to acquire a film company known for "edgey" material and then forbid it to get involved in edgey projects.

On the other hand, I'd like nothing better than for the community of responsible film producers to wash their hands of this man and disassociate themselves from his lies.

The compromise might be for the film industry to produce and distribute his work, but not to nominate anything for an academy award in the "documentary" category that's really fiction.

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1 Moore was lying again--he knew over a year ago that there was no distribution deal, and made up that stuff about Jeb Bush. Big Fat Liar indeed!

Posted by: Susie at May 09, 2004 09:04 AM (rokYU)

2 Maybe his next film will be about the Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction. Fiction is as fiction does.

Posted by: litlemrmahatma at May 10, 2004 08:03 AM (R6HyB)

3 Oh, right. Those WMDs. The ones that every nation in the world--including France--believed Saddam possessed. The ones that Clinton relied on when he first articulated a U.S. policy of regime change for Iraq. The ones that might have surfaced in Syria. The ones that ultimately don't matter, because it was Saddam's failure to cooperate with the U.N. that provided the legal basis for us to go in and make sure.

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 10, 2004 01:15 PM (q85Vj)

4 Yep, those WMDs, the ones that weren't there but Bush et al decided to not let truth stand in the way of his agenda. But - hey! - you're armed as you repeatedly say so you must be right. A true Bushie. Let those with the biggest weapons make the rules, even if honesty, fiarness, and justice get left by the wayside. Two sides to every coin Sweets.

Posted by: littlemrmahatma at May 11, 2004 07:56 AM (R6HyB)

5 Well, you're right. And Michael Moore's camera is the biggest weapon of all. He uses it to lie about corporations, gun owners, the NRA, Chuck Heston, the President (apparently), and the very nature of America itself. Our friend who's a professor in Maryland (you remember the one) was reading one of Moore's books recently, and told me he was dismayed by it. "I keep wanting to tell him, 'I'm sympathetic to your point of view. You don't have to distort things and misuse statistics to try to convince me.'" But that's the thing I can't stand about Moore. He makes up his own facts to suit his agenda. Not in any uncertain, ambiguous way (as in the President's 16 words in a SOTU address that British intel has stood by even when the authorities in this country decided the information was wrong after all). Hundreds of pages, and three films that are just lies built on lies. Charleton Heston speeches created out of whole cloth by splicing together things he's really said and editing them creatively to put words in his mouth. It's really disgusting stuff, and there aren't two sides to this issue. If you care about your point of view, you shouldn't want it sullied by the likes of Michael Moore. You should be fighting harder than anyone to discredit him. The factual distortions in the book (banks give guns away as premiums if you open accounts with them--and just let you take the firearms home from the branch) should sicken you before they sicken me. This is your fight more than mine, because if your side can't get things like this straight, people will not listen or take you seriously.

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 11, 2004 11:20 AM (i+lmP)

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for the rest of the week. I'll be at my mother's, where it's all dialup-at-best. So I'm hoping the munuvians and the Bear Flag League will keep people so busy they won't notice I'm barely here.

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Apparently a lot of men who served with John Kerry in Vietnam will be getting together tomorrow to publicly sign a document that makes a remarkable assertion: they don't feel he would be a good commander-in-chief:

“What is going to happen on Tuesday is an event that is really historical in dimension,” John O’Neill, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy as a PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) boat commander, told CNSNews.com . The event, which is expected to draw about 25 of the letter-signers, is being organized by a newly formed group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

“We have 19 of 23 officers who served with [Kerry]. We have every commanding officer he ever had in Vietnam. They all signed a letter that says he is unfit to be commander-in-chief,” O’Neill said.

Via James, who makes this point:

ThereÂ’s nothing new here, just a renewal of the debate over the Winter Soldiers hearing and KerryÂ’s anti-war activities. Presumably, these things have been factored into votersÂ’ minds at this point, to the extent anyone much cares thirty-odd years later. Further, this is in some sense the mirror image of the chicken hawk argument. Since all theyÂ’re doing is assessing purely political matters, IÂ’m not sure why the opinion of KerryÂ’s former Navy mates should have any special weight.

What is relevant to the question of KerryÂ’s fitness to serve as commander-in-chief is his present maturity on defense matters. Given the advantage of thirty-odd years additional seasoning and reflection, what are KerryÂ’s views on Vietnam now? More importantly, what is his vision for the war on terror and our future in Iraq? ItÂ’s still very early in this campaign but Kerry will need to give a much more coherent view on those issues than he has so far.

And that's the hard part, for Kerry. He wants to be everything to everyone. This may change a few moderate minds in the months ahead, if the story has "legs." It does have a certain drama in it.

McCain will be pissed, of course.

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I'm going to wade in, here. I may not have any friends left after this--online or off--but . . . easy come, easy go. I'd been meaning to catch up on my reading anyway.

Let's start with the primary links:
The Abuse Pictures
The CBS Story

Full disclosure: my husband is a late-Vietnam-era MP, and a former Marine. His cousin was a spy throughout most of that conflict.

I've experienced the same shocked outrage most of you have. And I would love to see the grinning idiots in these images prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law--something that will certainly happen. But let's get a few things straight.

1. There are two different locations being discussed, with different parties involved. Most incidents under discussion occurred at Abu Ghraib, one of Saddam's most notorious prisons. We are now using it for detainees. The alleged beating incident--thrown in the middle of the Memory Hole photo essay--took place (or didn't) at Camp White Horse, and the accused men in that case are Marines. (Please note that the Marines are [sort of] part of the Navy, and any investigation into this White Horse incident is therefore going to be under that branch of the Armed Forces.)

UPDATE: There is one allegation of a beating death at Abu Ghraib, so that photo may indeed be in the right place. The story is developing.

2. The descriptive information under the photos varies a lot according to what web site you view them on. The one of the man standing on a box sometimes bears the explanation that the man is holding wires, and was told he'd be shocked if he stepped off the box. Sometimes we're told he has wires running to his testicles. Sometimes it's suggested that the electricity was actually going to be turned on. Let's remember that we don't know yet, and cannot rely on most explanatory material that appears with these pix.

And the ones showing detainees fellating each other are blocked out so that we aren't sure whether the sex act is truly being performed or not. There is, obviously, a huge difference between posing these people suggestively and making them have sex.

3. Some critical information we--the public--don't yet have has to do with the affiliation of the "interrogators" who were on-site, and allegedly encouraging these servicemen and -women to "soften up" the detainees for questioning. Some sites or articles--even from mainstream sources--claim that there is no way to try or punish these "third parties." This is untrue: civilians who are in an installation under military control can be tried by the FBI, who should--I feel--be brought in. But more on this later.

4. The term "prisoners" used in a lot of the articles and essays being written on Abu Ghraib is probably inaccurate. These are not Iraqi soldiers who fell into the hands of irresponsible servicemen/-women. These are people who have been brought in for interrogation. They have information we need, presumably in order to save our boys and girls from being blown to bits in another ambush.

5. Intelligence-gathering is probably like laws and sausages, to some degree. Of course, we regulate the making of the second two, and need to set clear limits on the first.

6. Snapping a photo as a trophy is not the same for the young war-hardened soldiers of today that it was for their fathers in Vietnam. In the old days you could put a cigarette in the mouth of a deceased Viet Cong, put your arm around him and get a photo. No need to be revulsed by this until years later, when you come across the snapshot in a drawer and recoil in horror. Now every time a picture is taken you have to assume that, in the digital age, it can and will end up on Al-Jazeera.

7. Studies have shown that people find it easier to do cruel and inhuman things when they are part of a group than alone, and often surprise themselves at how cruel they can be when ordered to. I am attempting to explain, rather than offering excuses.

8. Torture is not simply humiliating people. A lot of the pictures show juvenile pranks that are unacceptable conduct, but don't warrant the word "torture." I'd prefer that we not use that word untiil some of the more serious charges are proven (e.g., sodomy).

9. The investigation has been going on for months, and so far at least 17 people have been relieved of their command, including a Brigadier General.

10. There are spooks in the shadows, and not just army intelligence people. Probably CIA, though there are other US agencies that could be involved, and British intel is another possibility. Come on, people: there's a lot of hand-wringing out there to the effect that we're shocked, shocked to find out that "private contractors" are questioning "prisoners." Whatever companies are supposedly involved, we are obviously not giving the guys who maintain the trucks control over interrogations. These are not security guards doing this.

11. I must say that I keep hearing how "humiliating" it is for Arab men to be nude. Most of their prudery, however, seems to be reserved for the female of the species. I certainly don't want to paint all Muslims--or all Arabs--with the same brush, but if I were involved in an interrogation and I found out that the subject had been involved in an "honor killing" of his sister or daughter because she had been raped, I would have a hard time forgetting that fact.

12. All of the above notwithstanding, what happened is not okay. The pictures are not okay, and there are failures within the command structure. I want to see courts-martial that go significantly up the chain of command.

But I also hope we don't overreact to the point that no aggressive questioning is ever permissible--because that is a sure way to lose more lives.

Here's a little Feedback on the CBS story.

A piece on the Camp White Horse story helps keep that inquiry distinct from Abu Ghraib.

Brain Shavings discusses the beast in all of us.

James Joyner has written five or six posts on the subject so far (I'm sure there will be more--keep scrolling).

John of Argghh! shares his own thoughts and a mini-roundup of reaction from warbloggers.

Michele calls the actions of the army reservists "treason."

Smash has a thing or two to say.

Posted by: Attila at 01:59 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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James discusses a new ABC poll that shows Bush/43 scoring somewhat higher than John Kerry on "likeability" and "compassion."

If this holds, Bush will be re-elected much more easily than most of us have been predicting. [Editor's note: except me, of course.] It’s probably not surprising that Bush is considered more likeable but Democrats tend to have an edge on the “caring” and especially “shares my values” question.

Off the top of my head, I canÂ’t think of a single presidential election . . . where the candidate that was perceived as more likable and compassionate lost. IÂ’m not old enough to remember the Nixon elections; he was an odd duck [anyway] . . .

I've said all along that it wouldn't even be close. Barring some unforeseen disaster, it'll be Bush by a comfortable margin.

Posted by: Attila at 11:48 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Thanks for finding my site by entering disgusting phrase combinations into Google. If I ever figure out how to capture your IP and match it to those searches, I'm going to send your information to the police.

If you're lucky.

Have a really special day.

Posted by: Attila at 11:40 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Has, very foolishly, given me the keys to the car.

And it's a V-8.

Posted by: Attila at 03:35 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 With a turbocharger. Have fun darlin'.

Posted by: Dean Esmay at May 01, 2004 05:18 AM (LOj+R)

2 It's just a little scratch - probably polish out...

Posted by: Pixy Misa at May 01, 2004 05:50 AM (+S1Ft)

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Final results on the Spirit of America Fundraising effort:

The Fighting Fusileers raised $26,597.39
The Victory Coalition raised $18,910.44
The Liberty Alliance raised $9,884

Therefore, the blogging part of this campaign is responsible for $55,391.83. With a total of over $1,500,000, we therefore brought in a bit over 1/30 of what was raised, nationwide. Not bad, considering that the blogosphere was "competing" with the likes of The Wall Street Journal. And we raised five grand over the goal originally set for the blogging portion of the campaign.

What blows me away, though, is the generosity of the American people. The fundraising goal was $100,000. Now there's a little left over for the Marines' next few charity projects in Iraq. Past work has included outfitting schools and hospitals, and buying toys for Iraqi children--who are apparently partial to Frisbees.

Here's the word from Jim Hake:

Today we delivered to Marines at Camp Pendleton, CA the equipment that will be used to equip Iraqi-owned and operated television stations in Al Anbar province. On Saturday, May 1 the Marines will fly the equipment from March Air Force Base to Iraq. This initiative and the original request is described here. We try hard to provide rapid response to requests we receive. Here is the timeline of this project:

April 8: SoA receives Marines request for television equipment.
April 14: SoA posts the request on our Web site and begins fundraising.
April 29: SoA delivers $82,687 of TV studio equipment to Camp Pendleton.
April 29: Marines pack donated equipment and prepare for shipment to Iraq.
May 1: Marines fly equipment to Iraq.

This rapid turnaround makes a difference in Iraq.

***

Please check FridayÂ’s Wall St. Journal, Dan Henninger talks about Spirit of America in his column on the editorial.

We have received $1,532,931 in donations in the last two weeks. Contributions from 7,438 donors have been made to every request and every area of Spirit of AmericaÂ’s operations. I canÂ’t begin to describe the effects this generosity will have on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan - both in helping the people of those countries and in supporting the hard work of those serving there.

As encouraging as the last 14 days have been, I believe we are just at the beginning of seeing homefront support for AmericaÂ’s efforts in Iraq. WeÂ’re fortunate to receive emails, letters and handwritten notes from our donors that thank us for finally getting the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution. Since 9/11 many have felt helpless. That no longer need be the case.

You can find more on whatÂ’s happened and what next at Spirit of AmericaÂ’s blog. As promised, we have an accounting there of how the money was spent on the first phase of the Marines TV request.

And just about 100% of this is actually going to the people it purports to help. Excellent.

This is, by far, the best stunt pulled on behalf of this effort; some men just weren't meant to cross-dress, and I think he's one of them.

Joanie has pictures.

Smash got an interview out of this.

And Spirit of America made The Wall Street Journal again--alas, without any mention of the blogosphere's role in the fundraising effort.

Sleep well, my friends. And have a wonderful weekend: you deserve it.

Posted by: Attila at 01:07 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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. . . you'll ever need to read on the war in Iraq, Ted Koppel, freedom of speech, or Pat Tillman is over at A Small Victory. Get over there.

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