Shameful Then, Shameful Now
Two sad news stories today: the 9-11 Commission report, and finally, the "official" story on abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 9-11 Commission is somehow less disturbing to me, because it's a summary of what we all suspected. It's as if your roof caves in, and when you read the official explanation as to why it caved in, it's not as shocking as the first chunks of plaster hitting your coffee table.
Still, it lays out a pattern consistent in its ignorance of the evidence. Despite briefings, reports, security reports, and goddamn bombings, the current administration decided that Mr. Bin Laden just wasn't that important. There is a quote attributed to John Ashcroft: after a couple of briefings on terrorism, he said it was just like a soap opera - tune in once a week to see what's happened. So terrorism was just a distraction, a depressing subject matter. Can we cut to the fun part of being Attorney General, please?
So for eight months, Bush pushed his tax cuts, took endless vacations, and generally goofed off like any person starting a new job they're not quite sure they're ready for. Except, friends and neighbors, he's supposed to be handling the reins for the most powerful country in the world. I mean, I've got a new job I'm a little worried about, but I didn't have to take an oath the day I started.
And then the other story of the day: 39 dead prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. 94 cases of known or suspected abuse of prisoners. It makes sense to me, if you start with the assumption that the administration didn't know what it was doing in either place. You go into battle underprepared, draft people who aren't ready or expecting to be in combat situations, and provide not only shoddy leadership, but a crappy example of leadership yourself, from the White House down. All this leads to a case where abuse is bound to happen.
The surprising (not really, but disappointing) part of the stories here is the comment that there was no pattern of abuse. Hmm... let's see. 39 people have died. Soldiers and non-soldiers ("contractors" - what used to be called "mercenaries" or "hired guns") get away with widespread abuse, and often their C.O.'s either turn their heads, or encourage it! No pattern? Get serious.
8:22:06 AM 
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