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Michael Otterman is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, as well as an award-winning journalist and filmmaker.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Taguba, In His Own Words
If you haven't already read the new Sy Hersh Abu Ghraib expose-- do so immediately. It recounts the willful blindness of Donald Rumsfeld and other high ranking Pentagon officials as the 2004 torture scandal unfolded. Antonio Taguba, the first officer to investigate the torture at the prison, provides a vivid insiders account into the pressure exerted to keep the scandal from thorough investigation and total exposure. Tuguba insists that top White House and Pentagon officials were aware of the abuses occuring at the prison at a very early stage, contrary to the official testimony. [The White House and Pentagon have denied this charge.]
Below are the most important snippets from the long piece, in Taguba's words:
“The whole idea that Rumsfeld projects—‘We’re here to protect the nation from terrorism’—is an oxymoron. He and his aides have abused their offices and have no idea of the values and high standards that are expected of them. And they’ve dragged a lot of officers with them.”
“From what I knew, troops just don’t take it upon themselves to initiate what they did without any form of knowledge of the higher-ups. [...] These M.P. troops were not that creative. Somebody was giving them guidance, but I was legally prevented from further investigation into higher authority. I was limited to a box.”
"[The Military Police at Abu Ghraib] were being literally exploited by the military interrogators. My view is that those kids were poorly led, not trained, and had not been given any standard operating procedures on how they should guard the detainees.”
"[I saw] a video of a male American soldier in uniform sodomizing a female detainee.”
"This could not have happened without people in the upper echelon of the Administration giving signals. I just didn’t see how this was not systemic.”
"Rummy did what we called ‘case law’ policy—verbal and not in writing. What he’s really saying is that if this decision comes back to haunt me I’ll deny it.”
“There was no doubt in my mind that this [torture depicted in the photographs] was gravitating upward. It was standard operating procedure to assume that this had to go higher. The President had to be aware of this.”
“From the moment a soldier enlists, we inculcate loyalty, duty, honor, integrity, and selfless service. 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."
Below are the most important snippets from the long piece, in Taguba's words:
“The whole idea that Rumsfeld projects—‘We’re here to protect the nation from terrorism’—is an oxymoron. He and his aides have abused their offices and have no idea of the values and high standards that are expected of them. And they’ve dragged a lot of officers with them.”
“From what I knew, troops just don’t take it upon themselves to initiate what they did without any form of knowledge of the higher-ups. [...] These M.P. troops were not that creative. Somebody was giving them guidance, but I was legally prevented from further investigation into higher authority. I was limited to a box.”
"[The Military Police at Abu Ghraib] were being literally exploited by the military interrogators. My view is that those kids were poorly led, not trained, and had not been given any standard operating procedures on how they should guard the detainees.”
"[I saw] a video of a male American soldier in uniform sodomizing a female detainee.”
"This could not have happened without people in the upper echelon of the Administration giving signals. I just didn’t see how this was not systemic.”
"Rummy did what we called ‘case law’ policy—verbal and not in writing. What he’s really saying is that if this decision comes back to haunt me I’ll deny it.”
“There was no doubt in my mind that this [torture depicted in the photographs] was gravitating upward. It was standard operating procedure to assume that this had to go higher. The President had to be aware of this.”
“From the moment a soldier enlists, we inculcate loyalty, duty, honor, integrity, and selfless service. 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."