Advisers Fault Harsh Methods in Interrogation

[Ken White]

Originally Posted by tequila

Uboat - So you do not believe what GEN Taguba found regarding GEN Miller bringing in Gitmo tactics, where MPs were asked to essentially soften up detainees for interrogators as having anything to do with the resulting abuses?

decision to go into Iraq in the first place. As did the decision to ram airplanes into buildings. The failure to correctly react to the Embassy siezure in Tehran in 1979 had an effect also. So too did Sanchez well meant but stupid directive to the Intel fokks to "Get more intel!!!"

None of which has anything to do with the fact that a bunch of poorly trained Reserve MPs who almost certainly should not have had the job they had were assigned that job (whose fault was that?) went overboard and got stupid -- and all acknowledged at their trials that they essentially knew what they were doing was wrong (does that make it their fault?). You forgot to mention the senior NCOs and the Officers of that Battalion and Company who did NOT check on their people and allowed that to happen (Surely you don't want to let them slide?). Or former BG, now Colonel Karpinski who got dropped a grade for failure to supervise (ala Martha Stewart, this is a good thing...).

There's plenty of blame for many -- but the bottom line is those kids screwed up, got caught and most got punished. The system worked.

The good news is that both Sanchez and Miller were quietly retired. The Armed forces of the US, all of them, rarely punish active component Flag Officers for errors. I don't agree with that either but neither you nor I will get that changed -- thus I'd ask, what's your point?

Serious question.