Julian Borger, of the Guardian, write on April 15, 2006 that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was "directly link to prisoner abuse" in Guantanamo Bay.
Army report on al-Qaida accuses Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld was directly linked to prisoner abuse for the first time yesterday, when it emerged he had been "personally involved" in a Guantánamo Bay interrogation found by military investigators to have been "degrading and abusive".
Human Rights Watch last night called for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate whether the defence secretary could be criminally liable for the treatment of Mohamed al-Qahtani, a Saudi al-Qaida suspect forced to wear women's underwear, stand naked in front of a woman interrogator, and to perform "dog tricks" on a leash, in late 2002 and early 2003. The US rights group said it had obtained a copy of the interrogation log, which showed he was also subjected to sleep deprivation and forced to maintain "stress" positions; it concluded that the treatment "amounted to torture".
Rumsfeld Monitored "Abusive and Degrading" Treatment By Telephone
We already know the chain of responsibility quite well. Alberto Gonzales wrote an memorandum to President Bush warning him to renounce the Geneva Conventions as "quaint" and "obsolete" and also to protect Bush against future charges of War Crimes. (See HoundDog's review of Noam Chomsky's allegations of War Crimes by President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld for the destruction of Falluja.)
Salon, adds documentation of another direct link here. But this article leaves out the active role Dick Cheney also played in this disgraceful episode.
However, military investigators decided the interrogation did not amount to torture but was "abusive and degrading". Those conclusions were made public last year but this is the first time Mr Rumsfeld's own involvement has emerged.
According to a December report by the army inspector general, obtained by Salon.com online magazine, the investigators did not accuse the defence secretary of specifically prescribing "creative" techniques, but they said he regularly monitored the progress of the al-Kahtani interrogation by telephone, and they argued he had helped create the conditions that allowed abuse to take place.
"Where is the throttle on this stuff?" asked Lt Gen Schmidt, an air force officer who said in sworn testimony to the inspector general that he had concerns about the duration and repetition of harsh interrogation techniques. He said that in his view: "There were no limits."
Bad Timing For Rumsfeld As Seventh Retired General Calls For Rumsfeld To Resign
When it rains it pours. We might call this Donald Rumsfeld's bad week. Late this afternoon a seventh retired General has called for his resignation.
The revelation comes at a critical time for Mr Rumsfeld. He is under unprecedented scrutiny for his management of the Iraq war, after six former generals in quick succession called for his resignation.
The questions reached such a pitch by the end of the week that George Bush took the unusual step of issuing a personal note from Camp David in Mr Rumsfeld's defence. "I have seen first-hand how Don relies upon our military commanders in the field and at the Pentagon to make decisions about how best to complete these missions," the president wrote. "Secretary Rumsfeld's energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period. He has my full support and deepest appreciation."
The Question Is Not Should Rumsfeld Resign But If He Should Be Indicted
But this is getting ridiculous. So much evidence has accumulated for Rumsfeld's criminal and other behavior so disgraceful as to be inappropriate for a high government official that the real question is no longer should he resign but when, how, and who will indict him for criminal offenses.
And, responding to the generals, Mr Rumsfeld said in an al-Arabiya TV interview yesterday: "If every time two or three people disagreed we changed the secretary of defence, it would be like a merry-go-round." However, in the wake of the inspector general's report, Human Rights Watch said: "The question at this point is not whether secretary Rumsfeld should resign, it's whether he should be indicted. General Schmidt's sworn statement suggests Rumsfeld may have been perfectly aware of the abuses inflicted on Mr al-Qahtani."
The Pentagon also issued a statement in response to publication of the report. A spokeswoman said: "We've gone over this countless times, and yet some still choose to print fiction versus fact. Twelve reviews, to include one done by an independent panel, all confirm the department of defence did not have a policy that encouraged or condoned abuse. To suggest otherwise is simply false."
So far, only junior US officers have been charged and convicted for a string of prisoner abuse scandals since the Bush administration launched its "global war on terror", but rights activists have accused the administration of opening the way for the use of torture in 2002 by relaxing the constraints of the Geneva conventions.
Another link in the Chain From Gonzales, Bush, Rumsfeld Down To Torturing Privates: Maj. Gen. Geoftrey Miller
Gen Bantz Craddock, head of Southern Command, overruled the investigators' recommendation that Maj Gen Geoffrey Miller, who ran the Guantánamo camp in 2002, be admonished for the techniques employed. Gen Miller was transferred to Abu Ghraib prison, and took with him his aggressive approach to interrogations.
The investigators found Mr Rumsfeld was "talking weekly" with Gen Miller about the al-Qahtani interrogation. In December 2002, the defence secretary approved 16 harsh interrogation techniques for use on Mr al-Qahtani, including forced nudity, and "stress positions". However approval was revoked in 2003.
Gen Miller insisted he was unaware of details of the interrogation, but Gen Schmidt said he found that"hard to believe" in view of Mr Rumsfeld's evident interest in its progress. Gen James Hill, former head of Southern Command, recalled Gen Miller recommending continuation of the interrogation, saying "We think we're right on the verge of making a breakthrough." Gen Hill then passed on the request to Mr Rumsfeld. "The secretary said, 'Fine,'" Gen Hill remembered.
Conclusions
President Bush, who appears to prefer to keep potentially indictable criminals in the White House to take the attention off of himself, took the unusual step of releasing a written strong endorsement of his beleaguered Secretary of Defense. Although, he didn't use the exact "kiss of death" words "You're doing a great job, Rummy," it was close enough to raise questions Rumsfeld can make it through the weekend.
Curiously, , conservatives commentators have unwisely chosen to make Rumsfeld's tenure a symbolic test of Bush's strength and commitment to the Iraq War plan. Tonight several have assured their readers there is no way Bush can let Rumsfeld resign now because it would be a sign of Bush's emasculation and failure in Iraq.
Man, with opponents like this what's a progressive advocate supposed to say and do on a Friday night? I guess we can go out a play. Because we couldn't be setting this up any better if we all planed out and coordinated a PR offensive.
So, sit back, get some popcorn and prepare to enjoy the weekend talk shows.
But, Donald Rumsfeld must resign. And I sincerely believe he is also guilty of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity specified in the Geneva Conventions and UN Charter of 1945.
It will be much better, for American in the long term, if we take the lead in demanding these prosecutions.