Apologies...

[LeahMira]

The pResident has apologized to the Iraqi people for the torture of prisoners. Rumsfeld has apologized.

Each has sent his personal apology, but I don't see that either has taken any personal responsibility and I don't see that either has apologized on behalf of the American people. I also don't see any sort of plan to make sure that something similar can't happen again, or to make some restitution or amends (if that's even possible).

I don't buy it that the matter needs to be investigated further to find out if there might have been anything either Bush or Rumsfeld might have done differently to prevent this sort of thing from happening. I'd bet that both men know now what each could have done but just didn't.

I would think better of them if each man had said something like: "I realize now that I should have..."

I also think that no one has apologized on behalf of the American people because any number of their constituency would have a fit. I think there are a lot of Republicans who either don't think that what happened was all that bad, or else they don't think that Americans bear any collective responsibility for what happened.

So, I suppose I'm asking what everyone here would wish to see from our "leadership." What should they do? What should Democrats do?

[kalian]

1. I started a similar thread with an editorial....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=49462&mesg_id=49462

Dems lack backbones to make a serious issue out of all this. NOBODY
is asking the right questions, nor are they making the right
accusations. WHERE is the dem leadership...?