General Janis Karpinski: Let's get out the truth about detainee photos

[IndianaGreen]

Commentary: Let's get out the truth about detainee photos

By Janis Karpinski
Special to CNN

CNN) -- About-face! President Obama's reversal of his administration's decision to release more photographs of prisoner abuse is disappointing and infuriating.

It is sad and tragic. The reversal will absolutely stir up more controversy than release of the photographs, causing an outpouring of rampant speculation -- What is the government hiding? Who are the people in the photographs? How awful can these new photos be? And worse.

The president is going to Egypt, and discussions surrounding the photographs are inevitable. He is far better off armed with the ability to have open discussions on all topics instead of apologizing for holding back information. Withholding evidence is counterproductive and does not sound like "truth," and it surely does not sound like "change."

The truth is always helpful. If we put all the photographs on the table, clearing the air, then, and only then, we can get on with the discussion of how to make sure this never happens again. The truth will set us free -- free to find the roots of the problem, allowing us to do what we did best -- making the world a better place to live.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/14/karpinski.photos/index.html

[DURHAM D]

1. Good for you for restoring her rank.

Obama needs to make the army do the same.

[IndianaGreen]

2. She was a scapegoat. She had no command control over that part of the prison.

The grunts went to jail, while the leaders that gave the orders are walking free, or worse, they are still working in the Pentagon.

[OneGrassRoot]

3. HUGE K&R. Glad she is getting visibility. Her voice here....

is invaluable, credible and honorable.

[Thrill]

4. I don't buy that logic. He's better off when he goes to Egypt with the photos released?

Thats nonsense

[ProSense]

5. The problem with this notion that the photos, not torture, is likely to make anyone less safe is

the assumption that al Qaeda, the Taliban and any group who would harm Americans are likely to become complacent, which is ludicrous.

There is a debate raging in the U.S. and other parts of the world about whether or not the U.S. is going to prosecute war crimes committed by the Bush administration. Does anyone really believe that the above groups are going to distinguish between Abu Ghraib photos, the torture memos or any of the hundreds of news clips on the subject of U.S. sanctioned torture?





Edited for clarity.

[onetwo]

12. What's with the strawman arguments? BOTH can make us "less safe."

The photos will have a large impact as they are visual and need no translation. Ultimately, it is not a must that they be released.

[ProSense]

14. Oh please.

Less safe happened when Bush illegally invaded Iraq and tortured. Period.

[Forkboy]

8. The fact that it poses a risk makes doing the right thing all the more courageous.

Think of the message it would send to not only our enemies, but to the whole world, if he released these and spoke openly of our mistakes in doing these things. Yes, the pics will be used as propaganda, but their mere existence will be used that way, released or not. By releasing and talking about them he neuters much of that propaganda, whereas not releasing them feeds into any propaganda meme used against us even more. People will claim he isn't any different than Bush, that secrecy and politics trumps law once again (not to mention basic decency).

There is no win in this for us either way, but there is a path that makes people believe us when we say we won't tolerate torture. This isn't it, and instead plays right into the hands of those who can now claim the pics must be so bad that it proves how evil America must be.

Part of being a truly great leader is taking chances, sometimes physically. That's what inspires people to follow. Playing it safe, out of fear or expediency, doesn't inspire much of anything outside of contempt.

And for the record, I don't think the fear part enters into the equation with Obama. The political expediency part I'm not so sure on however.

[vaberella]

9. People keep saying that...but I really don't want to risk the life of my Pres.

I don't give a fuck what I have to do...but I'd rather not risk it. I had 8 years of a crackpot...who actually left this baggage and I have a President who's great, who might actually pay for the crackpots mistakes---and I have to see it as courageous?! He may be courageous but obviously I'm not. Anything could happen and there are a lot of nutters out there as Queen Beatrice found out...I don't want anyone thinking this is for some greater power and retribution. Courage can take a damn backseat for all I care.

[Forkboy]

10. If doing what's right entails some danger than so be it.

I'm not expecting him to do anything I wouldn't do myself. Cowardice is not a becoming trait to me, especially when doing the right thing could have such a positive effect for our country, and the world as a whole.

Courage can take a damn backseat for all I care.

We just had eight years where courage was in drastically short supply in Washington. Part of the appeal of Obama when he ran was his seeming strength of conviction on issues such as this one. "Transparency" was a word he used over and over and over. He undercuts himself, and the country, by backtracking now.

Morals and ideals should never take a backseat to fear or political expediency. If we let fear dictate what we do in the face of wrongdoing then we might as well just call it a day for America.

[vaberella]

11. You call it cowardice but I don't see it that way.

Secondly, the pictures will come out whether O does it or not. Since I've seen a few of them. So I'm neither here no there with the whole thing. I'm truly unaffected either way. I'd like them to come out and considering a few of them have and I'm sure more will turn up...so I'm not bothered.

[Forkboy]

13. Well, I don't see it as cowardice in Obama's case, but I do see it as political expedience.

I don't think he's not releasing them out of fear for his own personal safety.

Secondly, the pictures will come out whether O does it or not.

All the more reason to grab the bull by the horns, and not leave it up to others. It would show a political courage that few have demonstrated in my lifetime. By waiting until they turn up elsewhere he'll be forced to respond anyways, and the resulting propaganda will be exactly what some are using as a reason to not release them in the first place. It's always advantageous to tackle things at the time and place of your choosing rather then letting others dictate it for you. And also, by waiting for others he cedes any high ground he might be able to salvage from this whole mess. Obama isn't responsible for this at all, but it is in his hands now for good or ill, and he has an option that actually strengthens his standing (and by extension, ours as well) instead of weakening it. That's not the option he's choosing.

[Zodiak]

21. We are politically and emotionally immature as a nation

We do not do the courageous thing if it interferes with our fairy tales. We like our fairy tales where the USA wears the white hat too much.

[EFerrari]

18. Do you mean because it's embarrassing that some of the torture happened in Egypt

or because Egypt tortures generally?

[RetroLounge]

6. Under the Hopemobile with Krugman and Turley...

Here come the apologists...

3-2-1

RL

[depakid]

7. Karpinski is spot on

This will not be well received around the world- especially coupled with the strong arming of the Britsh government.

[Hanse]

15. Karpinski? The war criminal?

Oh good lord, who's next? Donald Rumsfeld?

[uponit7771]

16. Why is she a war criminal?

Thx in advance

[Hanse]

17. Torture, rape, murder. The general Abu Ghraib stuff.

She's claimed in her own defense that she's a scapegoat (half truth perhaps) and that she wasn't responsible for the war crimes that occurred under her command.

She's also claimed that the photographs were some sort of external conspiracy designed to make her and her prison look bad.

Standard lame war criminal bullshit.

This woman defended the treatment after the photos came out. And joked the prisoners were still treated better than the way normal Iraqi civilians lived.

From the final report:

"BG Karpinski was extremely emotional during much of her testimony. What I found particularly disturbing in her testimony was her complete unwillingness to either understand or accept that many of the problems inherent in the 800th MP Brigade were caused or exacerbated by poor leadership and the refusal of her command to both establish and enforce basic standards and principles among its soldiers."

[ClarkUSA]

20. Yup. Funny how some want to make her some kind of victim/heroine when she's just covering her ass.

This woman defended the treatment after the photos came out. And joked the prisoners were still treated better than the way normal Iraqi civilians lived.

From the final report:

"BG Karpinski was extremely emotional during much of her testimony. What I found particularly disturbing in her testimony was her complete unwillingness to either understand or accept that many of the problems inherent in the 800th MP Brigade were caused or exacerbated by poor leadership and the refusal of her command to both establish and enforce basic standards and principles among its soldiers."

Too bad few here read the facts about her, much less want to acknowledge them.

[depakid]

22. The facts here seem to be that she thinks the photos need to be released AND that

there aren't going to be any repercussions on the ground in Iraq- for reasons that should be OBVIOUS to anyone with half a clue as to what's been going on over the past 6 years.

[ClarkUSA]

23. Of course she does. It further covers her ass and makes it easy to forget she's a war criminal.

This woman defended the treatment after the photos came out. And joked the prisoners were still treated better than the way normal Iraqi civilians lived.

From the final report:

"BG Karpinski was extremely emotional during much of her testimony. What I found particularly disturbing in her testimony was her complete unwillingness to either understand or accept that many of the problems inherent in the 800th MP Brigade were caused or exacerbated by poor leadership and the refusal of her command to both establish and enforce basic standards and principles among its soldiers."

[depakid]

19. Kick

:dem:

[HOLOS]

24. BRAVA, General Karpinski!!