Top Brass Won't Be Charged Over Abuse (washingtonpost.com): "the senior officers cited for indirectly allowing the abuse to flourish at the Abu Ghraib prison will not face charges under the findings of an Army report issued this week -- a fact that three Army generals explained and defended yesterday in interviews. Those in the U.S. command structure who failed to supervise their subordinates, who handed down unclear and in some cases illegal policies, and who ignored signs of abuse were found in Army reports to be 'responsible' for the problems but not 'culpable' because they did not have a direct hand in the mistreatment.
'That's the differentiation that's being made,' Gen. Paul J. Paul J. Kern -- who supervised the Army's most recent investigation, by Marine Gen. George R. Fay and Lt. Gen. Anthony R. Jones -- said in an interview yesterday with Washington Post editors and reporters. "Are we letting them off the hook? I don't think so. In fact, we put the spotlight on them and said, 'You didn't do your job right.' "
That's a poor effort at accountability. And the fact that there have been no resignations is an indication of the lack of responsibility that pervades our government. Only the lowest ranks are held responsible. Those with authority are never responsible in this administration! They find distinctions without meaning and hide behind their clever language.
- posted by geoff @ #