ABU GHRAIB ACCOUNTABILITY

New York Post ^ | 5/27/04

[kattracks]

May 27, 2004 -- The Pentagon announced this week that Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez is to be replaced as the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. Both the Pentagon and the White House stress that the pending transfer has nothing to do with the scandal at Abu Ghraib prison.

After 13 months on the job, they say, Sanchez is scheduled for rotation. Indeed, President Bush declared Tuesday, "Rick Sanchez has done a fabulous job."

No doubt he has.

But it remains that Abu Ghraib happened while Sanchez was at the top of the Army's operational chain of command in Iraq.

Doubtless, he knew nothing of it, but he's the responsible officer, and he must be held accountable. If Sanchez isn't being removed for cause, he should be.

There is, meanwhile, nothing ambiguous about the culpability of Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski in the Abu Ghraib scandal — and Tuesday the Army finally suspended her from command of the 800th Military Police Brigade.

Karpinski was in charge of the whole U.S.-run prison system in Iraq.

[Jay Howard Smith]

It happened on his watch..!

[conservative in nyc]

I'm kind of surprised that the Post would come out this strongly against General Sanchez. But they're not calling for his outright dismissal or demotion. They are just pointing out that the buck stops with him.

The rest of the editorial is a rather forceful indictment of the idiot General Karpinski. They fall just short of calling for her court martial.

[meenie]

I doubt if the buck stops at General Sanchez. An attempt to head the investigation off at the pass before it goes any further.

[BillyCrockett]

I heard they've got a new, much more intimidating, type of interigation technique now... nuns will speak softly to the enemy while serving tea.

[Drammach]

Look for Gen. Miller's name to come up soon...

Just a feeling.. He's in it, and in it deep...

[verity]

The real scandal in this country are the biased media.