The cases behind these photos have already been prosecuted.
True, but what I've found disturbing about the case isn't the military's response to it, it's the response of the conservative establishment. From Rush, to FR the response has been to either minimize what happened, or to try to dismiss it as trivial compared to the evils perpetrated by Saddam Hussein or the knuckleheads. But it was and still is a big deal, it did tremendous damage to our credibility in Iraq and internationally. What happened there was a major violation of the very high standards that we hold ourselves to as Americans, and while the perpetrators were brought to justice, the inability of my team to acknowledge the seriousness of Abu Gharib is frustrating and disheartening.
Ted Kennedy said that Abu Ghraib had just reopened under new management.
Hunter S. Thompson, writing for Disney's ESPN, said that the Abu Ghraib photos were more shocking than the worst Nazi attrocities.
The arab press ran photos stolen from a porn site and ran them as evidence US troops were raping Iraqi women held as prisoners.
The Daily Mirror ran hoaxed photos of a British soldier urinating on an "Iraqi Prisoner".
This kind of hyperbole is what led to the high profile decapitation of Nick Berg. Nick Berg had been kidnapped and held prisoner for a month before his murder. His kidnapping was not a retaliation for the abuse photos (even if they claim that as their motive for his murder).
Actions have consequences. The media knows this. They exhibit a serious double standard when they know that the cartoons they won't print generate the same type of violence that these prison photos do.
I question the judgement. Why now? Openess? Let's see all of the abuse images. Like President Bush meeting with the Iraqi prisoners who lost their hands when held at Abu Ghraib under Saddam Hussein's control. They were provided prosthetic limbs by American doctors.
We are not the same and it is dishonest to sell it to the world that we are.