Donald Sensing makes an interesting statement about the impending criminal trials in the Iraq prisoner abuse scandals:
[T]he bandwagon mentality among both the media and the military’s uniformed and civilian leaders took over. Justice is not being done and maybe now can’t be done.
His contention is that, because courts martials are under the auspices of military commanders, every effort must be made to avoid undue command influence. Statements by President Bush, SECDEF Rumsfeld, CJCS Myers, and other high level officials may well have prejudiced the case. It’s an interesting argument.
Don cites the lower profile response of the British leadership as the more proper approach. Given that the U.S. is the face of this war, I’m not sure we had that luxury. But it would be ironic indeed if our haste to make it clear that the wrongdoers would be punished ensures precisely the opposite.
