Dark Bilious Vapors

From the CNN website article on the Iraq prisoner abuse debacle:

The new officer chosen to run U.S. military jails [in Iraq] apologized Wednesday to the Iraqi people. "I would like to apologize for our nation and for our military for the small number of leaders and soldiers that have committed unauthorized and possibly illegal acts on the detained here at Abu Ghraib," Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller said at the prison. Miller, who stepped into his new position about a month ago, said Tuesday that he has halted the "aberrant" practices that led to the alleged abuse.[my emphasis --LRC]

A reader writes: " I wonder if you have any comment on the fact that the general sent to clean up the Abu Raghib prison, Major General Geoffrey Miller, is the exact same person blamed in the Taguba Report as being the person responsible for creating the environment for abuse. According to the Taguba Report posted at msnbc, (U) The Investigating Team also reviewed the Assessment of DoD Counter-Terrorism Interrogation and Detention Operations in Iraq conducted by MG Geoffrey D. Miller, Commander, Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO). From 31 August to 9 September 2003, MG Miller led a team of personnel experienced in strategic interrogation to HQ, CJTF-7 and the Iraqi Survey Group (ISG) to review current Iraqi Theater ability to rapidly exploit internees for actionable intelligence. MG Miller’s team focused on three areas: intelligence integration, synchronization, and fusion; interrogation operations; and detention operations. MG Miller’s team used JTF-GTMO procedures and interrogation authorities as baselines . . . (S/NF) The recommendations of MG Miller’s team that the “guard force” be actively engaged in setting the conditions for successful exploitation of the internees would appear to be in conflict with the recommendations of MG Ryder’s Team and AR 190-8 that military police “do not participate in military intelligence supervised interrogation sessions.” The Ryder Report concluded that the OEF template whereby military police actively set the favorable conditions for subsequent interviews runs counter to the smooth operation of a detention facility."

Len on 05.06.04 @ 11:30 AM CST