A bit of perspective, please
In all the furor over the photographs from Abu Ghraib, what's been overlooked by many is the fact that the American military was not only already investigating allegations but announced that the inquiry had begun three months ago. Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba's investigation was thorough, and his conclusion was that the abuse was the result of the actions of a handful of guards and their superiors, not the result of an official policy or order.
What turned a smoldering investigation into a media firestorm, of course, were the photos. But once again the American public has kept perspective better than the news media. In two polls, a Washington Post /ABC and a CNN/ USA Today/ Gallup poll, roughly 70 percent reject any move to oust Rumsfeld, recognizing that it would be an implicit admission that a central thrust of the war against terrorism has been a failure. Rumsfeld should remain: He is a uniquely gifted secretary of defense.
President Bush's critics seek to use Rumsfeld as a pinata and this scandal as a chance to discredit the entire Iraqi venture. But we must not lose faith. The murder of Nick Berg underscores the stakes. Our enemies will never understand America and its values, but they would surely recognize weakness, if we ever allowed them to see it.
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