History WILL Judge

Just had a completely disturbing time poring through Salon's comprehensive history of Abu Ghraib prison. I believe the President is fond of saying that "history will judge" his career. You bet your ass they will. And this will be primary documentary evidence of how badly we screwed up in Iraq.

As much as I objected to this war initially, it wasn't unwinnable until this team got their hands on it. One could argue about the policy of pre-emption, but it's impossible to argue about the results. The national shame that I experienced while viewing the photos, watching the videos, and reading the reports of Abu Ghraib hung heavy with me. I mentioned it once, but "Habeus Schmabeus," the This American Life episode which interviews released detainees from Guantanamo, is vital for everyone to hear. Together, these reports paint a picture of America out of control, almost punching into the night in anger, stoked by fear and hatred, hoping that this will at least stop their internal torment by passing it on to someone else. It was stupid, irrational, and wholly without merit. Period.

History will most definitely judge a country that lost its collective mind after September the 11th, that forgot every ideal and value it held dear for the past 200 years, almost without exception. History will judge how this country dealt with this craven behavior, by punishing the lesser lights (the "few bad apples") and leaving the policymakers alone. History will understand the ramifications of the abuse scandal, how the moderates in the Muslim world got bulldozed by the radicals, how Al Qaeda turned it into a recruitment poster. History will judge. And they won't be kind.