BlackFive

This is a required reading post more than anything else. Below are links to information central to what's happening in the Abu Ghraib Prison Abuse Scandal:

First, Greyhawk puts the timeline together and then questions CBS's decision to air the photos. Their claim is that this was a competitive story and the New Yorker was going to publish it first.

Next, the Wall St. Journal Op-Ed Section has a piece about who actually discovered the prisoner abuses - hint: It wasn't CBS.

Smash has a rundown of reactions from Iraqi bloggers. You might be surprised at some of their comments.

Here is the complete AR 15-6 Investigation Report completed by Major General Taguba - be sure to read the "Recommendations" and "Other Findings" Sections. Among other things in the report are Military Police (a Sailor is included) that were whistle blowers about the abuse and others that were recognized for running model prisons. (Thanks to Scott M. for sending the link).

Last, Phil Carter at IntelDump calls B.S. on the report's findings on lack of training. I totally agree. Every soldier goes through Law of War training in Basic Training or the Officer Basic Course (at LEAST). I went through a Law of War briefing every year that I spent in the Army (Reserve, too). To blame this incident on a lack of training is just plain wrong.

So read these various pieces of information in order to be well-informed when this story keeps resurfacing over the next few weeks. I still haven't changed my opinions from my first post. If anything, it's obvious that the whole chain of command should be indicted - possibly past the Brigade Commander (BG Karpinski) and up into Central Command. However, calling for Secretary Rumsfeld to step down over this is ridiculous. It's an Army matter. The buck stops with General Schoomaker, and I don't think he should step down. If anything, General Schoomaker is the one Soldier who can fix all of these problems by sticking his Corcoran Jump Boot so far up the culprits' rear-ends that they'll be able to taste the Kiwi shoe polish.

Ugly Americans (Abuse at the Abu Ghraib Prison) Part One.