WP: George Bush* as Saddam Hussein

[kskiska]

World Opinion Roundup

Abuse Photos Prompt Comparison to Former Iraqi Leader

(snip)

While U.S. and British coverage has focused on President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair's denunciations of the abuses, many foreign commentators are starting to compare the U.S.-led occupation to Hussein's tyranny.

The oft-published picture of the hooded Iraqi prisoner standing on a box, electrodes attached to fingers and genitals, is "an image that would do Saddam proud," said the Sunday Herald in Glasgow, Scotland.

Many observers emphasized the fact that the abuses occurred in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison where Iraqis were tortured under Hussein's regime.

The English language Web site of Al Jazeera quotes Saudi commentator Dawud Shiryan as saying, "Abu Ghraib prison was used for torture in Saddam's time. People will ask now: 'What's the difference between Saddam and Bush?' Nothing!" Shiryan said the photographs "will increase the hatred of America, not just in Iraq but abroad."

In a front page story, the Yemen Times reports that many Yemenis "argue that even though Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator, the crimes carried out by US soldiers are viewed very much the same."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62941-2004May3.html

[whistle]

1. Well, if in addition to the photos, there are also...

...videos, which the White House has of these, then I certainly believe the comparisons are appropriate. Just what will Dubya look like when that smirk is wiped off his face?

[JPace]

2. I was watching Seymour Hersh on Fox tonight,

he said that he has recieved may phone calls from
people saying that there is live film of more
atrocities yet to be exposed. Said that there were
women sections and juvenile sections in the prisons
and more shocking films will become public soon.

God it is shameful to be an American since AWOL
stole the election.

[qanda]

3. I actually cried when I heard that--

Just happened to be turning the channels (I would never watch O'Reilly any other time). Anyway, it made me so sad to think that this has been going on and to hear the callers on C-SPAN in the morning, a lot of Americans think it's okay. Yeah, that makes us better than Saddam /sarcasm.

[crossroads]

5. How can Americans feel proud to be an American

I sadly feel shame at the comparison of my <cough> <cough> leader to Saddam. I feel saddened for the family's of those accused of the charges. We will never <cough> <cough> win their hearts and minds - NOW!

[saigon68]

4. No difference between the two

Bush's War is over.

He will never get any help from anyone in Europe. The Chinese and the Asians are repulsed by the naked images of men being FORCED into homosexual acts.

The legacy of this War will be the Hooded Stripped man on a box with wires attached to his testicles.

Bush will be greeted by Veterans like me carrying American Flags and large blow ups of this picture, with the word SHAME on the photo.

In 20 years this picture will be recognized as the TRADEMARK of Bush

Like the photo of Nixon giving the peace sign as he slunk from the white house in disgrace is the trademark of Tricky.

Or LBJ's pathetic performance in not seeking a second term and Eddie Adams picture of Gen Loan shooting dude in the head, represent to the defeat in the original NAM

 = VIET-NAM

Nguyen Ngoc Loan, whose execution of a Viet Cong prisoner on the streets of Saigon in 1968
became one of the most chilling images of the Vietnam War


=IRAQ-NAM

At most, the 372nd's alleged abuses of prisoners were "stupid, kid things - pranks," Terrie
England said,


MY TAKE

In 20 years---- every time IRAQ-NAM or some variant is mentioned ---this photo will pop into
your mind– Just like General Loan’s HEAD SHOT in Cholon 1968

[crossroads]

6. You are right... this *is* the photo that *will* haunt Bush forever!!!

It couldn't happen to a worse president!

[drfemoe]

7. Lesson #1 ~ * warning: disgusting content

"It's" are Human. emphasis added

Command Errors Aided Iraq Abuse, Army Has Found
By JAMES RISEN
Published: May 3, 2004

An internal Army investigation has found a virtual collapse of the command structure in a prison outside Baghdad where American enlisted personnel are accused of committing acts of abuse and humiliation against Iraqi detainees.
...
The orders from occupation commanders in Iraq effectively made a military intelligence officer, rather than a military police officer, responsible for the military police units, the report said. This arrangement was not supported by General Karpinski, the report added, and "is not doctrinally sound."
...
"I went down to Tier 1 (the cellblock where much of the abuse is said to have occurred) and when I looked down the corridor, I saw two naked detainees, one masturbating to another kneeling with its mouth open," he is quoted as saying. "I thought I should just get out of there. I didn't think it was right, as it seemed like the wrong thing to do. I saw Staff Sergeant Frederick walking towards me, and he said, `Look what these animals do when you leave them alone for two seconds.' "

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/international/middleeast/03ABUS.html

[not systems]

12. The language of dehumanization is used in precombat training...

it seems to have worked we have people unbounded
by human decency marauding in our name and on our
dollar.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

8. Lou Dobbs had a good editorial on this tonight...

...he said yes, absolutely, emphatically, there needs to be an apology for this.

BUT...the United States does not need anyone to EXPLAIN why it is wrong. The prisoners who were in those photos were treated inappropriately...an apology needs to be given

And...

The people who were hurt most were the people of the United States, because the actions taken by those soldiers flies in the face of everything this country stands for.

And it all happened on Bush's watch. What SHOULD happen is that the apology the news media has been trying to coax out of him for the last month or so should happen NOW. It's pretty hard to blame this one on Clinton, although I'm sure he'll try eventually. This was the result of the horribly misguided war started by The Boy Who Would Be King.

Bush needs to shut the fuck up about the rape rooms and torture chambers and how grateful the freedom-loving people of Iraq can sleep peacefully at night because HE TOOK SADDAM DOWN.

It's over, cowboy. Al Jazeera is broadcasting those photos around the clock, and the mistreated prisoners are telling their stories:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/03/iraq.abuse/index.html

"One of the prisoners shown in the photographs, Haydar Sabbar Ali, who has since been released, told CNN's Ben Wedeman that he was cursed at and beaten, and had his clothes cut off with a knife.

"We are Muslims. We don't go naked in front of our families. But there we were, naked in front of American women and men," he said, adding that this treatment went on for about four hours as punishment for beating a fellow prisoner suspected of spying for the Americans.

He also said guards "hit you hard in sensitive places, in the kidney, in the chest, in the throat."

"Our bodies were full of bruises. They didn't let us out of the cells until all our wounds had healed."

[saigon68]

9. Pure disgust

[diamond14]

10. WOW ! Great Headline....Kerry doesn't need to campaign while

bush* is creating headlines like that in the Washington Post...

it's amazing to watch the 'compassionate conservation holy roller' self-implode on his own sex-torture scandal....just like everything that bush* ever did, he arrogantly creates massive destruction and suffering all around and expects others to clean it up....


not only are apologies needed right NOW, but also doctors, health inspectors, medical personnel, rape crisis counselors, pregnancy counselors, victim assistants and much much more MUST be rushed to this prison nightmare IMMEDIATELY to try to comfort and heal the victims....no cost should be spared out the pentagoon's war budget to repair this mess as best as humanly possible....last I read, many of these prisoners had tuberculosis and fleas....and probably lots of other major medical problems that need immediate attention....may God forgive us....

[Mechatanketra]

11. Oh, definitely a difference between the Bush and Saddam regimes

We can prove all the crimes the Bush regime is accused of actually occurred.