Reason.com
Rummy in the Dock
Climbing the chain of command.
A new lawsuit against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld isn't likely to bring justice for prisoners abused at Abu Ghraib and other military prisons, but it may help resolve the controversy over who's accountable for the torture.
As of this writing, nobody above the rank of sergeant has been convicted in the Abu Ghraib case, despite credible claims that the Pentagon's civilian leadership was encouraging, if not mandating, detainee abuse. (Defense Department documents and geographic disparity--similar incidents have surfaced in Afghanistan and Guantanamo--offer tantalizing evidence of a system-wide pattern of abuse.) By suing Rumsfeld in the state of Illinois, where he is believed to have assets, eight Afghan and Iraqi detainees represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First are trying to place responsibility at the top of the chain of command.
The plaintiffs' attorneys are being joined in the case by former Navy Judge Advocate General John D. Hutson, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals James Cullen, and former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Bill Lann Lee. "One of the greatest strengths of the U.S. military throughout our history has been strong civilian leadership at the top of the chain of command," says Hutson. "Unfortunately, Secretary Rumsfeld has failed to live up to that tradition....It is critical that we return to another military tradition: accountability."
More Articles by Tim Cavanaugh
- Sharon Presley on Libertarian Feminism, Tim Cavanaugh & Paul Detrick, May 26, 2012
- Reason.tv: Joel Stein on His "Stupid Quest for Masculinity", Tim Cavanaugh & Zach Weissmueller, May 22, 2012
- Is the GOP an Echo or a Choice?, Tim Cavanaugh, May 22, 2012
Related Articles (Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Politics, Terrorism)
- Scott Walker Turns Up the Heat on Flawed Milwaukee Crime Stats, Ryan Ekvall & M.D. Kittle, May 25, 2012
- Separating Church and State Money, Ronald Bailey, May 24, 2012
- Is the GOP an Echo or a Choice?, Tim Cavanaugh, May 22, 2012
- Jerry Brown's Broken Budget, Steven Greenhut, May 18, 2012
- How Pat Buchanan Conquered America, Brian Doherty, May 17, 2012
Most Popular Stories
- 5 Classic Teen Sex-and-Drug Freakouts: Rainbow Parties, Butt-Chugging, And So Much More (By Which We Mean Less) (5.27)
- Government Beneficiaries and Other Fairy Tales (5.26)
- Do Organic Consumers Shop Exclusively at the Jerk Store? (5.26)
- Sharon Presley on Libertarian Feminism (5.26)
- Here Are the 15 Senators Who Voted to Stop Armed FDA Agents From Conducting Warrantless Raids on America's Farmers (Not One of Them is a Democrat) (5.24)
Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey
- Reason-Rupe: Wisconsinites Favor Increasing Public Union Retirement Contributions to Address Budget Deficit (5.25)
- Reason-Rupe Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms (5.25)
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney In Wisconsin, But Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race (5.24)
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters (5.24)
- Reason-Rupe Poll: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36 (5.24)
advertisements
Get Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsSite comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.
nfl jerseys|11.8.10 @ 12:02AM|#
nxhgf