THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VI, Issue # 103, May 21, 2004
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
PRISONER ABUSE IN THE ABU GHRAIB PRISON:
PHONY OUTRAGE ON THE POLITICAL LEFT
By Christopher G Adamo
FULL STORY:
From a policy perspective, the Iraqi prisoner abuse situation can be summed up in a few sentences. The mistreatment of Iraqi
prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison was unquestionably counter to United States policy, and thus forbidden. Those engaging
in it did so in violation of clearly established standards of conduct. Their actions have been condemned by officials at the
highest levels of government. They should be held accountable, and they will be. Case closed.
Admittedly, the perverse nature of the particular incidents is highly disturbing. That certain men and women who wear the
uniform of the United States military could take pleasure in sexually deviant deeds suggests the presence of deeper underlying
moral problems within their ranks. Are we perhaps reaping unintended consequences from the “Don't ask, don't tell” policy of
the last decade?
Nevertheless, the individuals making the most noise about this sordid affair are demonstrating far more about themselves than
those whom they accuse. The recent Senate hearings offer ample proof. Every publicity-hungry Liberal in the room, from Carl
Levin to Ted Kennedy, couldn’t wait to spew sanctimony in front of the cameras. Among the worst, and most inexcusable,
was Arizona Senator John McCain. More than any other senatorial inquisitor, McCain, having spent time as a POW in the
“Hanoi Hilton,” knows what true torture and suffering is, and could have quickly put the entire situation into proper perspective.
Instead, he seized it as an opportunity for shameless grandstanding.
Particularly while “questioning” Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Senator McCain made it obvious that his intent was not to gain
information, but to make a political statement. By concurring with the excesses of “outraged” Liberals, he cheapened the
significance of his own past, while undermining the plight of others, such as Jeremiah Denton, whose landmark work When
Hell Was in Session gives an excruciating account of the fate of American prisoners of war at the hands of the North
Vietnamese. Denton’s book ought to be required reading for all those who need to understand the real meaning of torture and
abuse.
When it comes to pious hypocrisy, of course, few can compete with New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Getting a jump of
several days on the hearings, she flatly and shamelessly asserted that responsibility for the actions of a few out-of-control
American troops rests directly with President George Bush. This is quite the admission from the once-professed “co-President”
who conveniently forgot any information pertaining to the blatant lapses in national security that occurred on her husband’s
watch. Nor did she or her husband ever accept responsibility or offer even the slightest hint of remorse or introspection in the
aftermath of such horrendous fiascos as the Waco massacre.
Ditto for John Kerry, who, though excoriating President Bush for supposedly exploiting images of 9-11 in campaign ads, has
now seized upon these pictures as a fundraising tool. Once again, he has proven his willingness to undermine the morale and
credibility of American combat troops still engaged in foreign hostilities, in order to serve his own interests, i.e., to further his
unrestrained and blatant political ambition.
It is impossible to overemphasize the role being predictably played by the Liberal media, as this situation is blown completely
out of proportion. Who can ever forget the manner in which they, in the immediate aftermath of 9-11, thoroughly suppressed
images of terrified Americans jumping to their deaths from the burning towers? Ostensibly, they sought to prevent further
inflammation of the already heightened rage among Americans that might be vented against innocent Muslims. Yet, they hold
no comparable concern, now that America’s mortal enemies may be similarly enraged.
Nor is the media at all likely to ceaselessly replay the horrific beheading of Nicholas Berg with any of the frequency that the
Abu Ghraib photos are receiving. Though Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has warned that some of the unreleased
pictures are more appalling than anything the public has yet seen, they undoubtedly pale in comparison to the grisly murder
of Berg. Such a contrast is just the thing the Americans need, if they are to recognize the grim nature of the terrorist enemy
they still must confront. But the media cannot risk “clouding” the present discussion by introducing this information.
Certainly, excesses are committed during every major conflict. However, by the intensity of their efforts to exploit the malicious
actions of a few, doing so for the sole purpose of weakening the President’s chances for re-election, Liberals prove once again
that their true loyalties lie not with their country, but only with themselves.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Politics & Political Competition
American Government & the U.S. Presidency
Liberals, Statists, Socialists, & Other Leftists
Liberalism Versus Conservatism in American Politics
The Middle East & the Problem of Iraq
Page Two
Page One
The Problem of Rogue States:
Iraq as a Case History
The Middle East & the Arabs
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming and works in the field of industrial instrumentation.
He is actively involved in Wyoming's political process, serving as a delegate to successive Wyoming State Republican Conventions
and as a member of the Wyoming State Republican Central Committee. He has assisted Republican candidates for local and state
legislatures and for the United States Congress. His articles, which appear regularly in The Progressive Conservative, U.S.A.,
and on a number of other websites, reflect a major concern with the damage being done to Conservatism and Conservative causes by
the Liberal Leftist faction in the Republican Party as well as by the much larger and more powerful Liberal Leftist faction in the
Democratic Party. During the early and middle 1990s, Adamo was Editor of the Wyoming Christian Coalition's official news organ,
The Wyoming Christian.
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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