The Rittenhouse Review

A Philadelphia Journal of Politics, Finance, Ethics, and Culture


Wednesday, May 05, 2004  

IT’S NOT ENOUGH
President Bush Falls Short, Again

President George W. Bush appeared on Arab television today “expressing his deep sorrow over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in American custody, vowing that those guilty would be punished and declaring that their actions did not represent ‘the America that I know,’ adding, “The actions of these few people do not reflect the hearts of the American people. The American people are just as appalled at what they have seen on TV as Iraqi citizens have. The Iraqi citizens must understand that.” (“Bush Tells Arab World That Prisoner Abuse Was ‘Abhorrent’,” by David Stout and Terence Neilan, the New York Times.)

Well, that’s fine as far as it goes, but it falls far short of what Arabs, Americans, and people everywhere wanted and needed to hear.

I think what people really want to know that the cases of abuse, torture, and death that have been “reported” -- discovered is a better word -- are the only incidents that occurred. The lingering concern, or fear, is that we will learn of still more crimes, resulting in a drip, drip, drip of the worst possible kind.

Where are the assurances on that point?

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