Abu Ghraib Whitewash

When people are in trouble, it'd be simpler to just let them investigate themselves, rather than bring in outsiders.

Here's an example. I'm going 70 in a 60 and get pulled over. I tell the cop, "I will conduct my own investigation into whether I was speeding. I will let you know." Then in a few weeks I would report back and say I have investigated myself and I was not speeding, so just be on your way and leave me alone.

This is how the Pentagon has handled the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse investigation. It has just told congress, "We investigated ourselves, and found that the mistreatment scandal doesn't go very high up in the ranks at all. And none of it can be blamed on the Pentagon or anywhere near this high."

The Army Inspector general said cases of abuse such as those at Abu Ghraib prison were "aberrations" that did not result from flawed Army doctrine. The report claimed that abuses were "unauthorized actions taken by a few individuals."

How about that! A few low ranking people are to blame, the system works well, and no one up the chain of command has done anything wrong.

See how much neater things end up when you get to investigate yourself?

Brad Messer, commentary, KTSA.