Not Sorry At All

Americans in Iraq threw a woman in prison for three months, kept her hooded and handcuffed for a week straight, then let her go without filing charges. And without an apology.

Nightline interviewed a man who was forced to face the naked buttocks of a fellow prisoner, a serious breach of his religion. The man says he's had no contact with his family since he was released. He's too ashamed. He can never marry, he told Dave Marash, because he would have to be honest with his intended bride— and he could never tell a woman that sort of disgusting thing.

So, mistakes get made. No training for our prison guards, untrained interrogators, inadequate supervision of prisons in Iraq, and so on. People make mistakes. When their errors harm other people, apologies are in order.

Maybe the 90 percent of Iraqis who dislike us now, would melt away to only 70 or 80 percent disliking us, if we would simply say we made some mistakes, please forgive us.

But we're in denial bigtime. We insist that no one important authorized prisoner abuse. An Army investigator testified yesterday at Leash Girl's Article 32 hearing that it was just seven lowly MPs who abused prisoners.

Merely a few rowdy enlisted soldiers. No apology needed, right?

Brad Messer, commentary, KTSA.