Editorial: Deal openly with scandal

Tuesday, May 11, 2004 | 9:17 a.m.

Two weeks ago, after the first photos were released showing Iraqi prisoners being abused by grinning U.S. soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, President Bush expressed his shock and revulsion. Bush said the scandal would be aggressively investigated. Bush's aides also leaked to the media that the president, in a private meeting with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had scolded Rumsfeld for failing to notify him sooner about the gravity of the situation.

But last week some conservative commentators, who effectively operate as part of the Bush political machine, started downplaying what had happened at Abu Ghraib. Talk show host Sean Hannity worried that the White House was going soft with its comments denouncing the treatment of Iraqi prisoners. Rush Limbaugh, during his radio program last Tuesday, likened what had happened at the prison to a college fraternity prank. "This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones (a secret society at Yale University) initiation," Limbaugh said. "And we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them (the soldiers) because they had a good time."

The right-wing pundits, then, should be pleased with what they've been hearing from the White House in the past few days. Over the weekend Vice President Dick Cheney defended his longtime friend Rumsfeld, whom many Democrats in Congress have called on to resign because of the prison scandal and what they view as his bungling of the war and post-reconstruction in Iraq. "People ought to get off his case and let him do his job," Cheney said of Rumseld. Then on Monday, after a meeting with Rumsfeld, Bush told reporters that Rumsfeld was doing a "superb job." Bush once again pledged a "full accounting" for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, but the overriding message was that he was fully behind the embattled Rumsfeld.

Some Bush loyalists have suggested that Democratic criticism is being made for partisan gain, but there are many Republicans in Congress who are deeply worried, too. Three Republicans with military backgrounds -- Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- have been especially vocal about the need for the United States to conduct a thorough investigation, no matter how high up the chain of command it leads.

One of the reasons why it is so critical for the United States to treat prisoners humanely is that if we don't, it makes it that much more likely that our soldiers will receive similar treatment if they're captured by the enemy. McCain, who was mistreated when he was a prisoner of war for more than five years in Vietnam, understands that as well as anyone. And, especially after seeing the most recent photo of a naked Iraqi prisoner -- who is standing defenseless before menacing military dogs on leashes held by U.S. soldiers -- it is sickening to even think of such treatment as a "fraternity prank."

For those who, like Cheney, want people to get off Rumsfeld's back, Graham indicated he's not going to get pushed around. Over the weekend Graham, a former military lawyer, told the White House that it should back off Congress, noting it has a job to do. Graham correctly believes that the administration should be more forthcoming about the scandal. As Graham has pointed out, it likely will get worse, since he's been told there are more photos detailing abuse, including detainees being raped and murdered.

The Pentagon is weighing whether to publicly release the photos, but some worry that if they are released, it could inflame an already volatile situation in the Middle East, making it even more dangerous for U.S. soldiers. The fact is that these photos likely will come out anyway. Letting the photos trickle out, day by day, actually could prolong the situation. More importantly, we live in an open, democratic society. If we're intent on setting a good example in the Middle East of what it means to live in a free society, then it requires disclosing all information, especially when it's bad. "If there's more to come, let's get it out," Graham said Sunday.

When White House officials and U.S. military leaders have looked unsteady in handling the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, it has been when they have been slow to tell the public what is going on. That's not surprising, since in the Bush White House secrecy has been the rule, not the exception. But if the White House is to regain public confidence in this matter, it needs to be more open with Congress and the American people on what's happening. Until then, the Bush administration should expect some tough sledding.