Where's George?

The NYT reports: Reports of Mishandling Koran Bring Protest Worldwide.

Gee, I guess that it must all be Newsweek's fault. Not!

Why hasn't the president publicly apologized to the Muslim community, now that it is clear that the Pentagon had known about allegations of Koran abuse? Why hasn't Larry DiRita submitted his resignation for lying now that it is clear that the Pentagon did know about allegations of abuse? Why hasn't Donald Rumsfeld both apologized and resigned. After all, this happened on his watch. Is no one in this administration going to take responsibility... for anything?

The administration and the rightwing whirlitzer was quick to blame Newsweek for the uprisings and resultant deaths in Afghanistan and Pakistan last week. Now, there are protests throughout the Muslim world not because of Newsweek's shoddy reporting, but based on released Pentagon reports that affirm that, indeed, there had been credible allegations of Koran abuse, and that there had even been at least one case where the perpetrator had been punished. Who are we to blame for these protests now? The NYT for reporting the truth?

At the very least, Dubya should be making a public statement of apology to Muslims everywhere for any indiscretion, any abuse of the Koran that has occurred on his watch. He should assign an independent counsel to investigate, Rumsfeld should resign immediately, and as Friedman suggested yesterday, we should just shut it down.

Guantanamo Bay is becoming the anti-Statue of Liberty. If we have a case to be made against any of the 500 or so inmates still in Guantanamo, then it is high time we put them on trial, convict as many possible (which will not be easy because of bungled interrogations) and then simply let the rest go home or to a third country. Sure, a few may come back to haunt us. But at least they won't be able to take advantage of Guantanamo as an engine of recruitment to enlist thousands more. I would rather have a few more bad guys roaming the world than a whole new generation.

Of course, the SCOTUS has already directed the administration to put up or shut up and try the prisoners at Gitmo already, but the war criminals in the administration don't seem to think that means anything.

Fifty one members of Congress have signed a letter to the AG asking him to appoint a special counsel to:

investigate whether high-ranking officials within the Bush Administration violated the War Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. 2441, or the Anti-Torture Act, 18 U.S.C. 2340 by allowing the use of torture techniques banned by domestic and international law at recognized and secret detention sites in Iraq, Afghanistan Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.

Yet, the administration has not seen fit to respond. If the senior members of the administration are innocent of any wrong-doing, then they have nothing to fear from such an investigation.

These people make me sick.