I suspect Taguba is not going to be retited anytime soon. His "tits" are probably just fine.

"Retited Army Maj. Gen Paul Taguba..."

good job there with the spelling, and it's Antonio M. Taguba, not "Paul...".

Taguba didn't tell Rummy more than he wanted to hear. His sin was to illuminate to anyone paying attention what Rummy already knew. Ay idiot alive that thinks Rummy didn't know what was going on, that Rummy hadn't seen the photos, or for that matter, that he didn't actually order the torture at Abu Ghraib to begin, needs to have a five minute time-out in the corner.

Jesus Christ haven't we been paying attention to this debacle? Who do you think ordered Fredo to re-write the torture law? John Stewart? Who the hell urged the passing of that nihilistic Bill to disavow any retroactive penalty for this torture?

So taguba lost his job. He, at least, saved his immortal soul. Man, would I like to be a fly on the cloud when these sorry bastards are judged...

So taguba lost his job. He, at least, saved his immortal soul. Man, would I like to be a fly on the cloud when these sorry bastards are judged...

I remember reading, close the end of Bush's first term, that Rumsfeld was going to stay on a second term to "burnish his legacy." We can't be flies on you wished-for cloud, but may we all, including Rummy, live to see how how his legacy plays out. No way anyone can successfully redeem this guy in any bios or memoirs yet to be written.

He must lose sleep nights knowing there are smoking-gun documents waiting to surface. Journalists and historians are digging, digging even as we post here.

First, Stevio is right.

Second, Taguba is a footnote to the much larger story. From the article.

Rumsfeld was in frequent contact with Miller about the progress of Qahtani's interrogation, and personally approved the most severe interrogation tactics. ("This wasn't just daily business, when the Secretary of Defense is personally involved," Schmidt told the Army investigators.) Nonetheless, Schmidt was impressed by Rumsfeld's demonstrative surprise, dismay, and concern upon being told of the abuse. "He was going, 'My God! Did I authorize putting a bra and underwear on this guy's head and telling him all his buddies knew he was a homosexual?'

Schmidt was convinced. "I got to tell you that I never got the feeling that Secretary Rumsfeld was trying to hide anything," he told me. "He got very frustrated. He's a control guy, and this had gotten out of control. He got pissed."

Rumsfeld's response to Schmidt was similar to his expressed surprise over Taguba's Abu Ghraib report. "Rummy did what we called 'case law' policy—verbal and not in writing," Taguba said. "What he's really saying is that if this decision comes back to haunt me I'll deny it." "

while historians and others are digging, digging, digging, Rummy is shredding, shredding, shredding, at an office he was given just down the road from the WH. He was "given" seven able assistants to help him in his "transition" and I'd bet a months salary the "keys" to the cabinets he needs to frequent so the digging, digging, digging, finds, nothing nothing nothing...

I'm counting on all those CMA memos in the files of all those who were complicit in this for the sake of another couple of stars.

Chalk this up with other deep sources of national shame, slavery, using nuclear weapons on civilian targets, firebombing civilian targets during WWII, Vietnam... et cetera, et cetera... yet we someone see ourselves as shining paragons of goodness. Jesus.

This is the real story:

"Taguba was given the job of investigating Abu Ghraib because of circumstance: the senior officer of the 800th Military Police Brigade, to which the soldiers in the photographs belonged, was a one-star general; Army regulations required that the head of the inquiry be senior to the commander of the unit being investigated, and Taguba, a two-star general, was available."

So this is the process? They investigate themselves. We roll the dice and hope for an honest investigation instead of a cover up? I remember another instance of military self investigation. The My Lai massacre was reported and Colin Powell was asked to investigate. Unlike Taguba, he chose cover up and whitewash. Taguba retires a pariah, Powell becomes beloved by the people.

"During the next two years, Taguba assiduously avoided the press, telling his relatives not to talk about his work."

His naiveté is an unwanted characteristic in a general. His silence during the process is complicit.

"That Taguba didn't lie is nothing more than the baseline.

It has no more importance than that? Were he not honest, we wouldn't have the facts we do.

"This is the real story:

"Taguba was given the job of investigating Abu Ghraib because of circumstance: the senior officer of the 800th Military Police Brigade, to which the soldiers in the photographs belonged, was a one-star general; Army regulations required that the head of the inquiry be senior to the commander of the unit being investigated, and Taguba, a two-star general, was available."

"So this is the process? They investigate themselves."

Initially, yes. One determines whether there's a problem, and the nature and degree; before sending out for appropriate resources to fully investigate. It's the same everywhere, and more often than not it works. It worked in this case, to the degree it was allowed to work. And there not being a statute of limitations means the investigation isn't yet closed.

"During the next two years, Taguba assiduously avoided the press, telling his relatives not to talk about his work."

"His naiveté is an unwanted characteristic in a general."

He's decent, not naive (read his comments about the racism he encountered; which I suspect was a factor in his being chosen to investigate: easier to ignore and marginalize). Rather, he actually believes in and acts on that which the US claims to be. Because it was required of him, it isn't heroic. Because it is rare -- you show yourself a cynic who "gets it" about as much as Bushit and Rummy -- it is heroic.

"His silence during the process is complicit."

He wasn't silent "during the process". If one understands anything about investigation, one knows one doesn't undermine the investigation by jabbering to the media.

His silence has only been subsequent to the investigation -- his report was comprehensive, and leaked to the public; it is not his role to also be prosecutor. And the silence was proper: the core of it was to avoid making himself the issue -- a distraction -- and appearing to be whining. Or making of himself a handy target for the usual smears.

He did his job, and he did it well. He is an inspiration to those not so cynical as to attack even the constructive. Some do have genuine ethics; one wonders about those who label decency and ethicality as "naivete".