Revelations  

Obviously the big news today was the release of new prisoner abuse photographs by the Washington Post, but the Post also has the translated sworn testimony of some of the Abu Ghraib detainees. It's truly appalling stuff -- somehow I was more affected by these firsthand descriptions of what went on than I was by any of the photograps that have been released. This is probably because the the testimony of the prisoners themselves very overtly juxtaposes the cultural background of the victims against the sadistic acts of their American captors.

By the way, the administration is making a huge mistake by not releasing all the photos, videos, and other materials at once. The justification they've given is a legal one -- somehow it will help guarantee the relevant MPs a fair trial. But this is a political scandal, in America of course, but even more importantly abroad. The standard Bush administration approach of secrecy and denial will not work here; the stakes are too big. They should get out in front of this and take sweeping action to bring those responsible (at every level) to justice. Only then can they get on with their mission in Iraq.