Abuse and discipline

The Kansas City Star

Those responsible for abusing Iraqi detainees at a prison near Baghdad should be held accountable and punished.

Reports of the abuses and the disturbing photos of naked Iraqi prisoners posed next to leering Americans have done incalculable damage to the U.S. mission in Iraq.

... An investigation by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, reported in The New Yorker magazine, found that two military intelligence officers and two civilian contractors were "either directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses "

Taguba recommended that these four be disciplined, and he harshly criticized their commander. So far, however, only six members of a military reserve unit have been formally charged. Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that two other investigations have begun. ...

The two broader investigations are an encouraging sign that the Pentagon, which has been slow to react up to now, finally appreciates the seriousness of this scandal. ...

It may be that these abuses involved only a few U.S. soldiers. But even if that's true, considerable damage has been done. It is embarrassing that these acts were conducted in one of Saddam Hussein's prisons by people sent to uphold a higher standard.

These soldiers have damaged the U.S. mission in Iraq and given ammunition to those seeking to thwart the development of democratic institutions. The Pentagon must move rapidly _ and publicly _ to bring those responsible to justice.