1115.org

Considering the controversy swirling around Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in the wake of the ongoing Iraqi prison scandal, it was surprising to hear President Bush say the following statement on Monday:

“Mr. Secretary, thank you for your hospitality, and thank you for your leadership. You are courageously leading our nation in the war against terror. You’re doing a superb job. You are a strong Secretary of Defense, and our nation owes you a debt of gratitude.”

It’s not surprising that the President backs Rumsfeld; he has already made statements to that effect before the weekend, although in much more reserved terms. But was a second statement�especially one worded so strongly�really necessary? As it now stands, Rumsfeld isn’t going anywhere. However, the scandal in Iraq shows every sign of growing even larger. Bush’s statements of support will come back to haunt him if Rumsfeld’s role in the scandal turns out to be more involved than first expected. In fact, Newsweek is reporting that Rumsfeld played a large part in determining interrogation techniques and the treatment of prisoners:

Donald Rumsfeld likes to be in total control. He wants to know all the details, including the precise interrogation techniques used on enemy prisoners. Since 9/11 he has insisted on personally signing off on the harsher methods used to squeeze suspected terrorists held at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The conservative hard-liners at the Department of Justice have given the secretary of Defense a lot of leeway. It does not violate the spirit of the Geneva Conventions, the lawyers have told Rumsfeld, to put prisoners in ever-more-painful “stress positions” or keep them standing for hours on end, to deprive them of sleep or strip them naked. According to one of Rumsfeld’s aides, the secretary has drawn the line at interrogating prisoners for more than 24 hours at a time or depriving them of light.

According to Rumsfeld himself, there are plenty of photos and videos of prisoner mistreatment that have not yet been released. There is a growing speculation that such abuses are more than just a few unprepared reservists “blowing off steam”, and that the problems originate higher on the chain of command. If true, the calls for Rumsfeld’s resignation might become too loud to ignore. And if it gets really bad, the President’s recent comments are going to be hard to explain away.

There is sure to be more of this story in the days ahead.