Janis Karpinski

She was the Brigadier General in command of US prisons in Iraq (including Abu Ghraib) who, along  with a handful of worker bees, has been scapegoated for the Abu Ghraib scandal.  There's a bunch of info in her Wikipedia entry.  It doesn't bother me that she's been held accountable, but it doesn't seem quite right that the accountability stopped with her (yes, I'm talking about you Rummy).  Karpinski is selling a book and, if you trust what she says, there's plenty of other blame to go around.  You might want to watch or listen to her lengthy interview on the Democracy Now! tv show. 

The fact that's there's debate about abusive treatment/torture of terrorism suspects baffles me.  From an article in USA Today:

Bush and Cheney oppose the measure because they say it would limit interrogators' ability to get information from terrorism suspects. Congress shouldn't interfere with "what we are trying to do to detain and interrogate the worst of the worst," says Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., a supporter of the administration's position.

We're better than that.  There are some principles that shouldn't be violated even if it places a limit on our info gathering.  Even if you can't be bothered with principles, you must realize that we have a PR problem.  Those pesky hearts and minds.  This isn't helping.  That's what John McCain thinks too, from another article in USA Today:

Terrorists are "the quintessence of evil," he said. "But it's not about them; it's about us. This battle we're in is about the things we stand for and believe in and practice. And that is an observance of human rights, no matter how terrible our adversaries may be."