Seemingly in the same breath, Secretary Powell apologized for the Abu Ghraib torture and took to task the Arab world for not expressing sufficient outrage over the Nick Berg beheading.
With regard to the Berg murder, Powell was quoted as saying in this AP article: "there can be no comparison to the actions of a few who are going to be punished and brought to justice as a result of what happened at Abu Ghraib".
He's right, there can be no comparison between the acts of a terrorist group and the sanctioned policy of the most powerful government in the world.
If Powell really believes Abu Ghraib was the product of a few individuals, as stated in the quote above, then perhaps the comparison would be reasonable. For this to be true, however, Powell would have to be completely ignorant of the facts behind the latest Sy Hersh article in the New Yorker. If he was, that's just sad. Personally, I think if anyone needs to resign, its Powell, if only to satisfy his own sense of honor.
However, same AP article states: "Powell said he has made clear, specifically to Arab leaders, that systematic torture of prisoners is unacceptable anywhere."
So which is it Mr. Secretary?
And really, what does it say about Powell when he takes the entire Arab world to task for not accepting responsibility for the acts of a terrorist group they have already condemned? Here's a revealing quote from the same article: "Torture of any kind is unacceptable, and Arab leaders need to look at what's happening in their own societies. They need to reform their societies."
Sad.
