Abu Ghraib responsibility

This week's New York Times Book review has a cover article called "Atrocities In Plain Sight". It is a review by Andrew Sullivan of "The Abu Ghraib Investigations". The editors state that they rarely publish about government documents unless they "call out for comment." They also identify Sullivan as "a supporter of the war in Iraq... a stout defender of the Bush administration and a severe critic."

Concerning the torture in Abu Ghraib, Sullivan calls it a scandal (rightly so). And on the question of responsibility, he, this defender of the administration, writes:

There are various levels of accountability. But it seems unmistakable from these documents that decisions made by the president himself and the secretary of defense contributed to confusion, vagueness and disarray, which, in turn, led directly to abuse and torture. The president bears sole responsibility for ignoring Colin Powell's noble warnings.

Sullivan goes on to say that he does not imply that those who "unwittingly" made Abu Ghraib possible are as guilty as those who actually did the torture. Sullivan does not imply it, but I state it. Bring to justce not just the soldiers, but everyone involved - up to and including Alberto Gonzales, Rummy, Uncle Dick and W.