“It’s Going to Get Much Worse”

HERSH:  First of all, it’s going to get much worse.  This kind of stuff was much more widespread.  I can tell you just from the phone calls I’ve had in the last 24 hours, even more, there are other photos out there.  There are many more photos even inside that unit.  There are videotapes of stuff that you wouldn’t want to mention on national  television that was done….  There was a special women’s section. There were young boys in there. There were things done to young boys that were videotaped. It’s much worse.

“it is essential that the guard force be actively engaged in setting the conditions for successful exploitation of the internees.”– Quote from September 2003 report by Guantanamo warden General Geoffrey Miller after a visit to Abu Ghraib prison. At the time Miller was head of Guantanamo; now he he is in charge of Abu Ghraib. This is the order that resulted in the “softening up” of prisoners for interrogation by MPs, the practice that led to the scandal today.

Don Rumsfeld: “I think that — I’m not a lawyer. My impression is that what has been charged thus far is abuse, which I believe technically is different from torture. I don’t know if it is correct to say what you just said, that torture has taken place, or that there’s been a conviction for torture. And therefore I’m not going to address the torture word.”