“I was shocked and sickened by recent revelations about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military and civilian personnel.  I believe it is not enough to dismiss these acts as the sole responsibility of a few individuals.  The U.S. military has a strong and proud tradition of accountability, and the responsibility for this inhuman treatment lies with those soldiers’ commanders, right up the chain of command to the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Commander in Chief. 
 
“This episode just reconfirms for me that our Iraq policy is on the wrong track.  We prosecuted this war without planning for its aftermath and with inadequate protective equipment for our troops.  We shunned the U.N. as being irrelevant, only to plead with Kofi Annan to reenter the process when we ran into trouble.  We signed noncompetitive contracts with companies that have bilked the American taxpayer out of millions.  We seem to test out new strategies for moving Iraq toward democracy almost weekly.
 
“Our leadership has failed us, and our men and women in uniform are paying the highest price.  765 U.S. servicemen and women have died; over 4,000 have been wounded; and the more than 130,000 troops who remain in Iraq today are in desperately dangerous conditions. 

“The fallout from these latest incidents is horrendous.  Those at the highest echelons of our military have been aware of the situation for months, yet our leadership has expressed outrage and contrition only because news of the abuses became public. 

“The handling of these incidents has demonstrated a lack of respect for the Iraqi people and a naiveté about how these images will mar indelibly the perception of the United States in the Middle East and beyond.  Most importantly, these abuses have humiliated the Iraqi people and put our troops in further danger.  We are moving backward in our effort to bring stability and democracy to Iraq and the rest of the Middle East.
 
“We can’t just cut and run.  When we entered Iraq we took on a responsibility not only to end Saddam Hussein’s despotic rule, but also to get the country back on its feet and on the road to democracy.  The Administration must acknowledge with humility that our policy has gone astray and work with our partners in the international community to get back on track.”