BLACKFIVE

Responsibility:

BlackFive correctly points out the failure of leadership at Abu Ghraib that needs to be punished. There have been a number of calls for the civilian leadership to step down. This arises from a general misunderstanding about the nature of the civil/military divide.

The military is under civil authority, but the keeping of discipline within its ranks is the duty and responsibility of military men and women. The system is self-reinforcing: the military is protected from the worst impulses of standing armies both by being under civilian authority, but it is also protected from being misused by those civilians by assigning every serviceman a personal duty to the lawful order. Even if Wolfowitz had personally commanded the abuse of prisoners, servicemen are obligated by oath and military law to disobey. It is not a choice. It is their duty.

Responsibility is one thing the military is good at assigning. In this case it lies with every command, staff, and noncommissioned officer who took an oath to keep order and discipline at this station, as well as the actual violators themselves. They all swore oaths, and have broken them. Guilt is one thing that can be divided without being lessened. General Karpinski bears it in full measure.