In barely two weeks since the photos of ArmorGroup’s "bawdy little luau" went public, we have seen the Commission on Wartime Contracting (CWC) order a hearing, over a dozen guards fired, an entire Armorgroup management team replaced, executives and officials from Wackenhut (ArmorGroup's parent corporation) and the State Department testify before the Commission, and a civil complaint filed by a former manager against ArmorGroup.
Forget the Project on Government Oversight’s 10 page letter to the Secretary of State detailing numerous violations by ArmorGroup, nevermind the numerous allegations against ArmorGroup that preceded these, this level of damage control can only be triggered by one thing and one thing only: pictures, baby, P-I-C-S!
Let's face it, nothing triggers "damage-control" mode in Washington faster than a scandal illustrated by flesh toned pictures. Pictures, even relatively innocuous ones like those of the "bawdy little luau," can launch hearings, inquiries, and investigations by Washington's "photophobic" bureaucrats. Conversely, without photographic evidence, you can just about get away with murder.
Time and again, the same lesson is repeated: it's never the drugs, booze, prostitutes, sex slaves, illegal weapons, or contraband that are the biggest threat to interrupt the gravy train of contract dollars, it's always the camera phones/digital cameras.
Question: "So true. Interested to have your thoughts on whether the Abu Gharib photos should be released."
My response: First, thanks for reading GovIntegrity and for your question. This is a very close call for me because the photos have the clear potential to exacerbate anti-American sentiment around the world.
The problem that I have with the argument to withhold the remainder of the Abu Ghraib photos from the public is that this decision seems to run counter to the official insistence that this conduct was isolated and "out of bounds." If the world is to believe that Graner et al acted with neither authority nor official sanction, the government should treat these photos the same as any other evidence of a crime. They should release them with the conviction/sentencing information for each of the soldiers depicted prominently stamped on each picture.
If this nation survived the photos of the My Lai massacre, we can survive the pictures from Abu Ghraib.
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Update: response to reader comment.
Question: "So true. Interested to have your thoughts on whether the Abu Gharib photos should be released."
My response: First, thanks for reading GovIntegrity and for your question. This is a very close call for me because the photos have the clear potential to exacerbate anti-American sentiment around the world.
The problem that I have with the argument to withhold the remainder of the Abu Ghraib photos from the public is that this decision seems to run counter to the official insistence that this conduct was isolated and "out of bounds." If the world is to believe that Graner et al acted with neither authority nor official sanction, the government should treat these photos the same as any other evidence of a crime. They should release them with the conviction/sentencing information for each of the soldiers depicted prominently stamped on each picture.
If this nation survived the photos of the My Lai massacre, we can survive the pictures from Abu Ghraib.
So true. Interested to have your thoughts on whether the Abu Gharib photos should be released.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your question. Please see my response in the updated post.
ReplyDelete