IRAQI PRISONERS On Arab TV, Bush vows to punish POWs' abusers

The commander of U.S.-run prisons in Iraq apologized for the abuses.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said today in an interview with Arab TV that the treatment of Iraqi prisoners by some members of the U.S. military was "abhorrent" and does not represent "the America that I know."
The people of Iraq "must understand that what took place in that prison does not represent the America that I know."
Bush's appearance on Arab television was set for the day after the Army disclosed that it is conducting criminal investigations of 10 prisoner deaths in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus another 10 abuse cases.
In addition, the deaths of two Iraqi prisoners already have been ruled homicides. In one case, a soldier was court-martialed, reduced in rank and discharged from the Army. In the other homicide, a CIA contract interrogator's conduct has been referred to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.
Promises justice
"There will be investigations, people will be brought to justice," Bush said of the alleged humiliation and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, a notorious prison during Saddam Hussein's regime that was taken over by U.S. troops.
He also said that the U.S. inquiry would look into whether such instances of abuse also took place in other prisons. "We want to know the truth," Bush said.
Bush said he retained confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and talked to him earlier today and told him to "find the truth and tell the Iraqi people and the world the truth. We have nothing to hide."
Bush said it was important for "the people of Iraq to know that everything is not perfect. That mistakes are made. But in a democracy, as well, those mistakes will be investigated, and people will be brought to justice."
Administration officials have tried to assure the American public and the world that the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad was an aberration, and that guilty parties would be dealt with swiftly and firmly.
Bush said that the United States would cooperate with the international Red Cross.
Pointing the finger
Asked about the United States' practice of pointing out human rights abuses in other countries, he said, "We also say to those governments, 'clean up your act.' And that's precisely what America is doing."
"The actions of these few people do not reflect the hearts of the American people," Bush said. "The American people are just as appalled" as Iraqis over images broadcast around the world of naked detainees and gloating U.S. soldiers at the prison.
Apologizes for soldiers
Meanwhile, the commander of U.S.-run prisons in Iraq apologized today for the "illegal or unauthorized acts" committed by soldiers at the prison.
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller also said some interrogation techniques would be halted while others would be limited. He also invited the Red Cross to open an office at the prison.
"I would like to apologize for our nation and for our military for the small number of soldiers who committed illegal or unauthorized acts here at Abu Ghraib," Miller told Arab and Western reporters taken on a military tour of the prison.
"These are violations not only of our national policy but of how we conduct ourselves as members of the international community.
"It has brought a cloud over all the efforts of all of our soldiers and we will work our hardest to re-establish the trust that Iraqis feel for the coalition and the confidence people in American have in their military."
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the spokesman for the U.S. command, also apologized.
Embarrassed, shamed
"My Army has been embarrassed by this. My Army has been shamed by this. And on behalf of my Army, I apologize for what those soldiers did to your citizens," Kimmitt said. "It was reprehensible and it was unacceptable."
Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said today that if adequate answers to questions about the abuse of prisoners are not provided, then top officials, including Rumsfeld, should resign.
"If it goes all the way to Rumsfeld, then he should resign," Biden told "Today" on NBC. "Who is in charge? I mean, look, every single, solitary decision made almost since the fall of Saddam Hussein has been mistaken. Who's making these decisions?"
Sen. John McCain said on ABC. "It's time the Defense Department turned over all documents relative to this" to Congress. He said the outrage over the abuse can put U.S. military people at greater risk.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said that he was shocked by the revelations but that a "fairly small number of soldiers" was involved.
My Lai massacre
"I was in a unit that was responsible for My Lai," Powell, a former Army general, said on CNN's "Larry King Live" program, referring to the notorious 1968 episode when U.S. soldiers gunned down hundreds of Vietnamese villagers in what was thought to be a Viet Cong stronghold. "I got there after My Lai happened. So in war these sorts of horrible things happen every now and again, but they're still to be deplored."
In the face of worldwide condemnation, Rumsfeld called the images of physical and sexual abuses at Abu Ghraib "totally unacceptable and un-American," adding that no one should believe the behavior captured in the photographs was tolerated.
"The actions by U.S. military personnel in those photos do not in any way represent the values of our country or of the armed forces," Rumsfeld said.