The Case of Donald Rumsfeld and Prisoner Abuse at Abu Ghraib
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Scheron Overton
December 09, 2010
Public Administration The Case of Donald Rumsfeld and Prisoner Abuse at Abu Ghraib
Introduction
The report on the case of Donald Rumsfeld starts off with Rumsfeld’s hearing (May 7, 2004) with the Senate Armed Services Committees. His response to the question of whether he should resign or not; is “If I felt I could not be effective, I’d resign in a minute.” The report also gives an account of General Antonio Taguba’s investigation results of Abu Ghraib. He gives a report on the following: Conditions, training, Standard Operating procedures, prison crowding, culture and accountability.
In Federalist 41 Madison notes in the Constitution two specific concerns about government power: total power of government over the people and the allocation of power among the entities of government. He states that he does not want unnecessary or improper power given to government be it state or federal. In the case of Donald Rumsfeld and the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib; the soldiers believe they have the power to inflict harsh techniques on the detainees in order to get them to talk.
This article will analyze General Taguba’s report. I will examine the problems in this case through the use of theories. CBS’s Sixty Minutes II releases a video with images of torture and abuse; the prisoners endure at the hands of the American soldiers. The video displays naked prisoners crawling on the floor. Some forced into sexual positions; while others are naked and blooded. The media brings this to public awareness worldwide through internet, television and radio shows.
Bush and his administration allege that they have no knowledge of the problems or the allegations prior to the CBS airing to television audiences. The Americans and the Arab people express their concern with questions. Who should be accountable for the guards’ actions? Are they instructed
Scheron Overton
December 09, 2010
Public Administration The Case of Donald Rumsfeld and Prisoner Abuse at Abu Ghraib
Introduction
The report on the case of Donald Rumsfeld starts off with Rumsfeld’s hearing (May 7, 2004) with the Senate Armed Services Committees. His response to the question of whether he should resign or not; is “If I felt I could not be effective, I’d resign in a minute.” The report also gives an account of General Antonio Taguba’s investigation results of Abu Ghraib. He gives a report on the following: Conditions, training, Standard Operating procedures, prison crowding, culture and accountability.
In Federalist 41 Madison notes in the Constitution two specific concerns about government power: total power of government over the people and the allocation of power among the entities of government. He states that he does not want unnecessary or improper power given to government be it state or federal. In the case of Donald Rumsfeld and the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib; the soldiers believe they have the power to inflict harsh techniques on the detainees in order to get them to talk.
This article will analyze General Taguba’s report. I will examine the problems in this case through the use of theories. CBS’s Sixty Minutes II releases a video with images of torture and abuse; the prisoners endure at the hands of the American soldiers. The video displays naked prisoners crawling on the floor. Some forced into sexual positions; while others are naked and blooded. The media brings this to public awareness worldwide through internet, television and radio shows.
Bush and his administration allege that they have no knowledge of the problems or the allegations prior to the CBS airing to television audiences. The Americans and the Arab people express their concern with questions. Who should be accountable for the guards’ actions? Are they instructed
References: Bilder, Richard B. and Detlev F. Vagis. 2004. Speaking Law to Power: Lawyers and Torture, the American Journal of International Law, 98(4), 689-695. Box, Richard C. 1999. Running government like a business: implications for public administration theory and practice, American Review of Public Administration, 29(1), 19-43. Cooper, M. 2004. Privatizing the military, The CQ Researcher Online, 14, (24), 565-588. de Vreese, Claes H. 2004. The effects of frames in political television news on issue interpretation and frame salience, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 81(1), 36-52. Eshbaugh-Soha, Matthew and Jeffrey S. Peake. 2004. Presidential influence over the systemic agenda, Congress and the Presidency; 31(2), 181-201. Federalist No. 41 Mosher, William E. 1938. Public Administration: The Profession of PublicService, American Political Science Review, 32(2), 332-342. Wilson, W. 1887. The study of administration. Political Science Quarterly, 2(2), 197-222.