BBKristopher.com

It's becoming more and more obvious that Iraqi prisoners have been abused (check out the CNN story here). In fact, there pretty much isn't any doubt.

Not, mind you, that there ever was.

I'm not a huge follower of the Leftist blogs, but I'm surprised there hasn't been more of a cry of outrage.

I wonder if it's because they don't expect better. That, in and of itself is perhaps the most disturbing of all.

I expected better. I expected ever single one of our troops to act with honor and treat the prisoners with dignity. I expected them to do the right thing.

I knew it wouldn't happen that way, but I expected it. I expected it, because they put on the uniform, and that gives me the right, as a citizen, as an American, to not only expect it and demand it.

Sooner or later, someone is going to say that this proves we're no better than Saddam.

They'll be wrong. It won't stop them, but they'll be wrong.

See, when I say "I knew it wouldn't happen that way,..." I mean just that. I knew there would be abuses. There are always abuses. But that makes us better than Saddam and his ilk, what makes us different, is that we experience horror when they happen. We experience revulsion.

And we punish. This, above all else. We must punish. We must punish the troops. We must punish the officers. We must punish the general. We have no other choice. Crimes have been committed, and if we are to retain any semblence of moral authority, the crimes must be punished.

In my last post, I talked about our soldiers being heroes. I still believe that. I still believe the vast majority of them are honorable men and women. That's why we owe it to them to come down on the people responsible for this like a ton of bricks.

Because if we don't, it's all for nothing.