Dirty Sanchez

The L.A. Times reports that the Bush administration is “determined to pin a fourth star” on Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. Now in case you’ve forgotten who Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez is, let me remind you – he is the man who oversaw the military jails at Guantanamo, where prisoner abuse became a problem, and was then transferred to Iraq, where he oversaw all the detention facilities, including Abu Ghraib, where (you might recall) prisoner abuse became a problem.

Sanchez "authorized the use of techniques that were contrary to both U.S. military manuals and international law," [Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.)] said in an Oct. 1 statement. "Given this incredible overstepping of bounds, I find it incredible that the reports generated thus far have not recommended punishment of any kind for high-level officials."

Several members of the Senate Armed Services Committee questioned at a hearing on the prisoner abuse investigations whether Sanchez should be disciplined for helping to create an environment that contributed to the abuse by failing to adequately staff the prison, which at its peak had a prisoner-to-guard ratio of 75 to 1. An Army directive says the ratio should not exceed 8 to 1.

But as we all know, discipline isn’t a big part of the Bush administration, in any sense of the word, so instead, Sanchez will get his fourth star. Of course,

Rumsfeld and others recognize that Sanchez remains politically "radioactive," in the words of a third senior defense official, and would wait until after the Nov. 2 presidential election and investigations of the Abu Ghraib scandal have faded before putting his name forward.

Ah, yes. Aren’t we all looking forward to the days when the Abu Ghraib scandal has faded and we can pin another star on the man responsible for it? The only thing dumber than that would be to reward Bush with a win on Nov. 2.