From an Iraqi blogger, “riverbend,” apparently a woman:

“…There were moments when I actually wanted to believe that what we heard was exaggerated. I realize now that it was only a small fragment of the truth. There is nothing that is going to make this ‘better’. Nothing.

“I don’t understand the ‘shock’ Americans claim to feel at the lurid pictures. You’ve seen the troops break down doors and terrify women and children… curse, scream, push, pull and throw people to the ground with a boot over their head. You’ve seen troops shoot civilians in cold blood. You’ve seen them bomb cities and towns. You’ve seen them burn cars and humans using tanks and helicopters. Is this latest debacle so very shocking or appalling?

Through all of this, where is the Governing Council? Under what rock are the Puppets hiding? Why is no one condemning this? What does Bremer have to say for himself and for the Americans? Why this unbearable silence?

…

“I sometimes get emails asking me to propose solutions or make suggestions. Fine. Today’s lesson: don’t rape, don’t torture, don’t kill and get out while you can– while it still looks like you have a choice… Chaos? Civil war? Bloodshed? We’ll take our chances– just take your Puppets, your tanks, your smart weapons, your dumb politicians, your lies, your empty promises, your rapists, your sadistic torturers and go.”

Jennie’s reaction to the congressional hearings today

(Why is there never enough time? The inquisitors are always getting cut off. In the tradition of the 10-minute Bush press conference.)

It’s incredible to me that in all the questioning of Rumsfeld, the focus was on the REVELATION OF THE PHOTOS and not on the fact of widespread abuse that has been reported in the alternate media since the Guantanamo Bay detainee suicides. The Red Cross says they have a report that goes even further than what we’ve heard, and have been talking about it for more than a year. “Isolated incidents” is not the truth. This is military and government POLICY that starts with the chant in boot camp “What makes the grass grow? Blood! Blood makes the grass grow.” And it goes right up to hiring contractors to do intelligence work. That way, Rummy can play dumb. “Oh, we don’t have control over them. Oh I didn’t know about these terrible abuses.” Yeah, right.