An insider's view of Abu Ghraib

Torin Nelson, a professional interrogator who worked at Abu Ghraib as a civilian contractor and one of the sources for the Taguba investigation, gives probably the most objective version I've seen about what happened there. There were problems of understaffing, inadequate training and supervision and a facility that was too vulnerable to attacks by terrorists. It still appears that the military was reacting as it should to the problems, investigating them and prosecuting those who violated the law. I don't see that any of his observations implicate anyone in the Bush administration, however:

A special team was set up at the prison called "the break team," he said, "to take the difficult people and break them. That shows you the mentality."

Such actions conflicted with Nelson'sbelief that coercion and physical pressure are the exact wrong tactics to get someone to talk.

"Interrogation isn't about breaking someone's will, it's about breaking down the barriers between you," he said. Most people want to talk, if not confess; small bits of crucial, relevant information can be gleaned without any dramatic scenes, he said.

Nelson said he didn't know of any specific orders for military police to "loosen up" detainees, as the soldiers' lawyers have contended. But low-level military police were given too much responsibility, Nelson believes.. . .

For the American people, this needs to be brought as open as possible, as transparent as possible," he said. "Let's not focus on politics. Let's focus on a breakdown in the system."

The military and the country need to recognize how critical information is to any fight against terrorists, he said. That means giving soldiers in military intelligence better training and more responsibility, while at the same time making clear the line between good interrogation techniques and unacceptable threats and abuses.

I think that he's right. The press has been interested in this story mostly as a tool for discrediting the war in Iraq and tarring the Bush administration. This is misleading and unfair to the people who, like Nelson, were interested in serving professionally and properly.