Enemies of Freedom

It is with a heavy sense of irony that I give you links to two news stories from Yahoo! News.

The first, 'Attack on U.S. Base in Iraq Kills 22', reports that 22 people have been killed and more than 50 wounded during a mortar and rocket attack on a US base in Mosul. If all of the victims are US servicemen then this will be the single largest loss of US life in an attack since the occupation began. Mosul has become one of the new centres of the insurgency since the massive assault on Fallujah. Of course, US officials are blaming the attack on the possibly mythical Islamic Pimpernell, Abu Masab al-Zarquawi.

Responding to the attack, the White House vowed that the "enemies of freedom" would be defeated.

The second story is entitled 'W.House Expects Probe of Iraq, Guantanamo Abuses.'

The White House said on Tuesday it expected a full investigation of prisoner abuses in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after new FBI memos described detainees facing beatings and having lit cigarettes placed in their ears.

"If there is abuse that occurs, we expect it to be investigated fully and people to be held accountable, and measures taken to make sure that it doesn't happen again," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

This is in response to the release under a FOI lawsuit of FBI emails detailing torture of prisoners, hiding of identities to avoid retribution, and alleging top-level permission for torture, including the involvement of Wolfowitz and Bush.

However, the Yahoo! story oddly makes no mention of the latter, or of the White House's denial that Bush ordered torture. Obviously, these matters will not be probed, as it is the Defence Department, not Congress, who will conduct the investigation.

If ever the hypocrisy of this administration has been exposed, surely it is here, and in the vow that the "enemies of freedom" would be defeated by this White House.