Lynndie England “apologizes” for the scandal in Abu Ghraib, but lashes out at the media:
Look, she half-snarls like an angry teenager in trouble, I’m kind of sorry I took those pictures. Those pictures with me holding a naked Iraqi by a leash and posing with a pile of naked Iraqis, where I’m pointing at a naked prisoner’s genitals. Yes, I’m sorry I took those pictures.
But if the MEDIA hadn’t PUBLISHED them, no one would have found out about them. And it wouldn’t have created such a scandal. And everything would have been okay! Except for the naked Iraqi in the leash, maybe, but whatever.
I mean, if we’d just kept it quiet, and circulated the photographs for private entertainment — well, of course we took the photos because we thought they were entertaining and because we wanted to preserve that amusement for others and for future merriment. Of course. We don’t get cable out there in Baghdad, you know. And Gawd, this stuff was FUNNY. I mean, did you see that guy’s penis? I just wanted to pose next to that thing because it was cool. And one of these was actually kind of like a family photo.
But the worst thing is, when the pictures came out, the Iraqis got an excuse to get really mad and to shoot at us, and so a whole LOT of people got killed — and whose fault was that? THE MEDIA. For publishing the pictures.I’m so angry that those people got killed. Lives were lost, American lives, all because … of the media. Big picture, people.
Because let’s get real - these things happen in war. Face up to it. Except this time, when they published the photos, those frigging anti-war people had their chance. And THIS war is important. Big picture, okay? Collateral damage happens. Except some kinds of collateral is okay, and other kinds is not okay. Focus, people.
It’s not like I’m the only one that did those things. Which makes it all so much better.
These things happen in war, right? Degradation, sexual humiliation, torture, dehumanization, - all this stuff happens when you’re trying to bring democracy to a people. It’s not easy importing freedom.