Rumsfeld plans to testify on Pentagon’s ‘disaster’

Pentagon officials yesterday said they bungled the public relations aspect of the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal, as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld prepares to testify before congressional hearings today.

But the military officials also say that from a legal standpoint the case was handled correctly by commanders in Baghdad.

Once Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top commander in Iraq, learned of the abuse in January, he ordered criminal and administrative investigations that already have led to planned courts-martial, reprimands and prison reforms.

The 53-page administrative investigation by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, completed Feb. 26, had not made it up the military’s bureaucratic chain of command to Mr. Rumsfeld by the time graphic photos of the abuse appeared last week on CBS. The stark images of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqis elevated the plot from somewhat routine complaints of abuse to a sensational story with worldwide ramifications.

“Nobody really got a flavor of what this thing was,” said a defense official, noting that the copies of the photographs, apparently taken by the perpetrators themselves, were not included in the report. “There was no decision to hide this. This thing leaked before it went up the chain.”

However, Gen. Richard B. Myers, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, had become aware of the photos and had persuaded CBS to delay the broadcast. Some in the Pentagon are asking why at that point the Pentagon did not warn President Bush that a shocking story was about to break.

“That was the breakdown — right there,” the senior official said.

Officials described Mr. Rumsfeld’s staff as in “full crisis mode” as it helped prepare testimony for the defense secretary to deliver to the Senate and House Armed Services committees.

Mr. Rumsfeld received briefings yesterday on all phases of multiple, ongoing investigations. He was rechecking his timelines to see what he was told and when.

Officials privately concede they should have requested a copy of Gen. Taguba’s report, sanitized it of classified information and then held a special press briefing. There, officials could have detailed what had been discovered and what steps were being taken to correct it.

Pentagon civilians say that a military that advocates pre-emptive attacks on terrorists should have known to practice pre-emptive public relations to get its version of events out first.

“We just should have gotten it out, rather than let it come out the way it did,” said a senior civilian at the Pentagon.

This official said it is fortunate the administration never signed onto the new International Criminal Court. If it had, the judges likely would have claimed jurisdiction, investigated and brought charges against Americans.

“Everybody is unhappy with Rumsfeld, the way he has handled this. It’s all about a lack of disclosure,” a senior Republican Senate staffer said.

Several Democrats, including the House minority leader, have called on Mr. Rumsfeld to resign in recent days, so the defense secretary needs Republican allies.

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