STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE CLIP #3

Is it possible for a photograph to change the world? Photographs taken by soldiers in Abu Ghraib prison changed the war in Iraq and changed America's image of itself. Yet, a central mystery remains. Did the notorious Abu Ghraib photographs constitute evidence of systematic abuse by the American military, or were they documenting the aberrant behavior of a few "bad apples"?

We set out to examine the context of these photographs. Why were they taken? What was happening outside the frame? We talked directly to the soldiers who took the photographs and who were in the photographs. Who are these people? What were they thinking? Over two years of investigation, we amassed a million and a half words of interview transcript, thousands of pages of unredacted reports, and hundreds of photographs. The story of Abu Ghraib is still shrouded in moral ambiguity, but it is clear what happened there.

The Abu Ghraib photographs serve as both an expose and a coverup. An expose, because the photographs offer us a glimpse of the horror of Abu Ghraib; and a coverup because they convinced journalists and readers they had seen everything, that there was no need to look further. In recent news reports, we have learned about the destruction of the Abu Zubaydah interrogation tapes. A coverup. It has been front page news. But the coverup at Abu Ghraib involved thousands of prisoners and hundreds of soldiers. We are still learning about the extent of it.

Many journalists have asked about "the smoking gun" of Abu Ghraib. It is the wrong question. As Philip Gourevitch has commented, Abu Ghraib is the smoking gun. The underlying question that we still have not resolved, four years after the scandal: how could American values become so compromised that Abu Ghraib—and the subsequent coverup—could happen?

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News & Politics

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• commentary
• analysis
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• news
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• errol
• morris

[allthings509]

I think you should be more concerned that your brain is missing than your fellow maniacs' body parts missing. What happened to you that you imagine torture is good?

Do you understand that you have invaded an innocent nation that has never done you any harm?? Why are you people so incredibly racist and stupid. Let's face it, at the root of this is the fact you don't see Arabs as human, and the reality is that you have lost all trace of humanity yourself.

[obliviouspet]

Listen you unimaginably stupid person. Cant critisize someone unless youre in that persons shoes? How about putting yourself in the tormented and tortured shoes of those Iraqis, who had NOTHING to do with 9/11. The only thing they were *guilty* of, was having oil under their feet. Oil for them is a curse, but for you american nazis its a blessing. How convenient, isnt it? You call HIM delusional, when youre the one who has been forcefeeded the propaganda fox news bullshit day in, day out.

[pjgow]

An army of 'yes men' with no sense of empathy. Iraqi civilians aren't killing your soldiers, the inability to predict blow-back is. The US financially supported, and essentially created the Taliban until the mid 90s, now they're fighting those same people who are armed with the same guns they provided for them ten years earlier, how can this make sense? And the solution, to do it again...? honestly..

[4ThomasAllan]

lol - She is as fat as Jubba the hut, as ugly as a puckered arse hole, and as stupid as...well, I can't really think of anything quite as dumb as this bitch, probably about as honest as O'Reily as well.:)

[bigjonnyjon]

usa has some pretty sick people

[zafirah786]

God how Heartless... So is this procedure helping in anyway? U be the judge.

[MementoExpose]

animals.

[925azn]

saddam is dead... now wat?

[rodeorowdy]

@allthings - you have no concept of brotherhood in war; as in band of brothers. So you can say all you want from the comfort of your home away from the dangers of war. But you can't criticize someone UNLESS YOU HAVE WALKED IN THEIR SHOES, felt the fear and danger that they have!

Their not thinking about the arab's race, but about the safety their fellow men/women.

INNOCENT? Saddam? Your delusional AND IGNORANT to the max! Your so ignorant that I'm not going to waist anymore time to explain.