Here’s your root cause

Unlike Al Gore, Captain Ed at Captain’s Quarters finds a highly plausible “root cause” for the abuses at Abu Ghraib — the indiscipline of several who committed the abuses. Ed bases his argument on an article in the New York Times, no less. It shows that three of the seven participants, including the ring-leader, had long histories of poor discipline. Ed concludes:
“People laugh at military discipline, or worse, consider it some sort of fascistic spectacle which undermines democracy. Abu Ghraib, hopefully, will put that fantasy to rest. The military (regardless of nationality) controls great force and when applied in battle condition can hold the power of life and death, not only against the enemy but with anyone in its vicinity and with each other. In order to effectively control that power so that it is used properly and as intended by political and military command, military units must remained highly disciplined and trained to respond without hesitation.”