Col. Thomas Pappas received a reprimand and was ordered to repay $8,000. in wages as a result of his failure to adequately train and supervise Abu Ghraib prison guards. No criminal charges will be brought. He has accepted the sanctions. The investigators didn't buy his defense that higher-ups ordered or encouraged the abuse:

Pappas alleged last year, for example, that the use of dogs to intimidate Iraqi prisoners was approved by Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, who was dispatched by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in August and September 2003 to improve intelligence-gathering at Abu Ghraib. Miller, who at the time commanded the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, denied ever approving of the use of dogs to intimidate prisoners at either site.

Pappas, according to a transcript of an interview by Army investigators, also accused a military intelligence superior in Iraq, Col. Steven Boltz, of approving the CIA's use of Abu Ghraib prison as a place to store "ghost detainees," a term referring to prisoners whose correct names were not registered in prison rolls.

The $82 billion Iraq spending bill unanimously passed yesterday by the Senate contains an anti-torture provision sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL).

Congress barred the government on Tuesday from using any money in a newly passed emergency spending bill to subject anyone in American custody to torture or "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment" that is forbidden by the Constitution.

....This sends a clear message to our own government that certain conduct is simply unacceptable," Senator Richard J. Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who sponsored the provision, said in an interview. "And it reminds the world that what happened at the Abu Ghraib prison is not American policy and is not tolerated."

Barring a last minute plea bargain, the final Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse trial is set to begin tomorrow. The Judge is hearing motions today on whether to exclude evidence.

The 27-year-old reservist is accused of writing "rapeist" on the leg of one prisoner and forcing another to stand on a box with wires in his hands and telling him he would be electrocuted if he fell. In the photo, he is shown perched on a small box, with his hands outstretched.

In another photo, Harman gives a thumbs-up while posing with the corpse of an Iraqi detainee allegedly beaten by Navy SEALs at Abu Ghraib who later died while being interrogated by CIA agents.

Harman is charged with conspiracy to maltreat detainees, maltreating detainees and dereliction of duty. She faces up to six and a half years. Some of our coverage of the case can be found here and here. The most serious charge against her pertaining to indecent acts was dropped by the Judge.

Think Progress reports that members of the Oklahoma national guard are so desperate for body armor the state is going to produce special license plates to raise funds to buy the equipment for them.

With a $400 billion federal military budget, why do we have to resort to this to provide troops with basic protection?

Gary Hart, writing for the new Huffington Report, questions whether we have an exit strategy for Iraq or are planning on building an empire there. He posits a simple test to figure it out:

Are we, or are we not, building permanent military bases in Iraq? Yes or no? If we are withdrawing ALL troops, we do not need permanent bases. If we are building military bases, we do not intend to withdraw all our troops. Simple as that..

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales spoke at a graduation ceremony in Texas yesterday. He didn't address torture or the treatment of prisoners in his speech. But, afterwards, in an interview at the office of the U.S. Attorney, he said the U.S. has not engaged in torture of prisoners.

Gonzales... said many of the widely publicized incidents of abuse by the military and civilian contractors cannot be prosecuted as torture. "Torture, as a matter of prosecution, is defined by Congress as the intentional infliction of severe physical and mental pain or suffering."

"Congress intended a very high bar here in order to be prosecuted for engaging in torture," he said. "There may be conduct that you may find offensive that falls far short of torture."

So, according to Gonzales, these photos do not depict severe physical and mental pain and suffering:

Colonel David Hackworth, the first senior officer to come out and say the Vietnam War was a mistake, has died of bladder cancer. He was 74. He seemed much younger on tv. Here's a detailed obituary. Some quotes:

The cause of death was a form of cancer now appearing with increasing frequency among Vietnam veterans exposed to the defoliants called Agents Orange and Blue....Soldiers For The Truth is now working on legal action to compel the Pentagon to recognize Agent Blue alongside the better known Agent Orange as a killer and to help veterans exposed to it during the Vietnam War.

Staci Morris, the ex-wife of chief Abu Ghraib abuser Charles Graner, was subpoenaed as a defense witness for Lynndie England in her sentencing trial. After the hearing was cancelled yesterday, she was interviewed by Reuters.

She calls Graner, a former U.S. prison guard, the Hannibal Lecter in her life. These are not new claims. We reported them a year ago here.

She says Lynndie England was disappointed Graner botched her deal:

"He screws up everything, doesn't he?" a disappointed England told Morris about Graner after the judge ruled that trial would have to start from scratch in the future.

She describes in detail the sick e-mails and pictures Graner sent home to his kids.

President Bush announced that Brigadier General Janis Karpinski has been demoted one level to colonel for her actions at Abu Ghraib.

Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski became the first high-level U.S. military officer demoted in the scandal after Army leaders deemed her job performance "seriously lacking" and accused her of concealing a past shoplifting arrest.

The Army said in a statement Karpinski had been reduced in rank to colonel, although an investigation by the Army inspector general's officer "determined that no action or lack of action on her part contributed specifically to the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib."

A shoplifting arrest?

Why is Congress about to authorize umpteen millions more for Iraq when the Bush administration can't account for $100 million? Is $100 million now considered pocket change?

$96 million is said to be lost from fraud, and another $7 million simply unaccounted for.

U.S. civilian authorities in Iraq cannot properly account for nearly $100 million that was supposed to have been spent on reconstruction projects in south-central Iraq, government investigators said Wednesday.

There are indications of fraud in the use of the $96.6 million, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. A separate investigation of possible wrongdoing continues. More than $7 million of the total is unaccounted for, the report said. An additional $89.4 million in payments do not have the required supporting documents.

Can you spell corruption?

Bump and Update: The Judge has rejected Pfc. Lynndie England's guilty plea. It's back to square one.

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The judge has called a three hour halt to Lynndie England's sentencing proceeding, saying she is presenting evidence that contradicts her acceptance of guilt:

A military court deciding the sentence for a key defendant in the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal was interrupted on Wednesday after the judge questioned the validity of the guilty plea.

Via Cursor:

Steve Gilliard finds Army recruiters' efforts to send "Private ADD" to Iraq, to serve alongside "Pvt. Asthma, Pvt. Pothead, and Pvt. Sneakthief," reminiscent of Robert McNamara's "Moron Corps."

Charles Graner testified today in Lynndie England's sentencing proceeding that leading prisoners around on a leash was a legitimate training aid. Flashback: Freed death row inmate Nick Yarris discusses Charles Graner's cruel tendencies as a Pa. prison guard. (More on Graner's abuse here.) Yarris, represented by frequent TL commenter Peter Goldberger, was exonerated by DNA evidence and released from prison after serving 22 years.

Then there's this news about Pat Tillman. Army officials knew early on that Pat Tillman died from friendly fire -- days before a nationally televised memorial service--but they didn't tell his family or the public until weeks later.