Lynn C. Woolsey: “I was absolutely outraged last week when I, along with the rest of the world, learned that U.S. servicemembers and…”

“I was absolutely outraged last week when I, along with the rest of the world, learned that U.S. servicemembers and private American contractors in Iraq had abused and tortured Iraqi prisoners of war, and had forced them to commit heinous sexual acts. War is devastating and terrifying, but even in war there is no place for actions such as these. The vast majority of soldiers in Iraq are performing courageously and honorably, upholding the high standards of the U.S. military. But the abuse inflicted by a few soldiers will likely be responsible for much ill will around the world. What's worse, I fear that it will embolden our enemies to commit further acts of terrorism against the United States. We must get to the bottom of this scandal, but we must do it in the right way. H. Res. 627, which will be voted on today, does not adequately address these abuses because it doesn't go far enough. Instead of encouraging an investigation through the Department of Defense, this resolution should call for congressional investigations to investigate the roles of both servicemembers and private civilian contractors who may have played a role in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war.”