The first step, Rummy, is to admit you have a problem...

"Calling the abuse of prisoners "totally unacceptable and un-American," Mr. Rumsfeld said he disagreed with critics who have said the Pentagon moved too slowly. Defense Department officials have moved correctly and efficiently, he said. "The system works," he said. "The system works."

New York Times, 5/4/04

In fairness, he got one thing right. The abuse of prisoners is "totally unacceptable."

It's not, though "un-American." Those were Americans who did it. Americans have done comparable and worse things before. Every time we send Americans to war, we have to recognize that Americans are capable of all manner of inhuman behavior. We have to train against it, supervise to prevent it, stop it when it's detected and punish it when it occurs.

But it's as Amercan as apple pie.

And the system didn't work. The training and supervision that are specifically designed to prevent what Americans do, in fact, do, was inadequate. Because the supervision was so poor, the detection was too late. When punishment is required, as it now is, it's the result of a system failure.

The system failed.

Denial doesn't help. Denial leads to absurdities like this.

"Rumsfeld refused to use the word "torture."

"I'm not a lawyer," he said. "My impression is that what has been charged thus far is abuse, which I believe technically is different from torture ... And therefore I'm not going to address the 'torture' word."

Mr. Secretary, if anal rape with foreign instruments isn't torture, torture doesn't exist. If beatings, in some cases unto death, aren't torture, torture doesn't exist. If threatening prisoners with dogs, and carrying out the threats by allowing the dogs to attack isn't torture, torture doesn't exist.

And Americans did those things. There's nothing 'technical' about it.

Admit it or resign.

In fact, just resign.