Iraq

Bush backs Rumsfeld; examines new images

The president says the defense secretary is doing a "superb job," then views video clips and photos of abuse.

WASHINGTON - President Bush examined new photos and video clips of American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners Monday, reacting with "deep disgust and disbelief" during a Pentagon visit in which he underscored his support for embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Bush stood shoulder to shoulder with the secretary - along with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA director George Tenet and other civilian and military officials - to offer a testimonial before TV cameras. Then Bush went behind closed doors to view about two dozen video clips and photos showing U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners.

White House and Pentagon officials went out of their way to let it be known that Bush saw pictures the public had not, part of an effort to position the president ahead of the unfolding election-year controversy. Until Monday, Bush had seen only pictures obtained by the news media, a state of affairs that led him to scold Rumsfeld last week.

Rumsfeld's spokesman, Larry Di Rita, called the images "disturbing" and said they showed humiliation of prisoners as well as "inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature." They were consistent with what has been seen in photographs published around the world in recent days, Di Rita said.

"The president's reaction was one of deep disgust and disbelief that anyone who wears our uniform would engage in such shameful and appalling acts," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "It does not represent our United States military and it does not represent the United States of America."

Bush said in his public remarks, "The conduct that has come to light is an insult to the Iraqi people and an affront to the most basic standards of morality and decency."

The Pentagon has not yet decided whether to make the videos public, and White House officials repeatedly sidestepped questions about the president's opinion on that subject. Bush twice ignored reporters' questions about the matter.

McClellan did say the administration was seeking a way to share them with Congress, so lawmakers can "carry out their oversight responsibility."

On Capitol Hill, Republican and Democratic leaders made clear they want all senators to be able to view the photos and videos not yet made public.

Several lawmakers said they expected the photos and videos would eventually become public. "Sooner or later they're going to have to be released," said Senate intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan. He predicted they would "come out piecemeal" if the administration didn't move to release them on its own.

At the same time, the Senate Armed Services Committee scheduled a public session for today to hear from Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, the author of an Army report that detailed the abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Further hearings are assured. The Senate voted 92-0 early Monday evening for a resolution that calls for a full Senate investigation into the scandal to be conducted by relevant committees. For the past week Republicans had resisted including such a call in the resolution, hoping to confine it to a denunciation of the abuses, but they yielded Monday to present a united Senate front to the world.

On Capitol Hill, the furor over the abuse of Iraqi captives has brought a host of long-simmering complaints about Rumsfeld to a full boil. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has been joined by a host of his party's leaders in blaming Rumsfeld for a string of setbacks in Iraq, including the prisoner abuse scandal.

"I think he should resign," Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., told CBS News. "I am worried this is damaging our mission and the safety of our troops on the ground."

Polls indicate that most Americans are standing with Rumsfeld. Separate polls by CNN-USA Today-Gallup and the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Election Survey found that about two-thirds of Americans think Rumsfeld should keep his job. Only about a third in both polls felt that the soldiers involved in the abuse were following orders.

The highly unusual gathering of Bush officials at the Pentagon indicated that above all Bush wanted to buck up Rumsfeld.

"You are courageously leading our nation in the war against terror," Bush said. "You're doing a superb job. You are a strong secretary of defense, and our nation owes you a debt of gratitude."

The defense secretary stood with his hands clasped behind his back during Bush's remarks.

His voice still hoarse from three long days of campaigning last week, the president also used the appearance to offer a lengthy, favorable progress report on military operations in Iraq.

In an interview with the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, Bush sought to bolster troops worried that the scandal has tarnished their reputation worldwide.

"The actions of a few will not be allowed to stain the honor of the mighty United States military," Bush said.

- Information from Knight Ridder Newspapers and Cox News Service was used in this report.

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