Handing down the indictments?

George Bush should indeed be indicted, but not necessarily in his role as President of the USA but rather in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces.

Just look at the facts :

Following the successful invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, it was the US military which failed to take any concrete steps to prevent the massive looting which followed and the subsequent breakdown in law and order. If they had clamped down immediately, there’s a very good chance that existing public services, including the police, might have continued to function with reasonable effectiveness.

The US Military was also responsible for the administration of Abu Ghraib prison, where military personnel were involved in the humiliation and torture of inmates. Nothing else has had as much impact in Arab eyes in confirming that the Coalition forces are invaders and occupiers. Abu Ghraib was a propaganda disaster for the US and a gift to the growing resistance. A bit like internment proved to be a great recruiting sergeant for the IRA.

Then there’s Haditha, where US military stand accused of murdering 24 civilians in November 2005. Another war crime to cut the moral ground from under the occupation.

Then let’s look at the biggest domestic disaster during the Bush presidency - apart from 9/11 which the conspiracy theorists and Michael Moore still haven’t managed to pin on him, despite ongoing efforts to do so.

New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The levees separating Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans were breached by the surge, ultimately flooding 80% of the city and many adjoining areas. Katrina is estimated to be responsible for about 2,000 deaths and over $80bn in damage, much of which has still not been rectified.

Contrary to bullshit from the anti-Bush camp, the water level raised by the hurricane did not come over the top of the levees, which proved to be sufficiently high to meet the challenge. The problem was that they simply weren’t strong enough to withstand the force of the water and large sections collapsed.

The construction and maintenance of these levees is the responsibility of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

So it seems to me that it’s the US Armed Forces who should be in the dock charged with incompetence, lack of discipline and crimes against humanity, both at home and abroad.