i think i am missing the point too. the above is almost verbatim what a right-winger would say. often "personal responsibility" is just a shortcut for saying "i want to stop my analysis at this point". in the london murder case, someone on this list made a similar argument, but revealed the flaw in his logic through his own inadvertent wording: the london bombing: did blair do it? no. did the perpetrators cause it? yes. whereas of course the real issues is: it is a fact that the perpetrators did it, but did blair (i.e., western actions) cause it?
the reactionary rhetoric and derisive labelling ("twinkie defense", "cadillac driving welfare queen") are distractions. an honest and thorough analysis of the facts should suffice in ascertaining causes and remedies. it is the very act of analysis that is circumvented through the question begging act of finger-pointing. in that sense "people should be responsible for their actions" is a statement that is at best of little utility.
in this particular case, doug's point is clear: the finger-pointing better start at the top of the ladder that set off what ultimately came to pass at abu ghraib. and if the left wishes to sport any vestige of kindness, the machismo in the rhetoric can be dispensed with, as well.
--ravi
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