Howard is a bloody liar

Like Sgt Schultz in Hogan’s Heroes, the reaction of Prime Minister John Howard and his ministers to the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal was “I know nothing . . . NOTHING.”
It has become a familiar and increasingly tiresome mantra from this government.
Whenever an embarrassing situation arises, the blame for any bungle or cover-up is shifted to underlings and bureaucrats.
Mr Howard said he knew nothing about the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison until shocking pictures emerged last month.
But we later found out there were a number of reports to four government agencies about abuses at Abu Ghraib dating back to October last year.
Armed Forces Chief General Peter Cosgrove and Defence Department Secretary Ric Smith took the blame, and admitted they released misleading information relating to the dates when defence officials in Iraq first knew of the allegations.
It is all eerily reminiscent of the “children overboard” scandal, and the Government’s credibility is once more on the line.
Mr Howard denied there had been a cover-up and refused to rule out disciplining Defence Department officials. But he cannot absolve his government from all responsibility. The buck must stop somewhere.
Either the PM and his ministers walked Canberra’s corridors of power with their fingers in their ears, or they were not fully briefed because the truth was unpalatable.