A chastened US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld acknowledged today that he ‘‘failed to understand’’ the importance of alerting President Bush and the public to the brutal acts at the Al Ghraib prison. Offering his ‘‘deepest apology’’ for the abuses inflicted upon Iraqi prisoners saying that the wrongdoings were ‘‘fundamentally un-American’’ he signalled that even uglier disclosures, ‘‘(of) blatantly sadistic (acts)’’ are to come. Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said he favoured compensating the victims for their suffering. But he brushed aside demands for his resignation. Asked whether he could remain effective in his post, he said if he believed he could not, ‘‘I’d resign in a minute.’’ ‘‘I would not resign simply because people try to make a political issue out of it,’’ he said. However, he added that his resignation remains a ‘‘possibility’’ if it would diminish the furore over abuses. Rumsfeld took the witness chair after a week of controversy over shocking photographs of U.S. captors abusing their prisoners, often forcing them to assume sexually humiliating poses. ‘‘Be on notice,’’ he warned the committee near the end of an appearance that lasted more than two hours. ‘‘Beyond abuse of prisoners, there are other photos that depict incidents of physical violence towards prisoners, acts that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhuman.There are a lot more photographs and videos that exist.Congress and the American people and the rest of the world need to know this.’’ he said. ‘‘If these are released to the public, obviously it’s going to make matters worse.’’ Thus far, no videos of abusive treatment have reached the public. The still photographs, though, have spawned a worldwide wave of revulsion that has damaged US image overseas and sparked a political storm at home. In an appearance widely seen as crucial to his prospects of remaining as Pentagon chief, Rumsfeld acknowledged that he was responsible for what happened in the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad because the events occurred ‘‘on my watch.’’ The Secretary said he would name a commission to look deeply into the incidents of abuse, notwithstanding the inquiries already under way, and that he would try to find a way to compensate the individual detainees who were abused. ‘‘It’s the right thing to do,’’ Rumsfeld said. Rumsfeld said in response to questions that the abuses were instances of misconduct, not part of tactics meant to ‘‘soften up’’ detainees for questioning. But he indicated that even more instances have yet to be made public. Rumsfeld praised the courage of the soldiers who came forward and told of the abuses. He said the resulting investigations, and the collective examination of conscience that underlie them, offer an opportunity for the United States to make amends. ‘‘Watch how a democracy deals with wrongdoing,’’ Mr. Rumsfeld said in what amounted to a plea to the world. ‘‘We will strive to do our best, as imperfect as it may be,’’ he said after declaring that he felt ‘‘the heartbreak of acknowledging the evil in our midst.’’ Several panel members took Rumsfeld to task. Senator John S. McCain, Republican of Arizona, wanted to know what private contractors were in charge of questioning the prisoners and had authority over the guards. When the secretary did not answer immediately, McCain grew exasperated. ‘‘No, Secretary Rumsfeld, in all due respect, you’ve got to answer this question, and it could be satisfied with a phone call,’’ Mr. McCain said. ‘‘This is a pretty simple, straightforward question. Who was in charge of the interrogations?’’ Rumsfeld did not answer directly at first. Finally, he said, ‘‘That is what the investigation that I have indicated has been undertaken is determining.’’ McCain was clearly not satisfied with the answers. ‘‘I think these are fundamental qusetions to this issue,’’ he said. At one point, Rumsfeld was interrupted for a loud, long moment by several hecklers. ‘‘Fire Rumsfeld!’’ they shouted before being ejected. Under other circumstances, Rumsfeld might have smiled and cracked a joke. Today, he sat silent and stoic as the protesters were ejected. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts and one of the most outspoken Bush critics, said, ‘‘In the Middle East and too often today, the symbol of America is not the Statue of Liberty; it’s the prisoner standing on a box wearing a dark cape and a dark hood on his head, wires attached to his body, afraid that he’s going to be electrocuted..’’
