ALSO VISIT

The most prevalent, historically troubling and generally inescapable story in the current American media environment, and possibly around the world, is the scandal involving prisoner abuse in Iraqi prisons. The reason this scandal has so shocked the world is that the thousands of digital images published, and the facts uncovered through ongoing investigations, indicate a total departure from basic American standards of military practice and rule of law.

Initially, 6 soldiers were charged with various abuses related to the photos, while commaders were suspended, pending investigation. Now, various officials have been moved or removed, and Congress continues to question the role of Pentagon planners in the evolution of the inexcusable violations of US and international law.

But the scandal has entered a new, if unexpected, arena: radio broadcasting. A new media fairness watch group, Media Matters, has called on Sec. Rumsfeld to remove Rush Limbaugh's radio program from the American Forces Radio network, broadcast to 1 million American military personnel around the world. The reason? Limbaugh has made several statements which Media Matters construes to condone or promote the use of torture, and which clearly are designed to trivialize the issue altogether.

In its letter to Donald Rumsfeld, Media Matters cites Limbaugh as justifying the abuses by saying it was a case of "people having a good time". He also referred to the violations as a "brilliant maneuver" and likened the images to "good old American pornography". According to the letter, Limbaugh suggested on 21 May 2004 that the media should start seeking to profit from the images, going as far as to propose the creation of trading cards: "We need some prison torture, you know, bubble gum cards".

Limbaugh has long been known for his staunchly partisan ranting, and has been alleged to routinely spread right-wing propaganda by concocting and repeating unfounded untruths, for which he quite simply never apologizes. But now, the issue has turned to one of a knowing and reckless abuse of his unique position as sole political radio broadcaster with a direct line to US military personnel overseas.

The question now being raised by some media critics and some members of Congress is whether the Pentagon should use taxpayer money to deliver pro-torture arguments to its personnel, and beyond that whether taxpayer money should be used to promote such a partisan viewpoint. At present there is no clear response from administration officials, who have argued that Limbaugh's show is run for its ratings, despite the fact that equally controversial but popular host Howard Stern does not have a place on the AFR timetable. [For more: Salon]