contrapositive

GOING PUBLIC Doesn't seem like it's going to happen, but I'd sure like to see the President take three or four minutes tonight on network TV to talk about Abu Ghraib prison.

Specifically, it'd be nice to hear him say (and in a solemn, set speech): a) that he's repulsed by the photos that have surfaced; b) that he believes the abuses they document violate American and international standards; and c) that he is committed to seeing to it that those responsible are punished.

I'm not asking for an apology, or any hand-wringing. Just a demonstration to the world that he takes these kinds of abuses seriously.

Would there be any real downside--political or otherwise--to making that kind of speech?

UPDATE: Scott McClellan has now told the White House press corps that President Bush discussed Abu Ghraib with Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld this morning, and that Bush supports "appropriate actions" in response to the mistreatment of prisoners.

Nothing like a call for "appropriate actions" to let the world know you're serious...