by TChris

The author of the Army report exposing abuse of Iraqi prisoners, Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning. In the meantime, even as President Bush reaffirms his support for Secretary of Defense Donald "See No Evil" Rumsfeld, at least one Republican lawmaker has joined Democrats in questioning whether Rumsfeld -- apologies notwithstanding -- should lose his job.

"I think it's still in question whether Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and, quite frankly, General Myers can command the respect and the trust and the confidence of the military and the American people to lead this country," said [Sen. Chuck] Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran.

Update: Arab commentators are predictably upset, leading Reuters to deem the images of abuse "a gift to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden." Dumping Rumsfeld would send a more effective message than the President's assurances that Americans are good people.

"After Mr. Bush's decision to keep Rumsfeld, all their apologies seem like lip service," Dubai-based political analyst Jawad al-Anani told Reuters. "Mr. Rumsfeld would have certainly lost his job if the prisoners were American."

Second update: Background on General Taguba here.