Some Republicans Vent ‘Outrage at the Outrage’

Amid the furor and hand-wringing over the abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. soldiers, some Republican lawmakers and commentators are giving voice to what they call “outrage at the outrage,” a sense that the country has overreacted to the scandal.

Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) sounded the theme on Capitol Hill early Tuesday during questioning of the general who investigated abuses at the Abu Ghraib military prison in Iraq. “I’m probably not the only one up at this table that is more outraged by the outrage than we are by the treatment” of the prisoners, Inhofe said.

Another lawmaker struck a similar theme following the news that an American had been beheaded on video by an Al Qaeda-aligned group in revenge for the prison abuse.

“My constituents feel the way I do: This was a terrible thing our soldiers have done, but let’s not overblow it,” said Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio). “They felt this way before the beheading. That will just solidify it.”

Although the dominant reaction to the events at Abu Ghraib remains indignation, one prominent Republican working with President Bush’s reelection campaign said he detected the beginnings of a counter-reaction.

“I do think there’s a potential for a sort of backlash,” said the Republican, who requested anonymity. “People’s initial reaction is horror, but this is not a self-flagellating country.... Listen to talk radio. I think you’re seeing a little bit of that on the right.”

People who warn against overreaction to the prison abuse cite three major reasons for their views. First, some say that the Abu Ghraib prisoners were dangerous criminals who, in Inhofe’s words, “were not there for traffic violations.”

Second, some believe that although the actions of U.S. soldiers were inexcusable, they do not compare to the thousands of cases of murder and torture perpetrated by ousted President Saddam Hussein’s regime or the brutality of the beheading video.

“I would guess that these prisoners wake up every morning thanking Allah that Saddam Hussein is not in charge” of the prison, Inhofe said.

Third, those who express this view charge that the news media and Democrats, including presumed presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, are exploiting the scandal for ratings or political benefit.

New polls indicate that the prison abuse scandal has damaged Bush’s standing. A Gallup Poll released Tuesday showed the president’s lowest job approval rating yet -- 46%, down 3 percentage points from a week ago. In the same survey, 79% of respondents said they were bothered “somewhat” or “a great deal” by the abuse allegations.

For the first time since the war in Iraq began last year, more Americans said it was not worth going to war than said it was worth it. Fifty-four percent said the war was not worth it, and 44% said it was. That marked a reversal from a week earlier, when 50% said the war was worth it and 47% said it was not.

Although those numbers do not look good for the president, his campaign is not panicking. For one thing, the Gallup Poll tracks the views of random Americans rather than likely voters. Second, despite the decline in Bush’s ratings, Kerry has not shown reciprocal improvement.

“Bad news from Iraq does not mean good news for John Kerry,” said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster.

Ayres released a poll of his own Tuesday suggesting that despite the furor, voters are trying to keep some perspective. In his national survey of likely voters, Ayres asked whether they generally felt “more proud or more ashamed of what we have done in Iraq.” The answer was 49% proud, 29% ashamed.

“Both in red [Republican-leaning] states and blue [Democratic-leaning] states, the dominant answer was ‘proud,’ ” Ayres said. “Voters are putting this controversy in the broader context of all the good and bad things that have happened in Iraq, including the removal of Saddam Hussein.”

That trend is likely to be accelerated by the videotaped beheading of American Nicholas Berg in Iraq.

Ney, the Ohio congressman, said his constituents were unlikely to make a great distinction between groups allied with Al Qaeda and Iraqi militants such as those who killed and mutilated American contract workers in Fallouja.

“The Iraq militants have done terrible things to American contractors, the same as Al Qaeda has done terrible things,” Ney said.

He added that reaction in the rest of the world appeared to be based on a double standard.

“The president has apologized,” Ney said. “These monsters we’re fighting have no soul. They don’t apologize for burning people. They don’t apologize for beheading people.”

Toward the end of the day, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, made a “do unto others” argument on behalf of U.S. personnel in captivity.

“I’m very much afraid Americans may become prisoners,” McCain said. “And if we somehow convey the impression that we’ve got to do whatever is necessary, and humanitarian do-gooders have no place in [prisons] ... then I think we’re setting ourselves up for some very serious consequences for American fighting men and women in conflicts in the future.”

Times staff writers Janet Hook and Elizabeth Shogren contributed to this report.