Garret Vreeland’s comments on Rumsfeld’s surprise visit to Iraq:

This Administration thinks expensive publicity stunts move public opinion. Maybe they do, sometimes. But this won’t stop the current juggernaut. Rumsfeld must be sure that the photos won’t be released, if he took this trip. More photos would just overshadow the trip by an exponential margin.

Indeed, government lawyers reportedly advised the Bu**sh** administration today that the new photos are “too disturbing” to be released to the public. Since invoking secrecy for political protectionism has already taken a hit in the Abu Ghraib scandal, it is now time to attempt to be offensively paternalistic. Will the American public be taken in by the claim that our benificent government is protecting our sensitive feelings?

Garret feels Rumsfeld should have visited some of the Abu Ghraib prisoners and apologized personally. This would make sense if he had any sincere sense of responsibility and remorse. But it would not, of course, be good politics, and that is what matters.