Abu Ghraib detainee sodomized with banana

Let's have a little chat about why these new photos - including this one showing a prisoner sodomizing himself with a banana - matter.

The White House will most certainly claim 'been there, done that' with regards to these photos - meaning, we've already had this discussion before.

Well, yes we have. And the last time we had this discussion, key leaders in the Republican party shrugged off the entire incident. The top Republican radio show host, Rush Limbaugh, who his listened to and revered by millions of Republicans, said that what took place at Abu Ghraib was nothing more than a fraternity prank, and commended the work at Abu Ghraib as "brilliant."

And one of the Republicans' top US Senators, Jim Inhofe, trivialized what took place at Abu Ghraib, saying he was "more outraged by the outrage" over Abu Ghraib than by what actually happened there. In other word, what really made him angry was that people got upset that US soldiers were busy torturing people.

When Rush Limbaugh repeatedly goes on the air and belittles the abuse at Abu Ghraib, when Republican US Senators are more upset that people are upset about what took place, then the party that controls the entire US government at this time has not learned the lessons of Abu Ghraib.

If I were an Arab or a Muslim (or an American, for that matter) looking at these new photos and these new videos, I'd want to hear an apology from Rush Limbaugh, Senator Inhofe, and every other Republican leader before I sat back and agreed that this issue has been settled.

We have the nerve to criticize the "crazy" Muslims rioting in the streets around the world, yet we say nothing about the crazy Republicans rioting at the mouth here in the US.

(More photos and videos from Salon.)