Bush 'disgraced' by prisoner scandal

President George Bush said today that he had been “disgraced” by scenes of American soldiers brutalising Iraqi prisoners.

The president raised the prisoner scandal during a speech on education in Parkersburg, West Virginia, a day after House and Senate members saw photos and video of Iraqi corpses, military dogs menacing cowering Iraqi prisoners, Iraqi women forced to expose themselves and other sexual abuses.

“I want to say one other thing about our troops,” Bush said. “Like you, I have been disgraced and – by what I’ve seen on TV, what took place in the prison.

“But the actions of a few do not reflect on the fantastic character of the over 200,000 men and women who have served our nation” in Iraq.