Jay Price at News&Observer writes on the 400 ‘serious incident reports’ released by the Pentagon. These voluntarily filed reports are very likely, if not guaranteed, to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Consider that story and then read this story on Salon about a civilian interrogator.

Army investigators found “probable cause” that a civilian interrogator abused a detainee at Abu Ghraib. Why has the Department of Justice failed to prosecute him — or any of the other 18 civilians suspected of criminal acts?…
This failure to act by the Justice Department, which has sole jurisdiction over crimes committed by civilian contractors in Iraq, has prompted a Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and human-rights organizations to question the seriousness with which the Bush administration is pursuing prisoner-abuse cases. At his January 2005 confirmation hearing, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales declared, “Abuse will not be tolerated by this administration. If confirmed, I will ensure that the Department of Justice aggressively pursues those responsible for such abhorrent actions.”

The image portayed for locals and media watchers (outside of the US) is one of violent indifference by the United States. What we say we are about (peace and democracy) is lost among the stories of firing rounds into radiators and saying we do not tolerate abuse when we apparently do.