US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld remained under pressure yesterday, despite apologizing for the Iraq prison-abuse scandal amid warnings that the revelations could worsen.
Rumsfeld said on Friday that even more "blatantly sadistic" pictures from Abu Ghraib prison than those already shown exist and a US senator said that cases of murder and rape were likely to come out.
The 71-year-old defense chief indicated during hearings in the Senate and House of Representatives that he had been wrestling over his future in the week since the furore erupted with the publication of pictures of US troops humiliating and abusing naked Iraqi detainees.
But he vowed not to bow to "political" pressure over the outcry.
"If I thought that I could not be effective, I certainly wouldn't want to serve and I have to wrestle with that," Rumsfeld told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
"I'm certainly not going to resign because some people are trying to make a political issue out of it," he said.
Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Rumsfeld ac-knowledged it was "possible" his resignation would help undo the damage done by events at the prison near Baghdad.
Several Democratic lawmakers and even Democratic presidential contender John Kerry have called for Rumsfeld's resignation over the handling of the scandal.
But a new opinion poll made public yesterday showed Americans were overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of Rumsfeld's resignation.
Only 20 percent surveyed by the Washington Post and ABC News said the defense secretary should step down, while 69 percent said he should retain his position.
The poll indicated two-thirds of Americans favored criminal charges against the soldiers involved.
At the same time, 54 percent said punishment should go up the chain of command to higher-level officers who allowed a breakdown of training and discipline, according to the survey.
US President George W. Bush said Thursday that he had admonished Rumsfeld for not telling him about the pictures, but added that Rumsfeld remains "an important member of my Cabinet."
Rumsfeld made a contrite apology during the hearings.
"To those Iraqis who were mistreated by members of the US armed forces, I offer my deepest apology," he said. "It happened on my watch, and I take full responsibility."
After the hearings, Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton said she had been left with many questions, including Rumsfeld's ability to serve.
"The forthright statement of the secretary of defense that his effectiveness going forward now is at issue is one that I agree with," Clinton said.
But the Republican chairman of the Senate committee, John Warner, said he supported Rumsfeld.
"It is a presidential decision but in my judgement Secretary Rumsfeld has measured up to his predecessors," Warner said.
The scandal has tarnished the US' reputation in Iraq and damaged US credibility in the Arab world at a time of surging unrest in Iraq.
Rumsfeld said a lot more photos and videos exist and have been seized as part of the investigation into the soldiers.
He said he reviewed them all for the first time on Thursday, telling senators "it's not a pretty picture."
"If these are released to the public, obviously it's going to make matters worse. That's just a fact," Rumsfeld said, describing the images as "hard to believe."
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