--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Abu Ghraib, as bad as it was, can't be…" description: "\"Abu Ghraib, as bad as it was, can't be compared to what Saddam was doing to people.\" — Bruce Cockburn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/bruce-cockburn-9323_abu-ghraib_abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-com_2603443.jpg" --- # Abu Ghraib, as bad as it was, can't be compared to what… ![“Abu Ghraib, as bad as it was, can't be compared to what Saddam was doing to people.” quote by Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/bruce-cockburn-9323_abu-ghraib_abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-com_2603443.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/bruce-cockburn-9323_abu-ghraib_abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-com_2603443.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/bruce-cockburn-9323_abu-ghraib_abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-com_2603443.jpg) > “Abu Ghraib, as bad as it was, can't be compared to what Saddam was doing to people.” [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues Abu Ghraib’s atrocities are not comparable to Saddam’s actions, suggesting differing scales or contexts. **In simple terms:** Abu Ghraib not comparable to Saddam’s deeds. Key Takeaway Assess atrocities within their specific contexts. Themes human rights war crimes comparative ethics Mood critical thoughtful Type ethical analytical When to use this quote - policy analysis - education - advocacy - media reporting Key Concepts political science history Questions to Reflect On - What criteria should compare atrocities? - How does context affect moral judgment? A Different Perspective Comparisons can oversimplify complex events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abu ghraib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abu-ghraib/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“There have been extensive human rights violations by American psychiatrists over the last 70 years. These doctors were pad by the American taxpayer through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-a-ross/there-have-been-extensive-human-rights-violations-by-american/) [Colin A. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-a-ross/) > [Not even the foulest atrocities of Adolf Hitler ever shocked me so badly as these photographs did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/not-even-the-foulest-atrocities-of-adolf-hitler-ever-shocked-me-so/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [American journalists and politicians made a perfect spectacle of themselves in discussing the Abu Ghraib prison controversy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-snow/american-journalists-and-politicians-made-a-perfect-spectacle-of/) [Tony Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-snow/) > [It is important to recognize the differences between the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. The treatment of those detained at Abu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/it-is-important-to-recognize-the-differences-between-the-war-in-iraq/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [In the United States, rising esteem for the military in uniform corresponds to the growing militarization of the society as a whole. All of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hardt/in-the-united-states-rising-esteem-for-the-military-in-uniform/) [Michael Hardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hardt/) > [I don't know anyone at the highest levels who approved Abu Ghraib. If President Barack Obama for a moment thought that somebody at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-anyone-at-the-highest-levels-who-approved-abu-ghraib-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When Bush says that Abu Ghraib was the work of a few, he forgot to mention that he was one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/when-bush-says-that-abu-ghraib-was-the-work-of-a-few-he-forgot-to/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [The effort to blur the lines between Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib reflects a deep misunderstanding about the different legal regimes that apply to Iraq…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/the-effort-to-blur-the-lines-between-guantanamo-and-abu-ghraib/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [It is the photographs that gives one the vivid realization of what actually took place. (On photographs from Abu Ghraib prison.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/it-is-the-photographs-that-gives-one-the-vivid-realization-of-what/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [What makes Bush different from Hitler? He commits crimes in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prisons. With all these crimes, they still behave like bullying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-khamenei/what-makes-bush-different-from-hitler-he-commits-crimes-in-guantanamo/) [Ali Khamenei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-khamenei/) > [“In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a change was under way. Torture damages the inflicter as well as the inflicted. It’s no coincidence that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-change-was-under-way-torture/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [In light of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, critics are arguing that abuses of Iraqi prisoners are being produced by a climate of disregard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/in-light-of-the-abu-ghraib-prison-scandal-critics-are-arguing-that/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [We can guess that the unacceptable conduct of the soldiers at Abu Ghraib resulted in part from the dangerous state of affairs on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/we-can-guess-that-the-unacceptable-conduct-of-the-soldiers-at-abu/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [But in Afghanistan, the general rule was that since you were fighting the Taliban, which was not a lawful government force, the Geneva Conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/but-in-afghanistan-the-general-rule-was-that-since-you-were-fighting/) [Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/) > [Even if you are a liberal in the Muslim world, when you see Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and you see all the other reports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/even-if-you-are-a-liberal-in-the-muslim-world-when-you-see-abu-ghraib/) [Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/) ## More by Bruce Cockburn > [It sounds strange to say it, but you can be in a war zone and have a lot of fun. Even though war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/it-sounds-strange-to-say-it-but-you-can-be-in-a-war-zone-and-have-a/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [I'd always loved poetry and I'd always loved writing music and composing music, but I hadn't thought of putting the two together until around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/i-d-always-loved-poetry-and-i-d-always-loved-writing-music-and/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [My models for graceful aging are guys like John Lee Hooker and Mississippi John Hurt, who never stopped working till they dropped, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/my-models-for-graceful-aging-are-guys-like-john-lee-hooker-and/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > ['Gifts' was just a short little one-verse song that I used to close shows in the '60s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/gifts-was-just-a-short-little-one-verse-song-that-i-used-to-close/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Music itself isn't enough to completely wear down my stash of anger. And I don't have all that much more to be angry about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/music-itself-isn-t-enough-to-completely-wear-down-my-stash-of-anger/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [In between effect and cause and just beyond the range of normal sight, this glittering joker was dancing in the dragon's jaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/in-between-effect-and-cause-and-just-beyond-the-range-of-normal-sight/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [When you know even for a moment That it's your time Then you can walk with the power Of a thousand generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/when-you-know-even-for-a-moment-that-it-s-your-time-then-you-can-walk/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [A number of Iraqis told us they had welcomed the U.S. forces as liberators initially but in the intervening months, they had come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/a-number-of-iraqis-told-us-they-had-welcomed-the-u-s-forces-as/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [The people who have impressed me most - and the closest I've come to having heroes - are the people who have devoted their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/the-people-who-have-impressed-me-most-and-the-closest-i-ve-come-to/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Sometimes I catch myself doing something that I've already done. The more I've done, the more that's likely to happen. Then I just throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/sometimes-i-catch-myself-doing-something-that-i-ve-already-done-the/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Anger is energy, and you've got to find a place to put it that works for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/anger-is-energy-and-you-ve-got-to-find-a-place-to-put-it-that-works/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Wave the flag, wave the Bible, wave your sex or your business degree, whatever you want, just don't wave that thing at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/wave-the-flag-wave-the-bible-wave-your-sex-or-your-business-degree/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [“Got to kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/got-to-kick-at-the-darkness-till-it-bleeds-daylight/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [All these years of thinking, ending up like this: In front of all this beauty, understanding nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/all-these-years-of-thinking-ending-up-like-this-in-front-of-all-this/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Everybody wants to see justice done, to somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/everybody-wants-to-see-justice-done-to-somebody-else/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) [Explore all 73 Bruce Cockburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) ## More Abu ghraib quotes > [“There have been extensive human rights violations by American psychiatrists over the last 70 years. These doctors were pad by the American taxpayer through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-a-ross/there-have-been-extensive-human-rights-violations-by-american/) [Colin A. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-a-ross/) > [But in Afghanistan, the general rule was that since you were fighting the Taliban, which was not a lawful government force, the Geneva Conventions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/but-in-afghanistan-the-general-rule-was-that-since-you-were-fighting/) [Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/) > [We can guess that the unacceptable conduct of the soldiers at Abu Ghraib resulted in part from the dangerous state of affairs on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/we-can-guess-that-the-unacceptable-conduct-of-the-soldiers-at-abu/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [In light of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, critics are arguing that abuses of Iraqi prisoners are being produced by a climate of disregard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/in-light-of-the-abu-ghraib-prison-scandal-critics-are-arguing-that/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [“In 2004, Jacques Derrida said that a change was under way. Torture damages the inflicter as well as the inflicted. It’s no coincidence that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-2004-jacques-derrida-said-that-a-change-was-under-way-torture/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [What makes Bush different from Hitler? He commits crimes in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prisons. With all these crimes, they still behave like bullying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-khamenei/what-makes-bush-different-from-hitler-he-commits-crimes-in-guantanamo/) [Ali Khamenei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-khamenei/) > [It is the photographs that gives one the vivid realization of what actually took place. (On photographs from Abu Ghraib prison.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/it-is-the-photographs-that-gives-one-the-vivid-realization-of-what/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [The effort to blur the lines between Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib reflects a deep misunderstanding about the different legal regimes that apply to Iraq…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/the-effort-to-blur-the-lines-between-guantanamo-and-abu-ghraib/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [When Bush says that Abu Ghraib was the work of a few, he forgot to mention that he was one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/when-bush-says-that-abu-ghraib-was-the-work-of-a-few-he-forgot-to/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I don't know anyone at the highest levels who approved Abu Ghraib. If President Barack Obama for a moment thought that somebody at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-anyone-at-the-highest-levels-who-approved-abu-ghraib-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the United States, rising esteem for the military in uniform corresponds to the growing militarization of the society as a whole. All of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hardt/in-the-united-states-rising-esteem-for-the-military-in-uniform/) [Michael Hardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hardt/) > [It is important to recognize the differences between the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. The treatment of those detained at Abu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/it-is-important-to-recognize-the-differences-between-the-war-in-iraq/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [American journalists and politicians made a perfect spectacle of themselves in discussing the Abu Ghraib prison controversy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-snow/american-journalists-and-politicians-made-a-perfect-spectacle-of/) [Tony Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-snow/) > [Not even the foulest atrocities of Adolf Hitler ever shocked me so badly as these photographs did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/not-even-the-foulest-atrocities-of-adolf-hitler-ever-shocked-me-so/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Even if you are a liberal in the Muslim world, when you see Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and you see all the other reports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaroslav-trofimov/even-if-you-are-a-liberal-in-the-muslim-world-when-you-see-abu-ghraib/) [Yaroslav Trofimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaroslav-trofimov/) [Browse all 25 Abu ghraib quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abu-ghraib/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Abu Ghraib, as bad as it was, can't be compared to what Saddam was doing to people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Cockburn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-compared-to-what-saddam-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abu ghraib" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-compared-to-what-saddam-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/bruce-cockburn-9323_abu-ghraib_abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-com_2603443.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/bruce-cockburn-9323_abu-ghraib_abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-com_2603443.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5c/bruce-cockburn-9323_abu-ghraib_abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-com_2603443.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Abu Ghraib, as bad as it was, can't be compared to what Saddam was doing to people.” — Bruce Cockburn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bruce Cockburn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Abu Ghraib, as bad as it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-compared-to-what-saddam-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/abu-ghraib-as-bad-as-it-was-can-t-be-compared-to-what-saddam-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```