With the global scandal over abuse of Iraqi prisoners now saturating the airwaves, it's time to ask why it took 60 Minutes II to briing this to light.

It turns out that the conditions in the Abu Ghraib prison were no secret at the upper echelons of the military, and Bush was briefed on the problems months ago. The Red Cross has been warning of abuses privately for "months." Read excerpts from the Taguba report (graphic descriptions) to see what our leaders knew months ago, but apparently failed to act on.

The Washington Post quotes a senior State Department official:

"It's something Powell has raised repeatedly -- to release as many detainees as possible -- and, second, to ensure that those in custody are properly cared for and treated," said a senior State Department official familiar with the discussions.

The latest issues of Secrecy News says that the Pentagon may have broken the law by classifying the Taguba report so the press and the public could not read it.

Secrecy is at the center of many of the biggest news stories this year. The Pentagon prohibits showing returning coffins from Iraq, the Bush administration fights to keep relevant documents from the commission investigating 9/11.

These are critical issues of national and global importance. American citizens must have real information to participate in democracy. Was 9/11 preventable? Should we have attacked Iraq? Is the military behaving professionally? How much is this all going to cost us?

According to Executive Order 13292, the government may not classify information in order to "conceal violations of law," "prevent embarrassment" or "delay the release of information that does not require protection in the interest of the national security." Why was the report on prisoner abuse classifed?

Bloggers and sites like The Memory Hole are doing an amazing job of getting information into the public domain, so citizens can understand what's really happening. It will take the active involvement of citizens to keep their government from running amok.