He let the dogs out?

General Geoffrey Miller, the official charged with designing Guantanamo as it is known today, and the man who brought the same techniques to Abu Ghraib this week to not incriminate himself by testifying in the trial of dog handlers.



Two handlers based in California will go on trial in the coming months.

There is evidence to suggest that General Miller either loosened the rules surrounding the use of dogs at Abu Ghraib or turned a blind eye to their use during interrogation.

For civilians, the right not to testify if that testimony could incriminate is known as the "invoking the 5th [amendment]". In military justice it is known as invoking Article 31. According to the Reuters story linked to above:

Eugene Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice, said he could not recall another general or admiral invoking Article 31 rights.

"You're not supposed to invoke it unless you are, in fact, suspected of an offense," Fidell said, while adding that merely invoking it does not prove Miller is guilty of wrongdoing.