It's not hard to imagine how someone could rationalize it. I haven't researched it, but from what I gather the abuse at Abu Ghraib wasn't exactly My Lai. You had a bunch of guys forced to do stuff that's on the same level as what fraternity pledges do willingly. Does that make it right? Heck no. But it's easy to concoct a scenario in one's mind where such abuse might be understandable, if not right. For instance, if the detainees were thought to have vital information that could save lots of lives.

Massaged in that way, the question becomes, "Should American troops and Iraqi civilians have to suffer and die because we feel a little queasy about making enemy combatants lie on top of one another naked?"

I think it's pretty clear from the photos that the abuse wasn't done from any "strategic" motivation, but rather out of sadistic pleasure.