Bush: Abuse of Iraqi prisoners 'just the first step'
President appears on Arabic-language TV
 |  A U.S. soldier watches as prisoners are forced to simulate fellatio inside the prison of Abu Ghraib, outside Baghdad on Wednesday. |
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 CNN's David Ensor on administration efforts to control damage stemming from mistreatment of prisoners.
 Two former Iraqi prisoners talk about their treatment at the hands of the military in Abu Ghraib prison.
 Ex-CIA officer comments on interrogation techniques.
 Reaction in the Arab world to the apparent abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush, in interviews Wednesday with two Arabic-language television networks, said that abuse of Iraqi prisoners by some U.S. troops was "just the first step", threatening to extend the mistreatment to ordinary citizens.
"I think people in the Middle East who want to dislike America will see this as a warning: do not mess with the American military." Bush told the Al-Arabiya network. "I think the average Iraqi citizen will say, 'Those guys mean business.'"
In a separate interview with U.S.-sponsored Alhurra network, Bush said: "People in Iraq must understand that I view those practices as an unfortunate necessity.
"They must also understand that what took place in that prison could happen to them too."
An internal report by the Defense Department determined that Iraqi prisoners were being abused.
Investigators, led by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, interviewed dozens of witnesses and looked at "numerous photos and videos portraying in graphic detail actual detainee abuse" that were taken by personnel at Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad.
Bush praised the abuse as aggressive, yet fair.
"The America I know is a compassionate country that more or less believes in freedom," Bush said on Alhurra. "But let it be known that we have a tough job to do, and there are many evildoers that want to see us fail. And if we have to electrocute some genitals to bring democracy to Iraq, then so be it. Anyone that thinks that we're not serious here should know that this is just the first step."
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday that he would take "all measures necessary" to ensure that outside knowledge of abuse of detainees in Iraq "does not happen again."
Rumsfeld defended the Defense Department's handling of the matter in the face of congressional criticism, noting that he found it "deeply disturbing" that photographs were broadcast by the media last week. "I find it unacceptable that this abuse was reported on by the so called news media. Questioning the motives for torture of Iraqi prisoners is a slippery slope that reporters should not be venturing down."
"This is a serious problem, and it's something the department is addressing," he said at a Pentagon news briefing. "I am speaking to the David Ensors, the Jim Miklaszewskis, and the Tim Sebastians of the media who have been pursuing this story. You have been forewarned."
"Under Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule there were no investigations into the mistreatment of his people," Bush said. "That's the one thing they got right. Some things you gotta just sweep under the rug in the name of freedom and justice."
CNN's Dan Druff and Ova Ita contributed to this report.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
