For a lengthy expose on General Taguba, the author of the Abu Ghraib report that Don Rumsfeld and others have repeatedly lied under oath about, go here. Money quote comes from the third page, when Taguba was told he and his report would be investigated:
Taguba got a different message, however, from other officers, among them General John Abizaid, then the head of Central Command. A few weeks after his report became public, Taguba, who was still in Kuwait, was in the back seat of a Mercedes sedan with Abizaid. Abizaid’s driver and his interpreter, who also served as a bodyguard, were in front. Abizaid turned to Taguba and issued a quiet warning: “You and your report will be investigated.”
“I wasn’t angry about what he said but disappointed that he would say that to me,” Taguba said. “I’d been in the Army thirty-two years by then, and it was the first time that I thought I was in the Mafia.”
I wonder how long the damage Rumsfeld and company have done to the military will take to repair. Wingnuts better start acting now and blaming this on Clinton.
srv
Don’t tell me, Taguba has a book coming out?
Dave
Depressing thing is I don’t think anyone cares. Dems might investigate, but I think the country is starting to suffer from scandal burnout.
Dreggas
I read that stuff via Sully earlier. Why do I get the feeling that this cloud won’t start going away until Rumsfeld is on trial at the Hague? I mean could we even possibly charge and try him here and it not be viewed as a sham? Don’t get me wrong it rankles me that the europeans think they can indict U.S. citizens on shit like this in absentia, but something has to give.
Pb
Tim F., you raving moonbat… oh wait…
Nice post, John!
Jill
Seymour Hersh has been the leader of exposing every egregious action taken by this corrupt and fascist administration. From the White House Iraq Group and their stove-piping of intelligence to Abu Gahrib to this latest article on Taguba, Hersh is the man to read. Why don’t we see him on TV as much as we see all the reporters and columnists who blindly believed the administration and their lies? The only man with credibility about this horrendous group who are destroying our government and our reputation is Sy Hersh.
RSA
I thought this line was very telling:
For me, this captures what I think of as the Bushies’ world view. They’re willing to take enormous foreign policy risks because, hey, if it all goes wrong (as it did), the people who suffer are “only Iraqis”. Fill in the blank differently and you can explain a lot of domestic failures as well: Katrina, global warming measures, domestic spying, and pretty much any conflict that pits vested interests against ordinary people.
Zifnab
Don’t worry. I think we’ve passed the Red Line where everything that goes wrong was Clinton’s fault. Now, everything that goes wrong will be the fault of Bush’s replacement – assuming that replacement is a Democrat – and the 110th Congress. If only Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid had acted swiftly and bravely, we could have won the War on Terror, ended the energy crisis, lowered taxes, forstalled the recession, prevented Hurricane Katrina, defeated Iran, and saved Bambi’s Mother from being shoot.
Those Democrats will just prove why government doesn’t work.
Bruce Moomaw
Actually, Cole has just outrageously smeared the Sopranos, who were considerably more competent (and who, unlike Rumsfeld, had enough impartiality about their own judgment to see psychiatrists).
DougJ
What Clinton did was worse. Remember the “Wag the Dog” stunt he pulled with Kosovo?
Pb
I thought Socks was behind that… stupid dogs.
demimondian
What? Hot cat on dog action? Paging Sen. Santorum!
PaulB
“I think we’ve passed the Red Line where everything that goes wrong was Clinton’s fault.”
I fervently hope you’re correct, but I doubt you are. There really is an amazing amount of rancor directed at the Clintons and as long as either of them is still active publicly, they will still be used as examples of whatever the idiot making the comparison wants them to be. And the worse it gets for Bush and the Republican party, the more they will invoke both Bill and Hillary.
cd6
Bumper sticker I saw yesterday:
“Can’t somebody just give Bush a blowjob so we can impeach him?”
Rome Again
Scandal burnout seems about right. I read a diary on DKos today written by clammyc, and in it, he makss a list of all we’ve had go down the pike in the last several years and I forgot half that shit.
I can’t keep up anymore. My brain can’t take it.
Beej
Two thoughts (about my limit for this hour):
1. Why does everyone call Hillary Clinton just Hillary? Name another politician that the press and public call by a first name only. Shouldn’t it be just Clinton? After all it is McCain, Bush, Romney, Obama, Biden, etc.
2. I am ancient enough to have lived through Watergate. If there’s anyone else out there who’ll admit to being as old as I am, I have a question. Where are the Sam Donaldsons, the Walter Cronkites, and, yes, the Dan Rathers who refused to let up on the Watergate story once it was broken by Woodward and Bernstein? When Tony Snowjob opines that Harry Reid owes a general an apology because he had the temerity to say that general had done a poor job, where is the follow-up that goes something like: So you’re saying, Tony, that the majority leader of the U.S. Senate should not and cannot comment on the competency or performance of a military leader unless such a comment is praise. And if the majority leader should make a negative assessment of said general’s performance, he must then apologize to the general. Is that what you’re saying Tony? My question then, is, what about the fact that the Constitution charges Congress with oversight of the executive, including the handling of the military?
Did some reporter ask a question like that and I missed it, or did they just nod their heads when Snowjob laid it out? Have any of the networks considered just putting a video tape setup in the White House that Snow and others can appear in front of every so often to make pronouncements and the networks can then collect the tapes for broadcast on the evening news. Would save bunches of money and be the rough equivalent of what they’re doing now.
Pb
Beej,
For a few reasons, probably.
1. Her campaign is pushing this.
2. Just “Clinton” in politics still means “Bill Clinton” for a lot of people. But just “Hillary” in politics means “Hillary Clinton”. So if you’re going to use just one name, I think “Hillary” is less confusing.
3. Perhaps some cowardly Democratic strategist sees it as a way to distance “Hillary” from the “Clinton” name. Which is ridiculous of course, but that’s apparently what they get paid for.
vg
Wait a minute. Isn’t that written by Sy Hersh?
The same Sy Hersh you said had a special place in hell waiting for him for rooting against the troops?
What’s the deal, man?
Anonymous Jim
When Republicans took over control of Congress and the Presidency I expected them to dismantle or destroy the department of education, HHS and Medicare. Oddly they have most damaged the CIA, the Defense Department and DOJ, three of the more “conservative” agencies in the federal government.
Zifnab
Those questions come – frequently from the Sainted Helen Thomas, who’s been keeping Presidential nuts in the fire since Kennedy – but they’re never turned into newspaper articles. When Tony sputters and mumbles and calls “next question”, the newspapers just print his slightly more cognizant talking points and leave the follow-up questions and their gibberish responses on the cutting room floor.
And the talking heads at CNN/MSNBC/FOX don’t give two shits about Presidential news briefs except as an excuse to throw another flashy graphic up on the screen.
Mr Furious
Beej,
It’s been pointed out that Reid wasn’t even talking about Pace, he was in the middle of a discussion about Gonzalez, and was referring to Gonzalez as incompetant, and making the point that Bush is stciking by Gonzo, yet is perfectly willing to toss Pace. From the CArpetbagger Report (since you won;t read it in any MSM source)…
Reid was clearly, to me. referring to Gonzalez as the “incompetant man” and drawing Pace into his answer solely to contrast the way Bush jettisoned him to avoid focus and scrutiny from Congress, yet he stubbornly refuses to cut Gonzo loose.
The Other Steve
Well they did do a nice number on FEMA.
Not since Grover Cleveland has emergency response to natural disasters been called a “Liberal Agenda”.
Wilfred
Donald Rumsfeld is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful Secretary of Defense I’ve ever known in my life.
Rome Again
It doesn’t exist anymore, since the press decided they liked the perks that went with bribery and shutting one’s mouth.
Zifnab
What perks? Getting regularly trashed by virtually everyone as biased in one direction or the other? Holding an audiance in the 1-3 million range when honest competitors like NPR reach ten times that number? Going from media celebrities to boring jokes? Being out-classed by a pair of comedy shows (Stewart/Colber ’08!) on an underwatched channel on cable TV?
What are these so-called perks? Cause I’m really not seeing them.
Great Sec Def or Greatest Sec Def?
Punchy
Beej–
You not allowed to criticize a general during a war. I know this b/c Sean Hannity told me so. I don’t think the gentleman would lie…
The Other Steve
Unless said General is displaying a clear Hatred of America, by demanding we live up to American values.
sheesh
Dave
Following up on what Zif said…the other reason is the MSM is about money and ratings, not about the public interest anymore. Paris sells, Helen doesn’t.
Zifnab
What’s more Paris is cheap. Real reporting will cost you.
I feel you. Cable News has nothing to do with news, never really did. But the idea that they’re selling out for White House cookies? Nah, they’re just lazy.
Tsulagi
Yeah, those three do seem to have been on the receiving end of a little more special love from the Bushists. Then elements of all three came together for that abortion named the Department of Homeland Security.
There was no place in a Bush/Cheney/Rummy Pentagon for a guy like Taguba and a lot of others. From the DOJ hearings you can see the HR model now used in all federal agencies for continued employment, advancement and promotion.
Gonzo even testified he didn’t examine the job performance of the fired attorneys. No need. Competence not required nor welcomed. All that matters is devotion to and going ass up for the message. And making sure Monica Goodling message keepers take note of it.
It was the same for Rummy and his Monica Goodlings like Wolfie and Feith. Same for every federal department head in this admin. Even Tony Soprano would say WTF.
ThymeZone
I don’t see what the fuss is about. Abaizaid didn’t say “You and your piece of shit report will be investigated, motherfucker.”
So, what’s the beef?
Jake
Hey, if you’re going to fuck with people, think big!
tBone
Big deal. Standard fraternity pranks.
If we can’t strap detainees down and shove things in their rectums or threaten them with snarling dogs, the terrorists have won. It’s that simple.
Oh, sure, maybe a female prisoner gets sodomized once in a while. Well, what about all the women that Clinton sodomized? You moonbats are conspicuously silent on that point.
Zifnab
I think that’s exactly the beef. Abaizaid needs to sound more gangasta if he wants to pull this style of governance and still hold credibility.
Dreggas
To “Sopranoize” it:
“I know a guy who works in concrete, you should give him a call, he’ll do the work”.
Andrei
VG, yes John indeed tell Sy Hersh to go to hell. I guess it’s hard to hear the kind of things a guy like Hersh has to say. So many of us don’t want to beleive they are true.
Jake
Depends on what happens to “Knuckles” Rumsfeld and company. If someone boxes them up and ships them to The Hague, we’ll regain the trust of our allies a good deal quicker than if we continue to coddle them.
Punchy
For the last friggin time, John, it’s The War Against Terror. With a likewise apropos acronym.
DougJ
Someone already touched on the reasons, but I think it’s worth noting that it’s a political advantage to be known your first name or nickname. There’s a reason Nike pushes this with all their clients.
Cyrus
I guess it’s like a collective action problem, or some similar game-theoretical term. Journalism in general is suffering in a lot of ways, partly because the mainstream media is seen as such a failure. But the only journalists who themselves have a chance to do something about that do indeed profit off the current system, and/or would personally suffer for improving the status of their class. The people asking the softball questions at press conferences with Tony Snow get to go to press conferences and get on first-name bases with sources and may get to write books later. If you ask a totally-not-softball question, you might not get to go to press conferences.
To put it another way, if you ask Tony Snow a really, really tough question at a press conference, it might slightly improve the image of the White House press corps and the media in general, but do you really want to be the person who provokes a comment like “I’m going to get that fucker” from someone like Cheney?
jg
Why is Bush known as ‘W’?
Tax Analyst
I’m sorry, but I absolutely refuse to vote for this “Nike” character for President, whoever the Hell he (or she) is. Uh…and that’s “Mr. Tax Analyst” to you, whoever you are…don’t you dare call me “Tax”…har-de-har…
Tax Analyst
…and Cheney known as “Dick the Prick”?
Davebo
Oh I don’t know, could it be the millions of campaign bumper stickers Karl gave away?
Jake
Wanker?
jg
Since the Bush administration has been running the Treasury the same way Soprano would so why not the Pentagon too?
Speaking of Tony;
So sociopaths care a great deal about babies but not adults and they use psycology to perfect their methods?
Jake
OK, we could debate the striking of sociopaths and adding of neocons as redundant, but otherwise, Fixed.
jg
I wouldn’t add religion. By psycology I meant they use the knowledge of how people will react and percieve. Because of this they used religion against the religious.
jg
Switching sociopaths with neo-cons is redundant which I think is exactly David Chase’s point. Or I’m reading way too much into the show.
sakthi
Already huge damage is done by Rumsfeld and company,its better to point of those and blame them for their mistakes rather bringing someone into the scene and put blame on them,perhaps Clinton…
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