<The Carriers are Coming, the Carriers are Coming! (or, Thursday's Open Thread) The Oil Drum San Francisco Passes Peak Oil Resolution>

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Glenn on April 14, 2006 - 10:33am Permalink | Subthread | Comments top
The NY Times is also reporting on this:

There were indications on Thursday that the concern about Mr. Rumsfeld, rooted in years of pent-up anger about his handling of the war, was sweeping aside the reticence of retired generals who took part in the Iraq war to criticize an enterprise in which they participated. Current and former officers said they were unaware of any organized campaign to seek Mr. Rumsfeld's ouster, but they described a blizzard of telephone calls and e-mail messages as retired generals critical of Mr. Rumsfeld weighed the pros and cons of joining in the condemnation.

It sounds like the Neocons may have now completely overplayed their hand if even the military establishment is turning against them.

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Yosemite Sam on April 14, 2006 - 11:07am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
The Weekly Standard has been very critical of Rummy for at least two years now.  The want someone who will take off the gloves and kick some serious butt.

"It's a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma."

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Nick Rouse on April 14, 2006 - 6:13pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
The quote is:-
"It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."
Made in 1939 by Sir Winston Churchill on a BBC radio broadcast with reference to forcasting the action of Russia.
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Yosemite Sam on April 14, 2006 - 9:36pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Thanks.  I like Churchill's version.
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BOP on April 14, 2006 - 12:22pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was personally involved in the late 2002 interrogation of a high-value al-Qaida detainee known in intelligence circles as "the 20th hijacker." He also communicated weekly with the man in charge of the interrogation, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the controversial commander of the Guantánamo Bay detention center.

During the same period, detainee Mohammed al-Kahtani suffered from what Army investigators have called "degrading and abusive" treatment by soldiers who were following the interrogation plan Rumsfeld had approved. Kahtani was forced to stand naked in front of a female interrogator, was accused of being a homosexual, and was forced to wear women's underwear and to perform "dog tricks" on a leash. He received 18-to-20-hour interrogations during 48 of 54 days


The fact that Rumsfeld directed and approved such treatment and then assigns blame to the subordinates carrying out that direction will not sit well with the military.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/04/14/rummy/index_np.html

It is interesting that the retired military officers speak out in sequence and do so immediately after publication of Hersh's article.

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Dan Ur on April 15, 2006 - 6:29am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Though I don't approve of the methods used to get information.   They could be using the methods that other nations like North Korea and Rome used to get information from folks.  Just a thought!
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Twilight on April 15, 2006 - 9:10am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Well, given how many of the victims appear to have died during the interrogation, the methods are bad enough.  And from the description of the contents of the videos not released, if that is true then there are many real horrors.

And I don't buy this "it's not that bad" bullshit at all.  There is no excuse, no rationalization for it.  NONE.  NEVER.

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tom deplume on April 15, 2006 - 10:23am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
"In vino verus" is a latin phrase meaning "in wine there is truth" The Romans didn't use torture as an interogation method. They would get an opponent drunk and well fed then ask about military matters. They knew that under torture a person would make up stories just to stop the pain. The Romans used public torture as a way of controlling conquered populations.
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Donal on April 15, 2006 - 7:16pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
In vino veritas - truth in wine
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202 comments on Friday Open Thread

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