Rumsfeld's Thanksgiving photo-op

[patricia]

Mr Rumsfeld is paying a surprise visit to Iraq to give a pep talk to the troops there.
I just watched his speech and he proudly stated that he has "stopped reading the newspapers", preferring instead to read a book about Ulysses Grant and the Civil War.
Having a defence secretary who doesn't read the newspapers is hardly reassuring, but maybe dissenting opinions are not important to him, or to Mr Bush, so, if you don't read them, they don't exist.

[Gentle Giant]

I hope someone points at his dick and smiles.

And here I was looking foward to that three day Memorial Day weekend.

Man, time just flies around here.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

I hope someone points at his dick and smiles.

The soldiers seem to be more concerned about whether they'll be getting better Humvees and promised pay raises and concern about their extended tours, than whether the abuse scandal is an isolated situation. Indeed, there were no questions about what I think Rumsfeld's purpose in making this trip was. I don't think they read the papers either.
He's preaching to the choir.

I was puzzled though by his stating that the additional pictures would not be released to the public. My understanding is that they are already out there if the soldiers involved had them on their computers and were sending them to friends as souveniers of sorts. So, how can Rumsfeld say that they are not going to be seen. How is that possible?? They're already out there.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

He saying the Pentagon's not supplying them. Of course, the Defense Department doesn;t control cyberspace (yet).

There was a "funny" story in the Washington Post about the report on the jail abuses. NPR posted the report on it's site. But it's still classified Secret. So in one of the government agencies, the workers were warned against downloading it to their computers because it was a Secret Document and they would be in violation of whatever the Secret Document handling regulation is.

Which makes me wonder, what happened the administration official who showed that Noforn doc to the Saudi prince?

[Pete C]

Patricia, I don't get the Thanksgiving reference.

[Uli]

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

I hope someone points at his dick and smiles.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Patricia, I don't get the Thanksgiving reference.

Perhaps it was a little vague, though it was meant to be a comparing of Mr Bush's photo-op at Thanksgiving, with the fake turkey, to Mr Rumsfeld's visit to the troops, to be photographed, both of which do little to dispel people's anger at the seemingly endless conflict in Iraq. I don't think that Mr Rumsfeld would have made this trip, were it not for the negative publicity that the photographs have gotten, worldwide. If the only reports had been the ones which I saw more than a year ago about this behaviour, with no pictures, had been the only ones, the story would have remained unimportant. It was only because the pictures exist, and still exist, that this trip was necessary.
So, to get back to your question, the connection between the Thanksgiving pep talk and this one is that they are both photo-ops with little substance that I can see.
Perhaps you have a different view? What was the purpose other than damage control because Mr Rumsfeld and indeed the entire detainee situation has come to light, finally. If, as the Red Cross says, as many as 90% of the detainees are regular people, with no terrorist affiliations, being treated this way, the administration has a problem. I know that the prisoners were divided into definite groups within the prison, but all were held with no access to the outside world, even the regular citizens. Now, hundreds are being released, but why were they held if they were known to be ordinary citizens?
Also, the England woman, shown on some of the pictures seems to not only be unwilling to say whose instructions they were apparently following, but seems to be certain, judging by her answers to who they were, to think that she is in no danger of being flung into prison for this, that it will all blow over. Do you think that the responsibilty for this goes higher than the night shift and a handful of "bad apples"?

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by patricia

Perhaps you have a different view?

I just didn't get the reference.

May 13, 2004

At Iraqi Prison, Rumsfeld Says
Abuse Will Be Dealt With Openly
By THOM SHANKER


Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
addressing military personnel today at Abu
Ghraib Prison on the outskirts of Baghdad.

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 13 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, making an unannounced trip to Iraq amid a global furor over mistreatment of detainees, strode into Abu Ghraib prison today and promised that the world will see America openly and freely punish any soldier guilty of abuse.

"In recent months, we've seen abuses here, under our responsibility, and it's been a body blow for all of us," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "The people who engaged in abuses will be brought to justice. The world will see how a free system, a democratic system, functions and operates — transparently, with no cover-up."

On a whirlwind visit on a day in which the drab yellow walls of the prison blended into the drab yellow desert and dust-filled sky, Mr. Rumsfeld was driven around Abu Ghraib, passing outside the "hard tier" cell block where the abuses occurred.

Hundreds of detainees rushed toward concertina wire as Mr. Rumsfeld rolled past inside an Israeli-made armored bus. Most detainees stood silently. Some waved clothes and jeered. A few held up hand-lettered signs or shirts in English, although with misspellings and incorrect grammar.

"What are you going to do about scandl?" said one. "Why we are here?" said another. A third read, "Most of us are inocents."

After a 14-hour flight to Kuwait, a 90-minute flight to Baghdad and a 7-minute helicopter ride from the American military headquarters west to Abu Ghraib, Mr. Rumsfeld arrived at the prison where outrage over abuses has stained America's image and brought calls from some in Congress for the defense secretary to resign.

Mr. Rumsfeld spoke with no detainees, but in meetings with American commanders and military police who have replaced those serving during the time of alleged abuses, Mr. Rumsfeld sought to assure Iraqis and the world that they can trust American military justice.

But he also sought to highlight plans under way that military officers hope will likewise give confidence that the abuses will not be repeated.

In a move that is as practical as it is symbolic, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, the new deputy commanding general for detention operations, said that all prisoners under coalition control would be moved out of the old Abu Ghraib structures and into new quarters by the end of May. The new "Camp Redemption" will still be within the Abu Ghraib compound, and the former prison blocks will be operated by the new Iraqi government, holding those arrested on criminal charges.

In comments to reporters on the flight to Kuwait, Mr. Rumsfeld indicated that he may not be satisfied with an explanation that the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison was solely the acts of a small band of misguided military police, and that he may be looking higher up the chain of command.

"We care about command systems working," he said.

The prison, for decades the scene of murder and torture under Saddam Hussein, has now become, in photos circulating the globe, a symbol of abuse by American military jailers and a stain on American pride.

Mr. Rumsfeld cautioned that his mission to Iraq should not be viewed as a solo journey that could heal the wounds to America's image from the detainee abuse.

"We're not on an inspection tour," he said. "If anyone thinks I'm there to throw water on the fire, they're wrong."

Even so, Bush administration officials have expressed fears that the signature image of the war is no longer cheering Iraqis toppling Mr. Hussein's statue in Baghdad, but may instead become American soldiers laughing and giving "thumbs up" signs as Iraqi detainees are abused and humiliated.

Mr. Rumsfeld, who has fended off calls from some in Congress for his resignation, made clear he was aware that this trip will likewise be scrutinized throughout Iraq — including by some who might claim jurisdiction to try the American soldiers in their own courts once sovereignty is returned on June 30.

"The United States government is going to take care of the people who end up being convicted of some wrongdoing," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "The justice system of the United States is serious, professional — and it's under way."

And to troops later, he said he had taken steps to insulate himself from the criticism. "I've stopped reading the newspapers," he said to applause and cheers from the troops. "It's a fact: I'm a survivor."

Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew with Mr. Rumsfeld to Iraq; that was another sign of the unusual nature of the trip, because the Pentagon's most senior civilian and military leader rarely travel aboard the same aircraft.

Mr. Rumsfeld began his Iraq visit with meetings in Baghdad, then headed to Abu Ghraib. Following his tour of the prison, he spoke to American troops in Baghdad and said the abuses "sullied the reputation of our country."

"I was stunned," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "It was a body blow. And with six or seven investigations under way and a country that has values and a military justice system that has values, we know that those involved, whoever they are, will be brought to justice."

The meeting with the troops took on the appearance of a pep rally, with Mr. Rumsfeld and General Myers commending the soldiers' work and trying to raise the morale of the soldiers, who whooped and applauded. The officials also fielded questions in a freewheeling question-and-answer session.

"You folks are young," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "I'm not. But you're going to look back on this conflict, on these debates, on these difficulties — and it's going to be a tough road ahead, and we know that. But one day you're going to look back and you're going to be proud of your service and you're going to say it was worth it."

"I have never lost confidence in the folks who wear this uniform," General Myers added. "I'm confident because you bring the essential goodness of America to the Armed Forces."

In earlier comments to reporters, Mr. Rumsfeld noted that some of the images on the three discs that are central to the Abu Ghraib investigation are pictures solely of American soldiers, and have nothing to do with detainee abuse. The rights to privacy of those troops must be protected, he said.

But rather than continue to suffer through a slow release of selected photographs broadcast by television or printed in newspapers and magazines, Mr. Rumsfeld said, "As far as I'm concerned, I'd be happy to release them all to the public and get it behind us."

But he said a number of Bush administration legal advisers throughout the executive branch were not recommending such an action.

Mr. Rumsfeld bristled at complaints that the Pentagon was engaging in a cover-up by not more rapidly bringing the provocative details of the abuse accusations to the attention of the president, Congress or the public.

Such a charge, Mr. Rumsfeld said, is "unfair, inaccurate and wrong."

"And if I find any evidence that it's true," he added, "I'll stop it."

He then took a shot at the Arab news media, which he said has filled newspapers and news broadcasts with anti-American propaganda about the mission in Iraq.

"We have been lied about, however, day after day, week after week, month after month for the last 12 months in the Arab press, in Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya," he said.

For the first leg of his voyage, conducted under tight secrecy and heavy security, Mr. Rumsfeld flew nonstop to Kuwait aboard one of the four "Doomsday" airplanes designed to allow the president, the defense secretary or the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to communicate from aloft in case of nuclear war.

The modified Boeing 747, called the E-4B National Airborne Operations Center, twice hooked up to tankers in the 14-hour flight, and crew members said the aircraft was chosen because of its ability to fly long distances without landing for fuel.

The surprise visit here was only the latest act in a drama that began in a prison west of Baghdad and is now playing out in the executive ring of the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and inside the White House.

Mr. Rumsfeld testified in back-to-back hearings before the Senate and House on Friday, and then on Monday played host to President Bush at the Pentagon, where Mr. Bush gave his defense secretary a full-throated endorsement. Before flying from Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday, Mr. Rumsfeld was again grilled on Capitol Hill.

Also traveling with Mr. Rumsfeld was Vice Adm. Albert Church, the Navy inspector general, who spent May 6 and 7 at the military's detention camp at Guantánamo, Cuba.

Admiral Church said his inquiry "documented eight minor infractions" that he said ranged from humiliations to mild physical contact.

The eight cases included striking one detainee while handcuffed, improper use of pepper spray and giving one detainee a demeaning haircut.

Disciplinary action, which included letters of admonishment and reductions in rank, occurred rapidly after reports of the eight incidents, which occurred within the last 18 months to two years, reached commanders.

"Disciplinary action was taken quickly," Admiral Church said.

He said that the detention center at Guantánamo should continue to review a set of questions and complaints from inspectors from the International Committee of the Red Cross, but he gave no details.

Kirk Semple contributed reporting from New York for this article.

[patricia]

Thank you Chris.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by patricia

The soldiers seem to be more concerned about whether they'll be getting better Humvees and promised pay raises and concern about their extended tours, than whether the abuse scandal is an isolated situation. Indeed, there were no questions about what I think Rumsfeld's purpose in making this trip was. I don't think they read the papers either.
He's preaching to the choir.

I was puzzled though by his stating that the additional pictures would not be released to the public. My understanding is that they are already out there if the soldiers involved had them on their computers and were sending them to friends as souveniers of sorts. So, how can Rumsfeld say that they are not going to be seen. How is that possible?? They're already out there.

I think Rummy has been reading a lot of Gabriel Garcia Marques. There is an aspect of "magic realism" to his pronouncements of late.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

I think Rummy has been reading a lot of Gabriel Garcia Marques. There is an aspect of "magic realism" to his pronouncements of late.

Good point.

[larrycohen]

Originally Posted by Darryl G. Thomas

He saying the Pentagon's not supplying them. Of course, the Defense Department doesn;t control cyberspace (yet).

There was a "funny" story in the Washington Post about the report on the jail abuses. NPR posted the report on it's site. But it's still classified Secret. So in one of the government agencies, the workers were warned against downloading it to their computers because it was a Secret Document and they would be in violation of whatever the Secret Document handling regulation is.

Which makes me wonder, what happened the administration official who showed that Noforn doc to the Saudi prince?

Thanks for the NPR reference.
It's a long report, and it's secret (no foreigners allowed!), but I thought some of you might want to read the official report on what's been happening.

http://www.npr.org/iraq/2004/prison_abuse_report.pdf

Today's New York Observer carried this cartoon very prominently on the front page: