Amy Goodman: Disgraced General Who Pushed for Torture in Iraq Is Now a Spokesman for Democrats?

[marmar]

from Democracy Now, via AlterNet:



Disgraced General Who Pushed for Torture in Iraq Is Now a Spokesman for Democrats?

By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. Posted November 27, 2007.

Ricardo Sanchez was the Iraq commander during the Abu Ghraib atrocities, and last week he gave the Dems' weekly radio address. Amy Goodman revisits how the torture policy began.




Amy Goodman: Every Saturday, the President of United States gives a radio address to the nation. It's followed by the Democratic response, usually given by a House or a Senate Democrat. It may have surprised some that this past Saturday the Democrats chose retired General Sanchez to give the address. That's retired Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez.

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez: For as long as we have troops in Iraq, the American people must insist that our deploying men and women are properly trained and properly equipped for the missions they will be asked to perform.

The funding bill passed by the House of Representatives last week with a bipartisan vote makes the proper preparation of our deploying troops a priority and requires the type of shift in their mission that will allow their numbers to be reduced substantially. Furthermore, the bill puts America on the path to regaining our moral authority by requiring all government employees to abide by the Army Field Manual on interrogations, which is in compliance with the Geneva Conventions. America must accept nothing less.

Goodman: According to the ACLU, documents show Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the former top US military commander in Iraq, urged his troops to "go to the outer limits" to extract information from prisoners. Previously released documents have linked Sanchez to the use of Army dogs during interrogations.

Democracy Now! interviewed Janis Karpinski in October of 2005. She was the only military officer to be disciplined after the Abu Ghraib scandal broke. She said she was scapegoated. She served under General Sanchez and talked about his role in, among other practices, ghost detainees.

Col. Janis Karpinski: We were directed on several occasions, and directed through the CJTF-7, through General Fast or General Sanchez, by -- the instructions were originating at the Pentagon, from Secretary Rumsfeld, and we were instructed to hold prisoners without putting their -- giving -- assigning a prisoner number or putting them on the database, and that is contrary to the Geneva Conventions. We all knew it was contrary to the Geneva Conventions. And we were told that this -- these instructions were being given by Secretary Rumsfeld, and --

........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/68953/

[Solly Mack]

1. Short memories - with all that implies and brings (back around again)

At the time, I snorted when I heard it was going to be him giving the response - I was astounded.

[Dhalgren]

2. Every day I lose more faith in the Democrats. This is an example

of the Democrats not "getting it". The Democratic "leadership" is not interested in turning this country around, it is interested in taking over from the Republicans. The Democratic Party is not against the occupation of Iraq, only in how it has been managed. "Amerika uber alles" is the Democratic credo, too...

[snappyturtle]

3. K&R nt

[IndyOp]

4. Requiring all government employees to abide by the Army Field Manual on interrogations

- this is in the new bill that Sanchez supports -- too bad he told his troops to "go to the outer limit" during interrogations in Iraq.

If his giving this address for the Dems is an admission of his culpability then he ought to come right out and say so. A retired General doing the address for the Dems won't wake people up -- a retired General who admits his participation in creating the Abu Ghraib scandal will wake people up.

:(

[bobthedrummer]

5. Compare to Dennis Kucinich's campaign manager Michael Klein

a Desert Storm combat vet (Airborne Rangers 25th ID), graduate of West Point from a military family who speaks quite openly about the neocon holy warrior cabal that so many of these former Generals and Admirals are part of, and yet these folks are 'advising" Democrats about "defense"-Mike Klein made Captain...

[shireen]

6. yeah, i was startled to see Sanchez do that response

Who's stupid idea was that?!