Powell Knew: Documents Show Red Cross Told Powell Iraqi Prisoners Were Tortured

[Hissyspit]

http://www.pubrecord.org/torture/836-documents-show-red-cross-told-p

Documents Show Red Cross Told Powell Iraqi Prisoners Were Tortured
Written by Jason Leopold
Thursday, 16 April 2009 11:32
By Jason Leopold

In March 2003, after Iraqi troops captured several U.S. soldiers and let them be interviewed on Iraqi TV, senior Bush administration officials expressed outrage over this violation of the Geneva Convention.

"If there is somebody captured," President George W. Bush told reporters on March 23, 2003, "I expect those people to be treated humanely. If not, the people who mistreat the prisoners will be treated as war criminals."

No one in the Bush administration, however, acknowledged the extent of their own violations of rules governing humane treatment of enemy combatants. Nor did the U.S. news media offer any context, ignoring the U.S. handling of Afghan War captives at Guantanamo Bay in 2002 and the fact that the U.S. military also had paraded captured Iraqi soldiers before cameras.

During those heady days of “embedded” war correspondents reporting excitedly about Bush’s “shock and awe” invasion, what Americans got to see and hear was how the Iraqi violation of the Geneva Convention – the videotaped interviews – demonstrated the barbarity of the enemy and justified their punishment as war criminals.

Bush’s fury over the POW interviews echoed across Washington. “It is a blatant violation of the Geneva Convention to humiliate and abuse prisoners of war or to harm them in any way,” declared Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke on March 24.

That same day, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told the BBC, “The Geneva Convention is very clear on the rules for treating prisoners. They're not supposed to be tortured or abused, they're not supposed to be intimidated, they're not supposed to be made public displays of humiliation or insult, and we're going to be in a position to hold those Iraqi officials who are mistreating our prisoners accountable, and they've got to stop.”

On March 25, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld added, “In recent days, the world has witnessed further evidence of their brutality and their disregard for the laws of war. Their treatment of coalition POWs is a violation of the Geneva Conventions.”

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[EFerrari]

1. Of course he knew. And I know this is unpopular but I don't trust

whatshisname, his former aide who has been all over backfilling for a long time now. Wilkerson? Maybe I'm being unfair to the man but, the Powell he describes is some other, clean Colin Powell that I've never seen before.

[chill_wind]

7. Legacy washing.

For Powell. I've always thought so. I got flamed to a crisp a couple years ago for even suggesting such an idea.

[EFerrari]

9. Colin Powell is a tragic figure and his mistakes would make a great play.

:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. I could not get them published as fiction

no way, no how

[roguevalley]

13. considering his record as a long time tool - my lai and all- there

is nothing tragic about this calculating criminal.

[malaise]

15. Powell is just as guilty as the rest of them

He left early but that does not exonerate him.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Considering that Powell was involved in the Mai Lai Massacre coverup

Why should we expect anything else from Powell?

[polichick]

3. My guess is a bunch of Dems knew too. Knowing is not the same as giving the order...

...but it's still disturbing that people didn't speak out.

[MrPerson]

4. By Jason "Rove was indicted" Leopold.,

[aquart]

5. Are you insisting that means Powell did NOT know?

Or just being an obnoxious twit?

[MrPerson]

8. Just being an obnoxious twit

[Hissyspit]

6. I'm aware of that.

His articles have been accurate since that incident, to the best of my knowledge.

[jtrockville]

10. ANOTHER blot on Powell's record.

Ray McGovern wrote a great article on Powell last year.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/16/11019

And to think.... Powell, at one time, had me fooled into thinking he was a man of integrity.

[noamnety]

14. Some of us were never fooled.

I pulled this from one of my posts a couple years ago - seems relevant again:

"He made a name for himself by lying for criminals and covering up their crimes for personal gain. I guess if I had to say something positive about him, it would be that he's proven himself consistent."

[WhiteTara]

11. Mei Lai redux

I don't see how he can live with himself. He has covered up the most heinous crimes twice in his life. His shame should cover him day and night...instead he has a seat at the table (albeit not a daily placemat)