Instant History: Donald Rumsfeld talks to reporters about prisoner abuse 5/4/2004

[EFerrari]

"I'm not one for instant history, Charlie," Donald Rumsfeld

Summary: Secretary Rumsfeld and General Pace talked to reporters about reports of prisoner abuse by U.S. troops and the military’s response to the allegations. They said they were appalled by the reports and that disciplinary actions would be taken against those responsible for the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners. Following their remarks they answered questions from the reporters.

Flash video button available at link. About 30 minutes.

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=181691-1

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[EFerrari]

2. Text of Donald Rumsfeld's testimony to House and Senate ASCs 5/7/2004

(Can't snip, pdf.)

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/congress/2004_hr/040507-rumsfeld.pdf

[blm]

3. Kerry called for Rumsfeld to go THREE TIMES while best known Dems sided with Bush and Rumsfeld's

leadership and war strategy.

Dean and Clark spoke out agreeing with Kerry - where were the bigname Dems? On LKL siding with Bush.

[EFerrari]

5. Kerry reiterates call for Rumsfeld to resign

Kerry reiterates call for Rumsfeld to resign
Says command must pay the price for Abu Ghraib abuse
Wednesday, August 25, 2004 Posted: 12:57 PM EDT (1657 GMT)

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Citing the conclusion of an independent panel that higher command was also responsible for abuse of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, Sen. John Kerry Wednesday reiterated his call for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to resign.

"It's not just the little person at the bottom who ought to pay the price of responsibility," the Democratic presidential candidate said in a town hall meeting of Steamfitters Local 420 at a Philadelphia union hall.

Kerry said the Schlesinger report, which was released Tuesday, "said specifically that Secretary Rumsfeld set the climate in which these kinds of abuses were able to take place," he said.

James Schlesinger, who served as secretary of defense for presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and secretary of energy for Jimmy Carter, said the abuses depicted in the photographs taken last year at Abu Ghraib prison "were freelance activities" on the part of the night shift. Still, he said, direct and indirect responsibility for the mistreatment of prisoners at that facility and others went higher up the chain of command.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/25/kerry.rumsfeld/index.html

[blm]

6. Bigname Dems WOULDN'T side with Kerry because bigname Dems wanted Bush to stay in WH and carry out

the agenda THEY agreed with, no matter how much they try and claim otherwise in the last 2yrs.

[EFerrari]

4. Seymour Hersh Reveals Rumsfeld Misled Congress over Abu Ghraib (2007)

Over three years ago, Seymour Hersh exposed the torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib in an article largely based on a leaked report by Major General Antonio Taguba. Now Taguba has spoken to Hersh in his first interview since being forced to retire. Taguba reveals that he was blocked from investigating who ordered the abuse at Abu Ghraib and how more pictures and video exist showing the torture.

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/6/19/seymour_hersh_reveals_rumsfeld_misled_congress

[EFerrari]

7. 2/2009: Torture Policies Prime Cause of US Combat Deaths in Iraq - Taguba

Torture Investigator Believes Bush Torture Policies Prime Cause of US Combat Deaths in Iraq

Alberto Mora, the former general counsel for the Navy and a harsh critic of the Bush administration’s torture policies (see January 23-Late January, 2003), says: “I will tell you this: I will tell you that General Anthony Taguba, who investigated Abu Ghraib, feels now that the proximate cause of Abu Ghraib were the OLC memoranda that authorized abusive treatment (see November 6-10, 2001 and August 1, 2002). And I will also tell you that there are general-rank officers who’ve had senior responsibility within the Joint Staff or counterterrorism operations who believe that the number one and number two leading causes of US combat deaths in Iraq have been, number one, Abu Ghraib, number two, Guantanamo, because of the effectiveness of these symbols in helping recruit jihadists into the field and combat against American soldiers.” (Murphy and Purdum 2/2009)

from The History Commons Timeline
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=antonio_m._taguba&printerfriendly=true

[blm]

16. This was KNOWN ....why did the bigname Dems stand with Bush's policy on this at the time?

.

[EFerrari]

8. Mark Danner: Torture and Truth (BookTv 1/13/2005)

Summary: Mark Danner talked about his book, Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib, and the War on Terror, published by New York Review of Books. Mr. Danner talked about some of the official U.S. reports and memos concerning the use of torture in general and the practice of torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. He also talked about the nomination of Alberto Gonzales to replace John Ashcroft as U.S. Attorney General. After his presentation, he responded to questions from members of the audience.

Flash video available at link. About 1 hour.

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=185164-1

[zbdent]

9. resisting the urge to say "These aren't the droids we're looking for ..."

I choose to defy the dark side ... no thanks, Emperor Donald ...

[EFerrari]

10. Nothing like VIDEO to screw up the old Jedi mind trick.

:)

[EFerrari]

11. Gen. Taguba talks about aftermath of Abu Ghraib investigation (7/2007)

Summary: Major General Taguba (Ret.) talked about the aftermath of the scandal of mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. He was the principal military investigator. Topics included the effects of Abu Ghraib on the nation's ability to exercise national power in diplomacy, information gathering, military operations, and economic bargaining and what changes have taken place since 2004. He also addressed questions about the accountability of senior government officials. He responded to questions from the audience. (Note: Commonwealth Club, San Francisco. Sponsored by the Marines Memorial Association.)

Audio file at link.

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=199414-1

[G_j]

12. war criminal

Medea and Desiree of Code Pink confront Rumsfeld at Correspondents Dinner
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x311468

[EFerrari]

13. Listen to Gen. Taguba @ post #11 if you can. Especially the Q&A

is utterly devastating to Rumsfeld and to his Pentagon.

I'm looking for contact info to interview this man. How he managed to hold onto his integrity through that whole horror is an amazing act of will on his part.

[G_j]

14. I'd almost forgotten about him

I'm listening,
amazing

[blm]

15. and yet the bigname Democrats weren't there for backup on any of these matters....

and didn't add their voices out of 'concern' until their campaign strategy called for it.

[EFerrari]

17. You are 100% right. They were nowhere. n/t

[spanone]

18. instant karma gonna get you

[G_j]

19. +

(John Lennon)

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon you're gonna be dead
What in the world you thinking of
Laughing in the face of love
What on earth you tryin' to do
It's up to you, yeah you

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin'
Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see
Laughin' at fools like me
Who in the hell d'you think you are
A super star
Well, right you are

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Ev'ryone come on

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognize your brothers
Ev'ryone you meet
Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on earth are you there
When you're ev'rywhere
Come and get your share

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
Come on and on and on on on
Yeah yeah, alright, uh huh, ah

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
On and on and on on and on

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun