Bush Held Military Lawyers In 5 Hour Meeting ,‘Tried To Force Them to Sign

[Robbien]

Graham: White House Held Military Lawyers In 5 Hour Meeting and ‘Tried To Force Them To Sign A Prepared Statement’

This morning, President Bush was questioned about Gen. Colin Powell’s letter criticizing White House legislation that would authorize torture. Bush tried to downplay Powell’s letter by pointing to another letter signed by the military’s top uniformed lawyers saying they supported Bush’s plan:

BUSH: There’s all kinds of letters coming out — and today, by the way, active duty personnel in the Pentagon, the JAG, supported the concept that I have just outlined to you.

But during today’s White House press conference, a reporter cited comments by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — a former JAG and an opponent of the Bush’s detainee policies — claiming that the White House had placed extreme pressure on the military lawyers to sign a statement, and that the lawyers had refused to sign the initial statement crafted for them by the White House:

REPORTER: Sen. Graham is telling reporters on Capitol Hill that the White House had them in a meeting for five hours last night and tried to force them to sign a prepared statement and he said reading this JAG letter they ended up writing leaves total ambiguity on interpretation, this is Sen. Lindsey Graham. What’s your response to that?

Snow acknowledged “they were asked to write a letter” but said, “if you start going into who asked whom to write letters, I don’t know.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/14/graham4/

Sorry if this is a repeat, but I didn't hear of this aspect of the five hour meeting.

Wow, just wow.

[verse18]

1. He probably threatened to have them waterboarded.

:scared:

[rrasile]

58. His People

Maybe a threat to show their wives a Tape of them with Connie.

[leveymg]

2. This has got to be fiction. Bush never sat for 5 hours, unless

there was time for a nap and recess.

Dubya, did you get your cookie and milk? Sitting quietly today. That's a good boy.

[MADem]

6. He likely wandered in and out, and had "contractors" doing the heavy

interrogating...

[Robbien]

7. Maybe something like Blackwater guards on the door

Just in case.

And Cheney at the head of the table.

[leveymg]

13. Watch out for that "substitute teacher" from CACI.

[StraightDope]

63. It will always chill me to realize...

That someone as superficially attractive as the young lady is in your picture, I believe her name is Sabrina Harman, could be so horrifyingly ugly when her true nature is revealed.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

8. unless he were desperate

He's desperate, and military lawyers, who are no dummies, made him sweat. I love it.

[Why Syzygy]

28. I read "White House" ..

Bush probably did his screaming act and then his smirking act and then the good ole' boy act and then wet his diaper and made a poop face. That's when the strong arms took over.

Yeah, sign the paper that authorizes what he is already GUILTY of. Isn't that what he always does?
This guy does not understand the concept of time. He NEVER pardoned anyone off death row, but he is out and about trying to get his pardon signed in retro and for the future. Time traveler, eh? Let us do authorize torture and let it commence for war criminals. (I don't really mean that, but it is tempting.)

"There's all kinds of letters coming out". He gives morons a bad name.

[exlrrp]

53. Bush didn't hold them inthe room himself

When they say "the White House:held the men in the room" They don't mean Bush himself.
Bush doesn't get his hands dirty, has other people fight his battles for him and besides that, doesn't have much power of persuasion. No Great Communicator Merit Badge for our Georgie!
No, someone like Rove or Cheney, guys with brains and no humanity, probably set these officers down and threatened their families--thats the Republican Way

[gratuitous]

32. Bush might sit for five hours

When his ass is on the line and war crimes are hanging over his pointy little head, I could see Bush pressuring the joint chiefs to join him on the hot seat. Anything less than his own miserable hide, and Bush won't sit still for five minutes, let alone five hours. But I think someone somewhere along the line has gotten through to Stupidhead that he is at real risk for going to The Hague, and he doesn't want his to be the only signature on the orders to torture.

[druidity33]

34. maybe...

if they ordered out for a roast pig... or was it wild boar?

}(

[Why Syzygy]

43. What about stockade?

Are those still legal? Maybe if his bill passes :D . or he signs in a secret law?

Isn't this a parable? Something about a briar patch?

[jazzjunkysue]

60. Exactly. Desperado time.

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow

[leftchick]

36. Gonzales and his goons

chimpy had to be in bed

[Supersedeas]

3. Typical Snowjob answer -- more calculated ignorance

[MADem]

4. Can you IMAGINE being the flag/general JAG officers at the head of

each respective Service trying to hold back the tide in that instance?

These guys are NOT real senior, as Flags and Generals go. They generally don't have a real take on the rareified air up there--by the time they figure out the game, they're retiring and a new kid is taking their place.

They had to be under INCREDIBLE pressure, not just as the ones holding up their side, but also as the junior bastards in the room.

Wow, indeed.

[indepat]

5. You would think "It's my way or the highway" coercion would turn off more

boot-licking, lock-stepping supporters in the Congress and in villages and hamlets across Amerika.

[wicket]

9. Fucking fascists

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[DeadManInc]

10. This kind of stuff should be illegal.

[DoYouEverWonder]

47. It is

but no one in a Repug Congress will do anything about it.

[Nikki Stone 1]

11. This is evil

...

[Imagevision]

65. K&R...

[rodeodance]

12. Snow sure does not know poop!

Snow acknowledged “they were asked to write a letter” but said, “if you start going into who asked whom to write letters, I don’t know.”

[CoffeeCat]

14. So...in effect...

Bush tortured the very people that he used to get support for his
policies that will allow him to torture more people?

Welcome to Skippy McChimpterton's Big, Ironical World of Fascist Crapola.

[bluerum]

21. Those are some soldiers I would want in my foxhole. nt

[jazzjunkysue]

15. They know the house is going down, or they wouldn't be panicing.

We're in, people. The house is ours. That's what all this means.

Would they be doing this if they thought their majority was safe?

No way in hell.

The house is ours.

Let the subpoenas begin.

Popcorn,please.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

18. more than that. the world is waking up

to the realization that there is a cancer on this earth, and it is the Bush administration.

you cannot be rational with them; they won't negotiate.

They are convinced of their absolute righteousness and that they know best; all contrary facts and evidence is ignored.

They are also greedy, thieving fuckers; they will pay in the end.

They are also law-breaking, war criminals; they will pay yet again.

I just hope that the rest of the world forgives us for our trespasses, our sins, our war crimes

[leveymg]

20. I think your take on this is spot-on.

The Pentagon brass rebelled two summers ago, privately, and since earlier this year its become more and more apparent that the military is no longer under the control of Donald Rumsfeld or the White House.

There's been a silent coup, and this Administration is just treading water and still in place for appearances sake.

[RDANGELO]

33. Yep, thats the same reason they let out the Senate intelligence

report. When the house starts investigating how we got into the Iraq war, they are going to scream,"this has all been investigated already".

[DoYouEverWonder]

48. The WH is in all out panic mode

The shit is hitting the fan in every direction and no one is buying their bill of goods anymore. Their power is quickly slipping through their fingers and they know it.

[midnight]

55. You sure now how to make my heart skip a bit.

The house is ours. Keep that positive thinking coming.

[young_at_heart]

16. Were they "asked" or "forced"?

This does not seem right!

[Robbien]

25. You are in a meeting where for five hours you are "asked" to sign

The meeting you are in is held by the people who control the way your career progresses. They want you to sign. When you signal your reluctance, the meeting keeps going on and on with no sign of ending.

You tell me, asked or forced.

[DoYouEverWonder]

50. This is what Bush tried to do to Gov. Blanco during Katrina

We can all be thankful that she didn't cave either. That took more balls then this roomful of lawyers has put together.

[girl gone mad]

17. King George is going mad...

and they can't hide it from the public any longer.

[jazzjunkysue]

24. He's doing business his way. Threaten them with his daddy's retribution.

This is his only move. There's nothing else. They don't need his support anymore, so the game is over.

The reign of King George is over.

[nashville_brook]

37. i like your take, and i know there's truth in it....

but it's the wounded monkeys that really go apeshit. i worry for the near future regardless of *'s political-bility.

it's always the last battles that are the bloodiest.

[jazzjunkysue]

39. Thanks. I'm not worried. The boy king is being de-throned. We won't

see the bloody battles, but they'll happen, to the insiders, and their careers.

Lots of cronies who carried his water will be given up in nasty deals, and some good legislation will no doubt be scuttled. Poor people won't get the break they need, and some really unsavory scumbags will seize the opportunity to run off with the loot as the ship sinks, and get away with it.

But I think this is the shot across *'s bow stopping him from further massacres. THe house and senate won't go down the wiretapping rabbit hole with him, and *, Darth Vador and Karl will be stuck holding the subpoena.

No more passing the turd.

[DoYouEverWonder]

52. You got it

Here's to what we've all been waiting for. :toast:

[Virginia Dare]

54. I don't think Poppy's with him on this...

I'm sure that was behind Powell coming out against it. Powell basically marches to Poppy's drum, not Jrs. Poppy was never a neocon, and now since they've completely fucked everything up, I believe he's even less of a fan.

He might be making a last ditch effort to get Jr. out of the soup, but it might be too late.

[bluerum]

19. Bush trying to get over on real lawyers - ha ha ha.

Is this not the kind of thing that was rampant in the Soviet re-education camps and POW camps in indo-china?

WTF is it with these people..... they are evil.

[jazzjunkysue]

22. Imagine Clinton strong-arming the lawyers and having closed dem meetings.

The screaming!!???

"President Clinton forces lawyers to sign prepared statements. Holds closed door meetings with Democrats."

Unimaginable.

[butterfly77]

23. Oh really, desperatiom...

anticipation is making me :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Straight Shooter]

26. It looks like bush lost.

I have no idea what bush would have to say for five hours, but the threatening gestures and rhetoric must have been damn near unbearable.

The only thing I think probably kept those lawyers from caving is the realization that after signing this letter, another letter with even worse implications would be set before them to sign. Give bush an inch, he'll take the football field.

[reality based]

27. Wonder what "superlawyer" James Baker and his colleagues

think about this? On second thought, bullying recalcitrant government lawyers is an old Texas tradition.

[Subdivisions]

29. No wonder he was pissed in the press conference that he and

the president of S. Koria held shortly thereafter.

[Robbien]

31. He was probably surprised the military leaked this meeting to Graham

Usually word of these arm twisting meetings do not get out.

[Why Syzygy]

44. Military code of conduct.

Once a JAG, always a JAG. Some people take their responsibilities seriously.

[Rex]

30. I'm sure Bush threatened them, slightly, with a torture joke.

I bet you anything he menaced his ass all over them for 5 hours. Sign this or we torture you. Welcome to America - land of the Brave and home of the Free. :sarcasm:

[seafan]

35. Military brass is defying *. Tremendous pressure, so I don't doubt it.

In an effort to drum up support for its proposal, the White House released a second letter to lawmakers signed by the military's top uniformed lawyers. Saying they wanted to "clarify" past testimony on Capitol Hill in which they opposed the administration's plan, the service lawyers wrote that they "do not object" to sections of Bush's proposal for the treatment of detainees and found the provisions "helpful."

Two congressional aides who favor McCain's plan said the military lawyers signed that letter after refusing to endorse an earlier one offered by the Pentagon's general counsel, William Haynes, that expressed more forceful support for Bush's plan.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Asked if Haynes had encouraged them to write the letter, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "Not that I'm aware of."

From this thread.

[Supersedeas]

62. thanks for the link

[donco6]

38. You VILL sign ze PAPERS!

Jeebus. How f-ing fascist can you get?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

49. but you haff cut off both my hands.

These folks wouldn't stop at just breaking them.

[MasonJar]

40. I love your responses! Conjures up remembrances of the Crawford

Economic summit in the early Bush days when Bush declared that he and Cheney would be at very few meetings.

[Az_lefty]

41. defying bush and covering their ass...

these guy's know which way the wind is blowing and their not about to let the little boy king take them down.

[TacticalPeek]

42. K&R

:kick:

[donheld]

45. "Sorry if this is a repeat"

I don't know if it was a repeat or not, but some things are worth hearing multiple times. Thanks for posting.

[annabanana]

46. In the NYT version:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/opinion/15fri1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

It sounds like they DID sign it, and then complained to legislators.. There's SUCH sloppy writing over there...

[sarcasmo]

51. Ever so close to a Dictatorship. If he gets a few high ranking Generals

To go along with his Stupidity then it will be a full blown Dictatorship. Kick and Nom to show the true arrogance of this Man.

[me b zola]

56. k&r

[The Count]

57. Reminds me of that patients rights bill in 2001- they had the GOP sponsor

(Ganske?)held in the WH basement pummeled with threats and promises for a whole day - until finally, thrust with W, under the lights of cameras made to withdraw his bill. He was crying the next day, telling his co-sponsot the story, On August 7, W was playing golf with the GOP sponsor of the fat cats bill that they put up instead. yeah, THAT August 7, after the 911 memo.

[Tom Joad]

59. To be fair to bush, not one of the officers was waterboarded as an

inducement to sign.

[young_at_heart]

61. How often has Snow said, 'I don't know'......relates to Bush "secrecy"

Obfuscation is the name of the game. He likes the word "confusion" quite a bit too.

[Imagevision]

64. Bush attempting to save his own ass, looks pretty bad.