Abu Ghraib General Lambastes Bush Administration (Karpinski interview)

[Barrett808]

Abu Ghraib General Lambastes Bush Administration
By Marjorie Cohn
t r u t h o u t | Report
Wednesday 24 August 2005

Army Reserve Brigadier General Janis Karpinski was in charge of the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq when the now famous torture photographs were taken in fall of 2003. She was reprimanded and demoted to Colonel for her failure to properly supervise the prison guards. Karpinski is the highest ranking officer to be sanctioned for the mistreatment of prisoners. On August 3, 2005, I interviewed Janis Karpinski. In the most comprehensive public statement she has made to date, Karpinski deconstructs the entire United States military operation in Iraq with some astonishing revelations.

When Karpinski got to Abu Ghraib, "there was a completely different story than what we were being told in the United States. It was out of control. There weren't enough soldiers. Nobody had the right equipment. They were driving around in unarmored vehicles, some of them without doors ... So, knowing that they were ill-equipped and ill-prepared, they pushed them out anyway, because those two three-stars wanted their fifteen minutes of fame, I suppose."

Karpinski said that General Shinseki briefed Rumsfeld that "he can't win this war, if they insist on invading Iraq, he can't win this war with less than 300,000 soldiers." Rumsfeld reportedly ordered Shinseki to go back and find a way to do this with 125,000 to 130,000, but Shinseki came back and said they couldn't do the job with that number. "What did Rumsfeld do?" Karpinski asked rhetorically. "If you can't agree with me, I'm going to find somebody who can. He made Shinseki a lame duck, for all practical purposes, and brought in Schoomaker. And Schoomaker got it. He said, 'Oh yes sir, we can do this with 125,000.'"

...

"It was a memorandum signed by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, authorizing a short list, maybe 6 or 8 techniques: use of dogs; stress positions; loud music; deprivation of food; keeping the lights on, those kinds of things," Karpinski said. "And then a handwritten message over to the side that appeared to be the same handwriting as the signature, and that signature was Secretary Rumsfeld's. And it said, 'Make sure this happens' with two exclamation points. And that was the only thing they had. Everything else had been confiscated."

...

Karpinski reveals that there was "no sustainment plan" because "there were a lot of contractors - US contractors exclusively - who realized they could make a lot of money in Iraq." At the Coalition Provisional Authority, Karpinski "saw corruption like I've never seen before - millions of dollars just being pocketed by contractors. Everything was on a cash basis at that time," she said. "You take a request down - literally, you take a request to the Finance Office. If the Pay Officer recognized your face and you were asking for $450,000 to pay a contractor for work, they would pay you in cash: $450,000. Out of control."

(much more)

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/082405Z.shtml

[ninkasi]

1. I hope more people come forward

Karpinski's book should be interesting. She can expect more sliming from Rove now, but they've already smeared her, made her the scapegoat, and ruined her career. Maybe more and more people will come forward, and we can get this whole criminal gang shipped off to the Hague.

Real justice would be to turn them over to the Iraqis they have "interviewed", and then let go, determining that they were innocent, simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Nominated

[rrrevolution]

33. Devastating Account in This Interview -- Names Rumsfeld

This account will "blow the lid off" the official lines put forth by the Rumsfeld crowd at the top.

Will the unredacted book see the light of day? Probably not, unless she authorizes it to be released immediately in its unedited form to a foreign publisher who is outside of the direct control of the US government.

Expect the immediate sliming of this career officer by the Bush/Rove media cartel.

Torture under the auspices of Military Intelligence under the direction of Rumsfeld, Sanchez, Miller, etc. Ever growing allegations of massive and comprehensive corruption is detailed.

Her story has the ring of truth to it, and definitely fills in the blank on many unanswered questions.

Contains heartbreaking revelations of how the Guard and Reserves(and their families) are being lied to about their deployments, having 179 day deployments extended 365 days without notice, how Guard and Reserve families are being locked out of VA medical benefits and evicted from onbase housing, how they were assigned impossible jobs, deployed without protective equipment because the available equipment was prioritized to active duty soldiers, made to ride around in unprotected vehicles some without doors, not given protective vests, how equipment requests were turned down by higherups, and how they were used as scapegoats to protect Rumsfeld and his cohorts.

WHERE IS CONGRESS ON THIS? WHERE IS THE MSM ON THIS?

IS THERE ANY CREDIBILITY LEFT IN OUR GOVERNMENT AND FREE PRESS?

[Nothing Without Hope]

43. SEE INTERVIEW WITH KARPINSKY ON NIGHTLINE in May - here's the thread

with the link from dzika - Real Media format, 5 minutes. Some of the same points were made; she is clearly NOT going to sit quietly and be made a scapegoat for the people behind this.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3649320
Thread title: Nightline: Janice Karpinski says Rumsfeld knew about Abu Ghraib - (VIDEO)

[ClintonTyree]

47. Short answer......

No. As she stated, all of this so a few Three Stars could suck their way up to their Fourth. Disgusting.

[katty]

52. No shred of Credibility left-they don't want soldiers coming

home sick and maimed...they DON'T want the VA to pay for their care-it is beyond sickening. bush/cheney/rummy would rather NOT have to deal with broken, returning soldiers/military personnel-they aren't even dealing with any of this NOW!

[Lori Price CLG]

2. Shouldn't this be in General News, as opposed to LBN? Clarifying...

CLG's interview w. Joseph Wilson - where he called the Bush Crowd: "A Real Threat to Our Republic" - that post was ***immediately*** moved to General Discussion, from LBN... that's why I'm inquiring (nothing meant vs. the poster, etc.)

Thanks,
Lori

[Barrett808]

11. Maybe so -- I leave these decisions to the Mod Gods

:)

[geckosfeet]

3. Time for a special prosecutor? Has she spoken to congress?

How can anyone, even the freep sheep and pug thugs dismiss these statements without wondering what the hell is going on in Iraq?

Even is you believe that war was justified, it sounds like the execution of has been and is nothing short of criminally negligent.

Cover ups, obfuscations, lies and distortion are SOP for these people. And it being forced right down through the ranks. Our military seems to be fighting the wrong people. They should be resisting the criminals and liars in charge.

[Roland99]

4. And didn't Schoomaker put his neck on the line recently?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050821/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_5

The Army's top general, Gen. Peter Schoomaker, said Saturday in an interview with The Associated Press that the Army is planning for the possibility of keeping the current number of soldiers in Iraq — well over 100,000 — for four more years as part of preparations for a worst-case scenario.

[lavenderdiva]

5. Kudos to Karpinski for coming out and speaking truth to lies...

I hope that she is safe until her November publishing date. I wouldn't trust this administration with anything... if you catch my drift.

[saigon68]

30. Its Bremer Chief Thug and War Criminal along with Krazy Kimmitt

BREMER AND HIS $2,000.00 A DAY HIRED THUGS AND KILLERS






KILLER KIMMITT of

WE WILL KILL AL SADR FAME




Just four days after four US mercenaries' burned and dismembered bodies were strung up on a bridge, American military might was poised to bring Fallujah’s brief spell as a no-go area to an end. Up to 4,000 locally-based US Marines, whose original mission was to woo locals with a $500m humanitarian aid budget, were preparing to roll in with full battle armour on. Even Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the normally impassive Coalition spokesman in Baghdad, seemed to be relishing the prospect. Declaring Fallujah "the town that just doesn’t get it", he vowed to "hunt down the people responsible for this bestial act". He added: "It will be at a time and a place of our choosing. It will be methodical, it will be precise and it will be overwhelming."

We are all aware by now of what he was promising. Falluja has gotten "it." Over 700 of its citizens are no longer living, breathing human beings. Thousands more have been mutilated. An overwhelming proportion of them had nothing to do with killing the mercenaries.

[cloud75]

39. and they say iraq's security was (is) improving.

[saigon68]

55. Apparently it isn't

FREEDOM IS ON THE MARCH </SARCASM>

[Gregorian]

6. Hello! Anybody home? This needs legs.

It's what we've been saying all along. Stovepipe, right to the top.

[Az_lefty]

7. these bastards tried to make this female reservist the scapegoat

for Abu Ghraib and the active duty Gen's not only walked but got promoted. We need a special counsel involved in this, it's the only way we'll ever know the truth.

[bobbieinok]

18. the face of AbuG torture: this general and Lindy Johnson

'proof that women should not be in military'

is this the underlying message for the unread US voter???????

[Barrett808]

23. Could be.

Sad as that would be.

[Imagevision]

67. Bush blew it by not holding top brass responsible - not bad apples!

http://downingstreetmemo.com/

[The Witch]

8. RW will say who cares what "bad apple" thinks

and use it to discredit her.

t3h suck.
just sayin.'

:-(

[Supersedeas]

71. Expect the disgruntled employee card here

[donkeyotay]

9. The truth is coming out

Karpinski said, however, "The truth has been uncovered, but it's been suffocated and it has not been released with the results of the investigation." She added, "McClellan and Rumsfeld can get up on their high horse and say that there've been no fewer than 15 investigations that were conducted. But every one of those investigations is under the control of the Secretary of Defense. And every one of those investigations is run and led by a person who can lose their job under Rumsfeld's fist."

"We're never going to know the truth until they do an independent commission or look into this independently," Karpinski maintains. "This is about instructions delivered with full authority and knowledge of the Secretary of Defense and probably Cheney. I don't know if the President was involved or not. I don't care. All I know is, those instructions were communicated from the Secretary of Defense's office, from the Pentagon, through Cambone, through Miller, to Abu Ghraib."

[cliss]

10. I LOVE threads like this.

It's great when they eat their own.

Brig. General Janis Karpinski is not much better than the people she worked for - RumsFailed and Cheney. She saw massive abuse, and she looked the other way.

Remember those photos of the man laying on the floor with a dog collar around his neck? Those poor men stacked on top of each other in the pyramid? They all happened under Gen. Karpinski's watch. Where was she? In her little office, probably filing her nails.

HOWEVER, I do appreciate that she's fighting back. She's held to the same position after she was fired. By the way, did she lose her benefits, or did she get an honorable discharge? Just wondering.

[rodeodance]

12. greed and corruption--the "real" NEW Iraq.

....Karpinski reveals that there was "no sustainment plan" because "there were a lot of contractors - US contractors exclusively - who realized they could make a lot of money in Iraq." At the Coalition Provisional Authority, Karpinski "saw corruption like I've never seen before - millions of dollars just being pocketed by contractors. Everything was on a cash basis at that time," she said. "You take a request down - literally, you take a request to the Finance Office. If the Pay Officer recognized your face and you were asking for $450,000 to pay a contractor for work, they would pay you in cash: $450,000. Out of control."

[ClintonTyree]

48. I guess we know where the missing $7 Billion went............

right into the suitcases of these no-bid contractors. That's one helluva' way to run a war, isn't it?

And our "Liberal Media"? Off looking for more run-away brides. :puke:

[DLnyc]

25. I don't think she saw abuse

In the interview she says she was intentionally kept away from the 'activities' which occurred at night under control (probably illegally) of a different unit (military intelligence??). Don't know for sure, but her words ring true and match, I think, with other reports.

[Frederik]

29. She was ORDERED

to not visit certain parts of the facilities at night. And she wasn't even given keys to some of the rooms where abuse was going on. So I don't think it's fair to assume that she was "in her little office, probably filing her nails", or looking the other way.

[Gronk Groks]

72. Ok Fredrick, those photos are scary...

...thoughts of "Dorian Grey" waft through my brain.:wow:

Now you can't be implying that Fascism is genetically transmitted...
...are you? :scared:

[0007]

36. Read the article and find out why she wasn't there!

[Peace Patriot]

13. I've been wondering when she was going to speak out. I'm glad she...

...has. To the commenter upthread who said she was as bad as her bosses, please re-read those orders from Rumsfeld in boldface in the main post. Those were ORDERS, with the penalty for disobedience being court-martial, jail and even death! I know that soldiers, especially officers, are not supposed to obey unlawful orders, but when those orders come from the very top of the chain in the Pentagon, that puts you in one hell of a bind. It would have been extremely courageous to disobey, but it is certainly understandable when someone in that position does not disobey, and reflexively follows orders. Sgt. Camilo Mejia was COURAGEOUS--extraordinarily so. He refused an order to return to Iraq, because of the abuses he saw there, and things he had been forced to do. He served a year in the brig, I believe, for disobeying that order, and a dishonorable discharge--and suffered great mental anguish, I'm sure--when he should have been given a medal!!!

But he is a rare soul! Most soldiers don't have that kind of thoughtfulness, judgment and perseverance. "Don't make waves" is the norm. But to equate Karpinsky with Rumsfeld--and Bush, Cheney, Gonzales and that whole heinous gang--is unfair, I think. At least she knows the difference between right and wrong. They clearly do not. And she was a Reservist!--likely totally unprepared for something like Abu Ghraib. God, I hate it when the powerful scapegoat their underlings for their own crimes!

[go west young man]

14. Nominated for the homepage.

Another true patriot steamrolled by this ridiculous administration. I hope this story gets bigger. There are plenty of allegations there I'd like to see Rumsfeld and the Pentagon have to discuss. This Miller she speaks of and John McCain would be an interesting showdown.

[DinahMoeHum]

15. Put it this way - she figures she's going down no matter what, so she's

going to take the other Army/Administration brass monkeys down with her.

:shrug:

[0007]

37. She is a civilian now. The administration can't touch her!

[bearfan454]

16. Now If only the Diebold hackers would come forward.

That would be icing on the cake.

[Judi Lynn]

22. They've probably been "accidented" already. Maybe a couple

"committed suicide," like Enron's Baxter did the night before he was supposed to testify.

[bearfan454]

58. I think you are correct nt

[Sgent]

17. She should have been

court marshaled, not NJP'ed.

That being said, a special prosecutor could offer her partial immunity or reduced sentence for her testimony, but IMHO she deserves jail time a lot more than any of those privates.

[Disturbed]

19. If only the grunts knew how Rumsfailed stabbed them in ..

the back. Maybe a handgrenade would be thrown.

[Pachamama]

28. Speaking of stabbed in back Generals-I'd love to hear what Gen. Byrnes

has to say... :eyes: (He's the 4 star general recently relieved of duty for having an extramarital affair -even though he was separated from wife, wife had no issue with his relationship and they were nearly completed in their divorce and the woman was non-military)

Bet General Byrnes has a lot to say too...

[rrrevolution]

34. They have Gen Birnes over a barrel because ....

They can bring other numerous baseless charges against him if he opens his mouth.

You can bet the truth is they told him to say nothing, he will be allowed to retire with some of his benefits, and he will not go to jail.

This is the military way of handling higherups who grow a conscience and decide to go outside the chain of command as a whistleblower.

If he is smart, he has already told all he knows to another source inside the military who will use it to bring out the truth in a way that will not reflect Gen Birnes as the source, at least not until Bush/Rumsfeld is gone.

[go west young man]

45. I think the jist of the article is that she's the scapegoat.

She had numerous facilities under her command and these abuses took place mainly at the one that was controlled by Miller. A court martial for her so called negligence would have been much more unfair towards her although it would have probably made her come out swinging even harder. As it is she has revealed much about what has gone on and there are a lot of new questions for some Bushbots to answer. The administration is clearly the one to blame not her.

[Surya Gayatri]

51. Have you read the full interview?

If what she says is true, she was expressly forbidden to go to the prison at night, when the abuse was taking place--under the pretext that the streets were unsafe. She didn't know anything until the so-called "investigation" was already underway. That the privates were the fall guys, I agree, but for those bastards much further up the pecking order--not her.

[annabanana]

20. Boy I hope she's being careful..

She is speaking out. She has said that she is a civilian now and intends to KEEP speaking out. I sincerely hope she gives her car a thorough once-over on a regular basis. I also hope she stays out of small private planes..

[Rose Siding]

21. Of a troop drawdown: "What exactly are these people smoking?"

snip>
MC: Do you think that the media is really bringing the truth to the people?

JK: You have to search for the truth. And it shouldn't be that way. It should be reported as truth and not exploited to the advantage of whatever the direction that that outlet is going.

I know those reporters John Barry and Isikoff from Newsweek, and I was shocked when they withdrew that report about the Koran at Guantánamo Bay. I was sure it was true, and I thought, "Who got to them?" They never would have been, you know, half-assed reporting, excuse my expression. You know, I thought, "My gosh, there is no truthful outlet any more."

And why are the American people turning a deaf ear to this? We had 17 Marines killed over the course of the last three days, less than 72 hours. And there's still people in Washington that get on, especially Sunday mornings, and they get on these news or these debate programs and they say, "Well it's only 1800 lives so far" - Only! Only! You know, how dare you say that!

I don't know what the solution is. I'm not an elected official, but I was there. And it was better when we were there than it is now, because they have, whether consciously or unconsciously or just out of ineptness, they have approached this insurgency with the wrong idea.

General Casey, you know, getting on the news and saying, "Well, if everything continues on track we'll be able to start a troop draw-down next March." What exactly are these people smoking?
===========

That's a great read.

[Judi Lynn]

24. Whoa, boy. This is the first person of this rank I've seen named:

From the article:

Karpinski tried to get information, but "nobody knew anything, nobody - at least, that's what they were claiming. The Company Commander, Captain Reese, was tearful in my office and repeatedly told me he knew nothing about it, knew nothing about it," Karpinski said. But in a later plea bargain he entered into after the Taguba Report came out, "Captain Reese said that not only did he know about it, but he was told not to report it to his chain of command, and he was told that by Colonel Pappas. And he claimed that he saw General Sanchez out there on several occasions witnessing the torture of some of the security detainees."
(snip)

Apparently Pappas has forgotten he was that close to the actual torture session! From a different source:

"As he took charge of interrogations at Abu Ghraib prison last September, Col. Thomas M. Pappas was under enormous pressure from his superiors to extract more information from prisoners there, according to senior Army officers," Jehl writes. "'He likened it to a root canal without novocaine,' a senior officer who knows Colonel Pappas said of his meetings with his superiors in Baghdad. Often, the officer said, Colonel Pappas would emerge from discussions with two of them, Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast and Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, without a word, but 'clutching his face as if in pain.'"

Eric Schmitt and Douglas Jehl report in the May 18, 2004, New York Times that "M.P.'s Received Orders to Strip Iraqi Detainees," (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/18/politics/18ABUS.html?th) according to Col. Pappas, who told Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, the "senior Army investigator that intelligence officers sometimes instructed the military police to force Iraqi detainees to strip naked and to shackle them before questioning them. But he said those measures were not imposed 'unless there is some good reason.'

Col. Pappas also told Maj. Gen. Taguba "that his unit had 'no formal system in place' to monitor instructions they had given to military guards, who worked closely with interrogators to prepare detainees for interviews. Colonel Pappas said he 'should have asked more questions, admittedly' about abuses committed or encouraged by his subordinates."
(snip)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Thomas_M._Pappas

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope this book sheds even a little more light on this filthy administration. We need some facts.

[Donailin]

26. Gore Vidal predicted that it would be the Generals

who would be the first ones to step forward against Bush. He also predicts Bush wouldn't finish his second term.

[oasis]

27. Rumsfeld is the worst Defense secretary ever. The slimy rat.

[pberq]

31. Gore Vidal has been around a long time

Let's hope he's right. And the military generals would be the right ones to do it.

[rfranklin]

41. Gore also knows his history....

Check out his many books whether historical or based on history. Very entertaining and informative.

[texpatriot2004]

32. Indeed! Bush won't finish his second term. How shocking it will be

to him to fall so hard from the "reality" he has created in his own mind.

[Sequoia]

40. I hope he's right.

What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Bush gone
We'll sing and shout the victory.

(sung to tune of the old gospel song, "We All See Jesus")

[0007]

35. This is a must read for everyone that's interested in getting to the

truth of this administration and bringing it down.

First class war criminals.

[tanyev]

38. Is that why Rumsfeld went to Iraq?

Karpinski says she did not know about the torture...The first she heard about the torture was on January 12, 2004.

When Karpinski inquired, "What's this about photographs?" the sergeant replied, "Ma'am, we've heard something about photographs, but I have no idea. Nobody has any details, and Ma'am, if anybody knows, nobody is talking." When Karpinski asked to see the log books, the sergeant told her that the Criminal Investigation Division had taken everything except for something on a pole outside the little office they were using.

"It was a memorandum signed by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, authorizing a short list, maybe 6 or 8 techniques: use of dogs; stress positions; loud music; deprivation of food; keeping the lights on, those kinds of things," Karpinski said. "And then a handwritten message over to the side that appeared to be the same handwriting as the signature, and that signature was Secretary Rumsfeld's. And it said, 'Make sure this happens' with two exclamation points. And that was the only thing they had. Everything else had been confiscated."


Rummy Revisits Iraq
Dec. 6, 2003

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made an unannounced visit to the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk Saturday to gauge the pace of progress toward stabilizing the country and defeating the insurgency.

It was Rumsfeld's second trip to Iraq in four months, reflecting the Bush administration's push for faster progress toward improving security and speeding the political transition to Iraqi control, as well as an effort by the Pentagon to boost U.S. troop morale.

Rumsfeld later flew to Baghdad, where he was met at Baghdad International Airport by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of all coalition forces in Iraq.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/07/iraq/main587213.shtml

[Mizmoon]

42. She didn't speak out when it mattered

:shrug: Now she just sounds bitter.

[ClintonTyree]

44. The number of Impeachable Offenses...........

this administration is racking up is extraordinary. This is so far beyond a stain on a blue dress as to be laughable. Yet our "Liberal Media" continues to shill for this brutal dictatorship in charge of OUR country and is totally complicit in this cover-up.

How long can the Media, Republican Congress-critters and the Republican Party stand behind these out of control madmen? When will common decency prevail? How can these people sleep at night knowing what they know to be true and continuing to do nothing about it?

This speaks volumes about the "moral majority" and the "Party of personal responsibility". They're morally bankrupt and either won't take responsibility or much, much worse, simply don't care.

It's really tough to call myself an American these days. Really tough!

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

49. Where MSM is concerned...

...Dubya continues to have "No Worries."

http://www.karlandkinggeorge.com/No_Worries.html

[pberq]

53. What about the Democratic leaders?

Why aren't they at least raising the issue of impeachment?

Is it because they are in it so deep themselves?

[ClintonTyree]

63. They're taking the aproach.........

that this administration will blow itself up with it's arrogance and stupidity, so why get involved? :shrug: If they just stand back and let it happen they remain free from criticism. They figure, why stick your neck out when it's going to all cave in anyway?

At least that's my opinion of why they're remaining silent. Typical pink tu-tu, "better not take a chance" Democrats. I say it's damned well time they take a stance and make all the freaking noise they can. Who gives a crap if they're labeled "unpatriotic", they're given that description every day by the rabid right anyway whether they make noise or not. I think our Democratic "leaders" think they're being cagey, smart and remaining above the fray by not pushing the matter. I think they're displaying the exact traits that America finds so loathsome, weakness and being wish-washy.

Only time will tell who's right I guess, but I think the Democrats could hasten then unscheduled departure of BushCo. if they started pushing for it a bit instead of biding their time and waiting for BushCo. to implode by itself.

[Nothing Without Hope]

46. See VIDEO OF KARPINSKY INTERVIEW ON NIGHTLINE IN MAY:

Thanks to our dzika: Real Media format, 5 minutes. Some of the same points were madeat this time - 3 months ago; she is clearly NOT going to sit quietly and be made a scapegoat for the people behind this. The current thread with the more recent interview confirms this. BUT IN BETWEEN, WHERE WAS THE PRESS????



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3649320
Thread title: Nightline: Janice Karpinski says Rumsfeld knew about Abu Ghraib - (VIDEO)

[Surya Gayatri]

50. Expect the RW trashing to begin...

When her book comes out and she gains more media notoriety, watch the slime-machine go into action. I only hope she's strong enough to take it and that she can stay safe.

[Bo]

54. Whatever happen to that 8 billion ?

[jurassicpork]

60. You mean 8.8 billion, right?

1.7 billion of it wound up between the couch cushions in Halliburton's waiting room.

Seriously.

And Bremer had the nerve to say, "Well, now, you can (harrumph) only expect a certain amount of financial transparency."

The only thing transparent about that missing 8.8 bil was the administration's greed, corruption and complete, utter neolithic incompetence.

JP
http://jurassicpork.blogspot.com/2005/08/meanwhile-on-roarke-farm.html

[Barrett808]

68. Now now, that's an insult to neolithic peoples

Who were probably much more intelligent and competent than the Bush mob.

[Eloriel]

56. Remarkable. Thanks. But just validates what we "knew"

one way or another, doesn't it? And how sad is THAT?

[democratic veteran]

57. US Army

betrayed by bush and the neocons.

[jurassicpork]

59. Good for her

but it'll be dismissed, all too easily, as sour grapes, especially considering the circumstances under which she was thrown out of the loop. But I believe every word she said regarding the money (as well as about other things) and I think the news addicts among us know very well where that money came from, when and under what circumstances it was moved.

I recall reading on Daily Kos (I wish I could find the link) recently a 2004 account of how over two billion dollars was disbursed in a big fucking hurry by a federal bank (and setting a record for the Fed that stands to this day) to the government because US contractors like Halliburton and its subsidiary KBR had to be paid, like, immediately. Now, if you all have trouble trying to imagine just how big two billion dollars is, consider this: The two billion-plus dollars in $100 denominations weighed twenty-eight tons and took up as much space on its pallettes as 74 washing machines. Contractors also had their pictures taken in front of pallettes containing two million or more dollars, smiling from ear to fucking ear.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. And it's being fleeced out of your paychecks by an unsmiling and uncharismatic IRS, folks. Sort of makes Grover Norquist look a little more tolerable, doesn't it?

JP
http://jurassicpork.blogspot.com/2005/08/meanwhile-on-roarke-farm.html

[proud patriot]

61. Wow what an interview

:patriot: Thank you Janis Karpinski :patriot:

[0007]

62. I'm glad to hear Randy Rhodes is on this story today.

She is doing a bang up job.

[JoFerret]

66. She was superb (as usual)

Randi was all over this story and gave the interview lots of air time. She quoted from the interveiw extensively. (She reads well too.)
Thanks Randi.

[leveymg]

64. Has anyone else heard about Rummie's memo??

Why hasn't this gotten big play in the MSM? Karpinski's testimony seems to be the smoking gun that could put Rummie in jail for violation of the Torture Convention.

[JoFerret]

65. I hope someone has it safe

...and that is can be verified.

[reformedrepub]

69. Typical Military

The Brass tells the enlisted and non comms what to do...They do what they are told, then when it all goes bad, they cut them loose. Has anyone seen any UCMJ proceeding against anyone higher than the rank of SGT, in this whole Abu Ghraib mess? Of course not, got to protect the sons and daughters of privilege at all costs. Karpinksi got the boot, because she was a woman!

[savemefromdumbya]

70. Has the Washington Post interviewed her yet?

Lets see some more interviews on mainstream TV, radio and the newspapers?

[Barrett808]

74. AP has -- let's hope some others pick it up n/t

[Barrett808]

73. AP: Abu Ghraib general describes her Iraq tour

Abu Ghraib general describes her Iraq tour
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1731045&mesg_id=1731045