Higher-Ranking Officer Is Sought to Lead the Abu Ghraib Inquiry

[Khephra]

The commander of American forces in the Middle East asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this week to replace the general investigating suspected abuses by military intelligence soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison with a more senior officer, a step that would allow the inquiry to reach into the military's highest ranks in Iraq, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

The request by the commander, Gen. John P. Abizaid, comes amid increasing criticism from lawmakers and some military officers that the half dozen investigations into detainee abuse at the prison may end up scapegoating a handful of enlisted soldiers and leaving many senior officers unaccountable.

General Abizaid's request, which defense officials said Mr. Rumsfeld would most likely approve, was set in motion in the last week when the current investigating officer, Maj. Gen. George R. Fay, told his superiors that he could not complete his inquiry without interviewing more senior-ranking officers, including Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the ground commander in Iraq.

But Army regulations prevent General Fay, a two-star general, from interviewing higher-ranking officers. So General Sanchez took the unusual step of asking to be removed as the reviewing authority for General Fay's report, and requesting that higher-ranking officers be appointed to conduct and review the investigation.

more...........................

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/politics/10ABUS.html

[struggle4progress]

1. Up the chain we go!

[dArKeR]

13. Report: Rumsfeld OK'd Prison Rules - CBS

 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved interrogation methods for Guantanamo Bay detainees including the use of "stress positions" for up to four hours, "fear of dogs" and "mild non-injurious" physical contact, a newspaper reports.

The Wall Street Journal reports Rumsfeld approved the tactics in December 2002. When military lawyers complained about the tactics being used, officials re-examined the techniques and implemented new rules in an April 2003 memo.

It is not known what tactics were approved in the April 2003 memo, but a March 2003 draft of that memo — revealed earlier this week — contained a legal argument that neither President Bush, nor agents acting on his orders, could be held liable for violating anti-torture laws in the war on terrorism.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/30/iraq/main614905.shtml

[oblivious]

2. Maybe they should put an Iraqi in charge of the inquiry. n/t

[Spazito]

3. Hmmmm, this paragraph jumps out at me...

"It was unclear whether how this change might delay the delivery of the final report, which had been expected in early July. Some lawmakers have said they would delay their calls for an independent congressional investigation or one modeled after the inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks, until General Fay's report was completed."

Is this an attempt to stall the call for an independent congressional investigation?

Here is another paragraph that raises some interesting questions:

"One possible candidate is Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the vice chief of staff of the Army, who is expected to replace General Sanchez in Iraq soon after the transfer of authority on June 30 to the new interim Iraqi government."

Knowing the way the Pentagon has acted in the past, I have little doubt that this General was already vetted to ensure he has the "right attitude" that reflects the Pentagon's views before he was chosen to replace Sanchez.

[jeff5]

4. Read it All

I think the important part was down the page...

"Within the last several days, an important figure in the inquiry who had previously refused to cooperate with Army investigators suddenly reversed his position and agreed to work much more closely with investigators, a senior Senate aide and a senior Pentagon official said.

That important development prompted General Fay to send some of his 29-person team back into the field to conduct more interviews, the officials said. "A key witness, a key person who'd pled the military equivalent of the Fifth has changed his attitude, and Fay is reopening the investigation," the Senate official said."

Somebody decided to roll over on somebody who outranks a Two-Star.

Only way to keep this out of the news is for Reagan to get up and die again.

[jeff5]

5. I Hereby Trademark "Rumsfeld War Crimes Tribunal"

It's mine, and if anybody uses it I want paid...

[Judi Lynn]

6. Surely they can't drag this out until AFTER the election, can they? n/t

[jeff5]

7. They Will Have to Invent New Ranks

Turn it over to a Four-Star now, that gets you past Sanchez, at Three. Then we'll need to appoint a Five-Star General of the Army to investigate the Fours at the Pentagram...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the "We might get you off on a technicality" memos are coming out, full of what looks like spurious lawyering.

"Pardons for the House!!"

[Disturbed]

8. Another Whitewash

"investigating suspected abuses by military intelligence soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison."

"suspected abuses"? How about verified torture, sanctioned by the Pres., Cheney, Rumsfailed?

We keep hearing about "abuse". Torture is what has been going on.

Allowing the Military to investigate itself is like allowing the Mafia to do so or a corupt Police Dept. to do so.

The recent memo which Asscroft refused to allow the Congress to read, even in a private seesion, that turned up on the Net tells the story. Now what is needed is a memo or document signed by the Pres. authorizing torture. The Commanders in these various prisons did not take it upon themselves to allow torture. This Govt. sanctioned widespread, system wide torture.

[wabeewoman]

14. I would think that might be risky

if its left open and a democratic congress is elected.

[Cooley Hurd]

9. I guess this proves the culpability of Sanchez...

"Normal rotation" my ass! He was pulled out of Iraq because he knew about the abuse all along!

[0007]

10. Promote Ken Star to a six star general and then turn him loose

...one of the best dick abuser investigator there is! LOL!

[Cooley Hurd]

11. You're right... after all this does involve penises...

...or at least the "pointing to" of penises.

[sundancekid]

12. IMHO, not even close ... remember that Sanchez was

Gen Clark's XO (Exec Officer), and he is FAR MORE LIKELY to be the kind of person who would be a whisleblower than someone who would wink at abuse or torture ... given that Gen. Abizaid wants to go right up the chain, it is a pretty good educated guess that these guys (who are hardly bushevik roll-overs) have figured out how to go UP from Pappas, to Gen. Miller to Gen. Boykin to Carbone/Feith to Rumsfeld to A$$croft memo to White House Counsel Gonzales memo (bypass the cautionary memo from Powell) to the one-and-only dimson who originally took the position that the GPW (Geneva and Prisoners of War) would not apply to "terra-ists"; think back about Rummy being so squimish about the very use of the word "torture" (rather than abuse) when the Abu Ghraib photos first came out -- hell, they were busy redefining the meaning of torture so that "the chain" would not be brought down by the War Crimes Act.
Well, guess what????? everybody is unto them, and it could not have been clearer when A$$croft testified before the Senate's Judiciary Committee a couple days ago -- Leahy, Biden, Kennedy, Feinstein, Durbin et al (even R- Grassley) went after him with the now famous line:
YOU MAY BE IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS ... using their line: bring it on!

I just pray that all this (add Plame, Iraq, Tenet and CIA being really pissed) will continue to dovetail nicely into OUR VERY OWN OCTOBER SURPRISE --yea!!!!!

[Jack Rabbit]

15. I have a better idea

It should be investigated by an international tribunal.



The Palace of Peace
The Hague
Home of the International Criminal Court

Photo from the website of the International Academy of Pathology