Sen. Reed castigates William Haynes: ‘You denigrated the integrity of the U.S. military.’

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/18/sen-reed-castigates-william-haynes-you-denigrated-the-integrity-of-the-us-military/

Sen. Reed castigates William Haynes: ‘You denigrated the integrity of the U.S. military.’

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, former Pentagon counsel William Haynes tried to absolve himself of blame for detainee abuse in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. “As the lawyer, I was not the decision maker. I was the adviser,” he said. With anger in his voice, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) told Haynes that his advice had led American soldiers drastically astray:

You did a disservice to the soldiers of this nation. You empowered them to violate basic conditions which every soldier respects — the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, the Geneva Convention. … Don’t go around with this attitude of you’re protecting the integrity of the military. You degraded the integrity of the United States military.

Watch it at link~

Haynes was part of five-person team of high-level administration lawyers, dubbed the “War Council,” who hatched out the legal framework for torture in secret meetings. McClatchy reports, “The quintet did more than condone harsh treatment, however. It created an environment in which it was nearly impossible to prosecute soldiers or officials for alleged crimes committed in U.S. detention facilities.”

McClatchy article here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3475533&mesg_id=3475533

[TwilightGardener]

1. Still like Reed for VP.

[babylonsister]

2. I wouldn't be at all adverse to that idea either. nt

[tuckessee]

3. Denigrated? It's destroyed.

The world will never respect the American military ever again.

Only Americans, who live in a sheltered, ignorant world of denial, jingoes and cultish worship, still cling to the antiquated WW2 reputation of GI's as fair, happy go lucky liberators.

Everyone else knows the truth. The US military has shown its true colors in Vietnam, Iraq & Afghanistan.

The battle streamers honoring today's wars will be nothing more than a list of war crimes.

[stillcool]

4. self -delete..

[Supersedeas]

5. and the Bar Associations wonder WHY Americans have a negative perception of them