President Bush will give interviews to two Arab television networks Wednesday about reports of U.S. military personnel abusing Iraqi prisoners, the White House said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the 10-minute interviews with Al-Hurra, a U.S.-sponsored network, and Al Arabiya will take place about 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) in the Map Room at the White House.
...Asked why Bush would not meet with the Arab network Al-Jazeera, McClellan would only say the other two networks "reach a wide range of people in the Middle East."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the 10-minute interviews with Al-Hurra, a U.S.-sponsored network, and Al Arabiya will take place about 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) in the Map Room at the White House.
...Asked why Bush would not meet with the Arab network Al-Jazeera, McClellan would only say the other two networks "reach a wide range of people in the Middle East."
Trusting you will not be aware that the U.S. is continually trying to shut down Aljazeera, and has been bombing its headquarters, arresting, harrassing and killing its reporters.
...Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia said Tuesday the Senate Armed Services Committee would hold a public hearing "at the first opportunity" to investigate abuse at Abu Ghraib.
Warner, the committee's chairman, said Rumsfeld would be called to testify.
The announcement came after members of the committee were briefed by senior military officials about the abuse. Warner said he was "gravely concerned" by the allegations.
Warner, the committee's chairman, said Rumsfeld would be called to testify.
The announcement came after members of the committee were briefed by senior military officials about the abuse. Warner said he was "gravely concerned" by the allegations.
Tits on a boar. Useless.
Rumsfeld was asked at the Pentagon news briefing about the congressional criticism.
"Well, we informed the world on January 16 that these investigations were under way. It seems to me that is a perfectly proper thing to do," Rumsfeld said. "The investigations were announced. The world knew it. It was briefed to the press and the world."
Rumsfeld said the military learned of the alleged abuse January 13, when the allegations were reported up the chain of command. The criminal investigation began the next day, he said.
Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at Tuesday's briefing that the Army investigation was completed in mid-March, which is when the six soldiers were charged with criminal offenses.
Seventeen personnel at the prison were relieved of their duties in February, including a battalion commander, a company commander, three noncommissioned officers and 12 military police directly involved in guard duties.
"Well, we informed the world on January 16 that these investigations were under way. It seems to me that is a perfectly proper thing to do," Rumsfeld said. "The investigations were announced. The world knew it. It was briefed to the press and the world."
Rumsfeld said the military learned of the alleged abuse January 13, when the allegations were reported up the chain of command. The criminal investigation began the next day, he said.
Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at Tuesday's briefing that the Army investigation was completed in mid-March, which is when the six soldiers were charged with criminal offenses.
Seventeen personnel at the prison were relieved of their duties in February, including a battalion commander, a company commander, three noncommissioned officers and 12 military police directly involved in guard duties.
And Rumsfiend certainly has a point - that this is not new information. Of course, I'm sure Rumsfiend wasn't trying to make the useless, clueless Congress aware of it. Let sleeping dogs lie. And lying dogs sleep. B.S. on the military learning of the "alleged" abuse January 13. They've known about it since it began. It's their policy.
...Other developments
# The military's new commander at Abu Ghraib prison said Tuesday he had halted "aberrant" practices that led to allegations of humiliating and degrading abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the facility.Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, who stepped into his new position about a month ago, said U.S. personnel stopped using hoods and sleep deprivation on Iraqi detainees four days ago.
# Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, the former commander of military police at U.S. prisons in Iraq, said MPs were being given instructions by military intelligence. "I don't know how they allowed these activities to get so far out of control, but I do know with absolute confidence that they didn't just wake up one day and decide to do this," she told CNN. (CNN Access)
# British Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the government was taking reports of abuse by British soldiers seriously but would not rush the investigation, according to The Associated Press. (Full story)
# The military's new commander at Abu Ghraib prison said Tuesday he had halted "aberrant" practices that led to allegations of humiliating and degrading abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the facility.Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, who stepped into his new position about a month ago, said U.S. personnel stopped using hoods and sleep deprivation on Iraqi detainees four days ago.
# Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, the former commander of military police at U.S. prisons in Iraq, said MPs were being given instructions by military intelligence. "I don't know how they allowed these activities to get so far out of control, but I do know with absolute confidence that they didn't just wake up one day and decide to do this," she told CNN. (CNN Access)
# British Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the government was taking reports of abuse by British soldiers seriously but would not rush the investigation, according to The Associated Press. (Full story)
The Brits are so far into it that they won't even admit they're doing it when the proof is published. I haven't even been reporting on the British scandal. Incredible abuses by British soldiers have been in the news since the inception of the coalition's mad drive. But reports of that have been as scarce here as reports of U.S. abuses. Actually, abuse is too lame a word for what has been happening - it's been a systematic, illegal, immoral, brutal and hypocritical horror that no western media or powerful voice is willing to compare to any other systematic genocidal brutalities.
And now the brass and the politicians just pretend this is an "aberrant" incident and everybody is shocked and appalled and it isn't really what we do. And we are so willing to agree.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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