The roots of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal lie not in the criminal inclinations of a few Army reservists but in a decision, approved last year by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to expand a highly secret operation, which had been focussed on the hunt for Al Qaeda, to the interrogation of prisoners in Iraq. Rumsfeld’s decision embittered the American intelligence community, damaged the effectiveness of élite combat units, and hurt America’s prospects in the war on terror.
According to interviews with several past and present American intelligence officials, the Pentagon’s operation, known inside the intelligence community by several code words, including Copper Green, encouraged physical coercion and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners in an effort to generate more intelligence about the growing insurgency in Iraq. A senior C.I.A. official, in confirming the details of this account last week, said that the operation stemmed from Rumsfeld’s long-standing desire to wrest control of America’s clandestine and paramilitary operations from the C.I.A.
...The abuses at Abu Ghraib were exposed on January 13th, when Joseph Darby, a young military policeman assigned to Abu Ghraib, reported the wrongdoing to the Army’s Criminal Investigations Division. He also turned over a CD full of photographs. Within three days, a report made its way to Donald Rumsfeld, who informed President Bush.
The inquiry presented a dilemma for the Pentagon. The C.I.D. had to be allowed to continue, the former intelligence official said. “You can’t cover it up. You have to prosecute these guys for being off the reservation. But how do you prosecute them when they were covered by the special-access program? So you hope that maybe it’ll go away.” The Pentagon’s attitude last January, he said, was “Somebody got caught with some photos. What’s the big deal? Take care of it.” Rumsfeld’s explanation to the White House, the official added, was reassuring: “‘We’ve got a glitch in the program. We’ll prosecute it.’ The cover story was that some kids got out of control.”
...The senior C.I.A. official, asked about Rumsfeld’s testimony and that of Stephen Cambone, his Under-Secretary for Intelligence, said, “Some people think you can bullshit anyone.”
Seymour Hersh New Yorker article
According to interviews with several past and present American intelligence officials, the Pentagon’s operation, known inside the intelligence community by several code words, including Copper Green, encouraged physical coercion and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners in an effort to generate more intelligence about the growing insurgency in Iraq. A senior C.I.A. official, in confirming the details of this account last week, said that the operation stemmed from Rumsfeld’s long-standing desire to wrest control of America’s clandestine and paramilitary operations from the C.I.A.
...The abuses at Abu Ghraib were exposed on January 13th, when Joseph Darby, a young military policeman assigned to Abu Ghraib, reported the wrongdoing to the Army’s Criminal Investigations Division. He also turned over a CD full of photographs. Within three days, a report made its way to Donald Rumsfeld, who informed President Bush.
The inquiry presented a dilemma for the Pentagon. The C.I.D. had to be allowed to continue, the former intelligence official said. “You can’t cover it up. You have to prosecute these guys for being off the reservation. But how do you prosecute them when they were covered by the special-access program? So you hope that maybe it’ll go away.” The Pentagon’s attitude last January, he said, was “Somebody got caught with some photos. What’s the big deal? Take care of it.” Rumsfeld’s explanation to the White House, the official added, was reassuring: “‘We’ve got a glitch in the program. We’ll prosecute it.’ The cover story was that some kids got out of control.”
...The senior C.I.A. official, asked about Rumsfeld’s testimony and that of Stephen Cambone, his Under-Secretary for Intelligence, said, “Some people think you can bullshit anyone.”
I'm reminded here of a statement (which I believe was also from Seymour Hersh) that past presidents have tangled with the CIA and lost.
I think the answer to JungleGeorge's question about whether George Tenet would have actually told George DoubleOaf prior to invading Iraq that the WMD situation was a "slam dunk" might involve some of this continuing intrigue about administration infighting.
In fact, back when I first started blogging, I had a post titled "CIA Set Up the Whitehouse?" addressing the idea:
The committee's forthcoming report is expected to accuse the CIA and Mr Tenet of overstating the case against Saddam Hussein.
However, BBC Washington correspondent David Bamford reports that some Democrats are suspicious that Mr Tenet, who was appointed under former President Bill Clinton, is being used as a scapegoat to deflect criticism away from Republican White House officials and their alleged misuse of poor intelligence reports.
However, BBC Washington correspondent David Bamford reports that some Democrats are suspicious that Mr Tenet, who was appointed under former President Bill Clinton, is being used as a scapegoat to deflect criticism away from Republican White House officials and their alleged misuse of poor intelligence reports.
An interesting twist in the intrigue I think is Poppy's connections to CIA. Of course, there could also be rivalry within the organization as well. Certainly there are disgruntled agents and operatives. And the fact that somebody in the administration outed one of their undercover operatives involved in the very issue that the administration then let Tenet fall on his sword over - whether there were WMDs - and nobody has been made to answer for that, could have the wheels of covert retribution grinding overtime. Could have. In fact, the "slam dunk" and the Plame name leak may be more closely tied than we might imagine.
If there is in fact a "game" going on between the White House and the CIA, I'll be placing my money on the latter.
....but hey, you do what you want....you will anyway.
