News Of The Day
Secret military information is for sale in the bazaar just outside the gate of the US base in Bagram, according to NBC’s investigative unit. This week, NBC producers (following up on a LA Times article) bought six flash drives that included the names and personal information of military interrogators, ID’s and photos of US troops, and other information that NBC deemed too sensitive to disclose. Among the photos were images of individuals who appeared to have been tortured and killed. The article speculates the drives were smuggled out by Afghan employees. The Pentagon had no comment.
The circle of Generals calling for Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation widened. Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr. – who led troops in Iraq as recently as 2004 as the commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne – became the fifth retired senior general to publicly call for Rumsfeld's ouster in recent days. He accused the Secretary of “absolute failures.”
Retired Army general Maj. Gen. John Riggs also added his voice to those calling for Rumsfeld’s resignation. Last year Riggs was stripped of one of his stars and was given 24 hours to leave the army because of infractions so minor they were not even placed on his record, according to the Baltimore Sun. The general’s supporters say the reason was his public criticism of Rumsfeld’s war plans in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Major conservative publications escalated their calls for war against Iran Wednesday and Thursday. A blitz of editorials in the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and Weekly Standard called on the US to strike Iranian nuclear facilities and topple the regime. The editorials appeared timed to counter mainstream publications that are urging direct negotiations.A one-day trip to Iran by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Dr. Mohamed El Baradei, ended yesterday with no agreement by the Iranians to halt their production of enriched uranium.
During an appearance today in Iowa, John McCain said the coming elections will be hard for the GOP. “We Republicans are going to have a tough race in 2006 because the country is not happy with us," McCain said. "We have a 25 percent approval rating in Congress." The GOP base in unhappy because congress is “spending money like drunken sailors,” he said.
Somehow these four different topics connect. One really concerning thing about the Bagram story is that NBC reports the disks had pictures of possible torture and killing, but didn't want to reveal other information that was too sensative. Makes me wonder what is worse than torture and killing.
Revolt of the Generals (cont.) General Riggs certainly got the bums rush out of the military and that system is constructed so such departures are easily facilitated. Another example of intimidation and payback from our present rulers. I'd like to know just how many people, in all walks of life, this administration has intimidated, threatened, and worse to silence opposing views.
On Iran, how wrong can the conservative wing of the Republican party get it? Don't they realize that Iranian terrorists, fully motivated to attack us would make Bin ladin's crew look like amateurs. Not to mention their ability to cut off oil sailing by their southern boarders. To me, Bombing Iran is the dumbest of all the dumb, scarey, selfish, unthoughtout things this adminsitration has contemplated. (that I know about) Russia and China won't be to happy with us either.....
McCain sounds like he is previewing the republican strategy for 06' and 08", "Don't worry folks, elect us and we'll sober up and stop spending all this money we don't have"
April 14, 2006 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've not seen the NBC report, but was the implication that the "torture and killing" was done by Americans or their allies, or just that US soldiers took photos of someone else's handiwork?
Yeah, I know giving this crew a benefit of doubt is probably a waste of effort.
April 14, 2006 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink