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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TigerPaw who wrote (47103)	5/24/2004 5:32:22 PM
From: one_less	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

You seem to be trying to "explain" the guilt of the General almost as much as he is trying to "explain" the guilt of the Iraqi's who were attacked... I expect you to pump for the enemy, so I am not surprised by that. I expect the General to give a more balanced report than what he seems to have provided. I suspect that the truth is in the middle (unless there is a hoax being perpetrated). The place was a known smuggler pipeline. There was a wedding party. The two things got enmeshed. The operation did not intend to kill celebricants but did intend to kill combatants...it's entirely possible that both occurred.

To: TigerPaw who wrote (47103)	5/24/2004 5:39:26 PM
From: one_less	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Well these two opposing views certainly appear suspect... The APTN videotape showed no weapons, although they are common among rural Iraqis. vs "There was no evidence of a wedding: no decorations, no musical instruments found, no large quantities of food or leftover servings one would expect from a wedding celebration," Kimmitt said Saturday. Somebody either didn't get the facts or deliberately misled us... Somebody or both...

To: TigerPaw who wrote (47103)	5/24/2004 9:19:00 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

Iraq and Roll......... Pentagon Mulls Replacing Top U.S. General in Iraq By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon (news - web sites) is considering replacing Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez as the top U.S. military officer in Iraq (news - web sites), defense officials said on Monday, but denied the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal was the reason. A senior defense official noted that Sanchez has served in Iraq for 13 months and that Army and Marine Corps division commanders all have rotated out of the country during that period. When asked if the prisoner abuse scandal, which took place on Sanchez's watch, was the reason for considering a replacement for the general, this official said, "Absolutely not." Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman refused to confirm or deny an ABC News report that Gen. George Casey, vice chief of staff of the Army, would take over as senior U.S. military officer in Iraq. "If we had something like that to announce, we would. Any speculation prior to an announcement would be irresponsible," Whitman said. Sanchez became the top U.S. general in Iraq last June. Pentagon officials have talked about placing a four-star general as the overall commander in Iraq, in charge of "Multi-National Force Iraq" and responsible for the broad direction of U.S. military operations. Sanchez is a three-star general. In addition, the Pentagon wants a three-star general to head day-to-day military operations amid a continuing quest to crush the insurgency. As Sanchez's second in command, Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz serves in that capacity. The senior defense official declined to give a time frame for when Sanchez would be replaced. "He's been there for 13 months. You have to be looking for replacements for these guys," the official said. "Him leaving Iraq has nothing to do with Abu Ghraib. His time is coming up," the official added. Sanchez and two other generals were summoned to testify last week before a Senate committee on the Abu Ghraib scandal, in which U.S. forces physically and sexually abused Iraqi detainees at a prison that once was a center of torture under ousted President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). During his testimony, Sanchez took responsibility for the abuse because it happened while he was the commander in Iraq. Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba's investigation into the abuse did not directly criticize Sanchez, but found fault with an order he issued last November giving authority at the facility to a military intelligence unit. Some of the Army military police charged in the case have said that military intelligence personnel recommended they use harsher measures to "soften up" prisoners. Sanchez on May 13 prohibited several interrogation methods from being used in Iraq, including sleep and sensory deprivation, body "stress positions" and "dietary manipulation." Under a policy he issued last October, these interrogation methods could be used by U.S. jailers, but only if he gave his personal approval to a written request. Sanchez said he never approved any request to use any of the more coercive methods except for isolation for more than 30 days.