WP: Soldier Described White House Interest (in Data From Abu Ghraib)

[kskiska]

The head of the interrogation center at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq told an Army investigator in February that he understood some of the information being collected from prisoners there had been requested by "White House staff," according to an account of his statement obtained by The Washington Post.

Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, an Army reservist who took control of the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center on Sept. 17, 2003, said a superior military intelligence officer told him the requested information concerned "any anti-coalition issues, foreign fighters, and terrorist issues."

The Army investigator, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, asked Jordan whether it concerned "sensitive issues," and Jordan said, "Very sensitive. Yes, sir," according to the account, which was provided by a government official.

The reference by Jordan to a White House link with the military's scandal-plagued intelligence-gathering effort at the prison was not explored further by Taguba, whose primary goal at that time was to assess the scope of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. The White House was unable to provide an immediate explanation.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26814-2004Jun9.html

[goforit]

1. Perverts go straight to the top?..Gee, who would of thunk it.

Unbelievable!!!!!!!

[kysrsoze]

32. You know, I initially said I thought this was just a bunch of idiots

at the enlisted and commanding officer level just getting their jollies by taking interrogation too far. My apologies to everyone for being SO WRONG!

I just couldn't believe that the WH would want to get their hands so dirty in this. Turns out they're even more stupid than I could ever have imagined, so I really don't feel too bad about my mistake in judgement.

[frank frankly]

2. another Ka-BOOM from the WaPo today

After Reagan leaves Washington on Friday, BushCo will be hammered all the way out the door. And hopefully straight to jail.

[daleo]

3. The rules changed several times, perhaps in response to WH pressure?

""My direction when it came to the (center) . . . was to set up a structure (of) target folders on individuals," he said, evidently referring to specific detainees. He said he was aware of the "rules of engagement" approved by commanders for interrogations, which have been a topic of controversy. But the rules changed several times, and he did not clarify which set he relied on." (Lt Col Jordan)

On edit - had to change square brackets in the story.

[grytpype]

4. I've diaried on this article here.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/6/9/05728/71738#1


It's huge. Now we have a direct link between the White House and the Abu Ghraib atrocities. And Bush was involved in setting the guidelines... having been advised he can torture anyone he wants and no one can stop him.

It's farking huge.

[maryallen]

29. Good analysis, grytpype ...

Thanks.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Ruh-roh!! The FratBoy Fuhrer better start looking over his shoulder.

[darkstar]

8. Har ! Frat Boy Fuhrer !

Nice coinage. Will use frequently!

[Oilwellian]

16. Don't you worry about that!

He has his getaway vehicle ready to go. Move over White Bronco! :D

[Gloria]

6. Va va va VOOOOMM!

After Reagan is buried, I expect Kerry and the Dems to light this fire...

[maggrwaggr]

7. Wow. Wow. And Wow again.

Isn't it all so odd? Those pictures are indeed a visual metaphor for the "fruits" of the Bush administration.

"By their fruits shall ye know them".

[TacticalPeek]

9. The big bore lawyers are warming up their appointment schedules.

Timing, timing, timing.

Swarm, swarm, swarm.

Drip, drip, DRIP, DRIP, FIREHOSE!

[struggle4progress]

10. Hmmmm. Let's see:

The Administration asks for and gets memos from lawyers explaining why torture is OK. The Administration develops plans to approve varying degrees of torture. The Administration shows great interest in information from a prison where torture occurs. The Administration then disavows any knowledge of torture.

[Eloriel]

45. Don't forget -- they defined torture and interpreted the laws,

both domestic and international, so that they could get away with it. That was the whole point. So when they say they "didn't approve" or engage in torture, they are basing it on their definitions.

[Old and In the Way]

11. Sounds like they were desperate to "prove" their case that AQ

was in Iraq. The only reason I can surmise (well, after the basic sadistic bent Bush might have on torturing people) is that they wanted to stovepipe intel from prisoners to "prove" their case for invading Iraq.

Bush is losing his mind over Iraq....he's past the point of no return. He has expended his administration's entire focus on Iraq, at the detriment of everything else. Perhaps will see him doing the frog walk yet.

[Stephanie]

13. Frog March!

It's what I LIVE for.

[Leilani]

19. Also WMDs

They were probably trying to find the elusive WMDs.

[Stephanie]

12. Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast - who does she report to??

Col. Thomas M. Pappas, the chief military intelligence officer at the prison, said in his statement to Taguba that Jordan was working on a special project for the office of Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, the top U.S. intelligence official in Iraq. He also described Jordan as "a loner who freelances between military intelligence and military police" officers at the prison.

[TahitiNut]

15. She was promoted by the Busholinis and has been transferred ...

... to Fort Huachuka, Arizona.

[ElectroPrincess]

24. Friendly Correction

Hi there, just a thoughtful spelling correction

It's called Fort Huachuca (phonetically pronounced Wha Choo Ka). Those of us in the Military community call it Fort "We Got Cha" because it's so isolated out in the desert of Arizona, i.e., a full hour's drive to Tucson.

I attended my Military Intelligence (MI) Officer Basic Course there way back in the 80s. BTW NO! (pre-emptive defense posture) MI is not always a countradiction in terms. LOL

[TahitiNut]

33. Yeah, that was a fatigue-typo.

When I was in the Army ('68-'69), troops at Ft. Huachuca got isolated duty pay. Then they moved the gate closer to Tucson to screw the troops. (I was happy to be at Ft. Sam in San Antonio in '68 - with the Hemisfair in town.)

[Spazito]

25. This woman seems to be a linchpin in the torture tragedy ...

her name keeps cropping up yet there doesn't seem to be any impetus to call her to account, very strange, imo.

[bobthedrummer]

26. It's always bad for democracy to have "freelancers" combining intelligence

and law enforcement in one's military, now WE must DEMAND that the MERCENARIES be PROSECUTED as well. We should see the evidence, make it available on demand to all US citizens 18 and older because OUR taxes went into this conspiracy.

NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

[TahitiNut]

14. Republican partisan political objectives above the interests of the US

This is clearly the Busholini partisans seeking (1) anything that could be portrayed as WMD, (2) an Al-Qaeda/Saddam link of some kind. (3) information regarding the whereabouts of Saddam himself or any of his cronies.

To achieve these objectives, they promulgated faith-based torture. It's the Inquisition yet again.

Absolutely NONE of these objectives are aligned with the priority vital interests of the US, Iraq, the "coalition," or the 140,000 military personnel. They are political objectives only. For the sake of such objectives, the Busholini Regime has created the impetus for crimes against humanity, in violation of the Geneva Conventions and international laws. This has done long-standing harm to this nation, its people, and humanity.

[Stephanie]

18. Perfect analysis.

As true modern Republicans their self-interest is their first and only priority. The world be damned.

[mmm]

36. nice summation

Now it all comes clear.
Monstrous stuff.

[Eloriel]

46. The published reports differ

The rationale used with the personnel involved in the torture, and the point of focus of the interrogations, according to published reports, was thatto save troop lives by getting information on insurgents and especially use of improvised explosive devices. I imagine some of the "high target" detainees may have been interrogated re WMD, etc., but I don't recall any mention of these subjects in various articles.

Then, too, this bunch (Bush&Co.) don't particularly need a rationale to engage in sadism.

[pfitz59]

17. Find the live video feed!

I bet the honchos in DC did a circle jerk while watching live video of the atrocities! Find the tapes, and you have meltdown!

[dusty64]

20. Kick!

x

[0007]

21. btt

:kick:

[TacticalPeek]

22. Kick. n/t

[Eurobabe]

23. And the walls, come a tumblin'

ala John Cougar Mellenhead (camp)

Bu$h has so many concurrent scandals, it is hard to keep track, no wonder he's crabby these days. :D

[lebkuchen]

27. This quote from the article...

During the period in question, the last quarter of 2003, virtually every senior military officer in Iraq, as well as at the Pentagon, was intensely interested in determining who was behind the rising insurgency in Iraq and using that information to squelch it.

...shows the Bushy administration as being completely clueless about who is attacking them. They just did not anticipate a citizen uprising despite being warned of one by US' top generals and lower ranking officers, nor were they militarily prepared for one.

That Bush hasn't been impeached for malfeasant use of our military is a crime in itself.

[wildwww2]

44. Who is behind the insurgency? The squatter in Al Gore`s White House.

Of course. Simple question. Now give me a hard one. Oh that`s right this court appointed batch of fascist`s is giving me the hard one.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President

[BeFree]

28. Bush never visited Abu Ghraib! Stop saying that!

He never visited that prison. Even when he was there at Thanksgiving, just before this story broke, he did not go into the prison and watch torture with his own eyes.

Though he was almost giddy when talking about executing Texas prisoners, he doesn't really like having that kind of power.
And stop saying that he has seen ALL the pictures and videos of the torture. He is far too busy raising campaign dollars to take the time to watch that kind of stuff.

[goclark]

47. Right,remember his Pentagon visit

Remember when he visited the Pentagon to take a look at the photos from the prison? I believe they said that he only looked at "eight" pictures. I thought that was odd at the time when everyone else looked at so many.

Now I believe he looked at only eight because he didn't want to be associated with all the rest of the other abuses when he visits the Hague.

[happyending]

30. I think

my head is going to explode now.

Hang on a second.

BOOM!

Am I reading that the White House is DIRECTLY involved?

F--k me with a roller skate.


What kind of country IS this?

Saw "Tough Crowd" with Collin Quinn on TV last night.
The crowd, the studio audience CHEERED torture.
(I am not kidding, they really did.)

Forgive the repeat, please, but

WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY IS THIS?

[notadmblnd]

34. It's a Christian Nation

what's wrong wit ya boy?

[Auntie Bush]

35. OUCH!!!!!

"F--k me with a roller skate."

How about a rolling pin?

[Just Me]

31. I'm getting impatient. Let's just prosecute the bastards!!!! n/t

[modrepub]

37. Do as you say

Mr. Bush and company,

You've continually told us to support our troops. Now it's your turn. Fess up and tell everyone you approved these torture techniques instead of letting our military service personnel "fall on their swords".

[DemonFighterLives]

38. A very cowboy kind of affair

That says a lot about the OGA and the contractors.

[seemslikeadream]

39. For the record I would like to state I was out of the loop at the time

[Cocoa]

40. "the white house was unable to provide an immediate explanation"

I love it.

[goclark]

48. Were they too busy looking at St. Ronnie's Journey?

[TacticalPeek]

41. Just ... kick! n/t

[struggle4progress]

42. kick

:kick:

[struggle4progress]

43. I do hope folks saw this! Another little kicky-poo!

:kick: