Abu Ghraib--Top Officers Cleared!

[Nickdfresh]

Why is this General smiling? http://newsimages.adelphia.net/ap_photos//NY12304222330.jpeg
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez smiles during a welcome ceremony for soldiers of the 1st Armored Division...

Army Clears Top Abu Ghraib Case Officers

Friday, April 22, 2005 9:01 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By ROBERT BURNS

The Army has cleared four top officers _ including the three-star general who commanded all U.S. forces in Iraq _ of all allegations of wrongdoing in connection with prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, officials said Friday.

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who became the senior commander in Iraq in June 2003, two months after the fall of Baghdad, had been faulted in earlier investigations for leadership lapses that may have contributed to prisoner abuse. He is the highest ranking officer to face official allegations of leadership failures in Iraq, but he has not been accused of criminal violations.

After assessing the allegations against Sanchez and taking sworn statements from 37 people involved in Iraq, the Army's inspector general, Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Green, concluded that the allegations were unsubstantiated, said the officials who were familiar with the details of Green's probe.

Green reached the same conclusion in the cases of two generals and a colonel who worked for Sanchez.

The officials who disclosed the findings spoke only on condition of anonymity because Congress has not yet been fully briefed on Green's findings and the information has not yet been publicly released. Green had scrutinized the actions of Sanchez and 11 other officers.

Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib were physically abused and sexually humiliated by military police and intelligence soldiers in the fall of 2003. Photos of some of the abuse created a firestorm of criticism worldwide.

Congress has hotly debated the question of accountability among senior Army and Defense Department officials who were in positions of responsibility on Iraq detention and interrogation policy. Some Democrats have accused the Pentagon of foisting all the blame onto low-ranking soldiers.

In a statement Friday that did not mention specific cases, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said that as soon as all Pentagon assessments of accountability are complete he will hold a hearing "to examine the adequacy of those reviews" and to hear senior civilian and military officials address the issue.

Warner said he strongly agrees with one investigation report that concluded last year that commanders should be held accountable for their action or inaction and that military as well as civilian leaders in the Pentagon "share this burden of responsibility."

The office of Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, declined to comment on the matter.

Some have said the blame should rest with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, although none of the 10 investigations done so far has concluded that he was directly at fault.

Asked about public expectations of punishment for senior officers associated with Abu Ghraib, the Army's chief public affairs officer, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, said the Army went to great lengths to make its investigations thorough and fair, with no preconceived judgments.

"The thoroughness of the investigative process preserves the rights of all individuals involved while ensuring that the presumption of innocence must be disproved by facts before any allegation is determined to be substantiated," Brooks said.

In an interview Friday, three senior defense officials associated with the Green investigations cited mitigating circumstances in the Sanchez case, including the fact that his organization in Iraq, known as Combined Joint Task Force 7, initially was short of the senior officers it required. They also cited other complicating factors, including the upsurge in insurgent violence shortly after Sanchez took command and the intense pressure the military faced in hunting down Saddam Hussein, who was in hiding and thought to have a hand in the insurgency.

The three officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sanchez has been at the center of the Abu Ghraib controversy from its start.

He issued a policy on acceptable interrogation techniques on Sept. 14, 2003, then revised it on Oct. 12, about the time the abuses were happening. The Army inspector general found in an investigation last year that the policies were ambiguous and subject to misinterpretation by soldiers.

A separate investigation by a panel headed by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger concluded that Sanchez should have taken stronger action in November 2003 when he realized the extent of problems among military intelligence and military police units running Abu Ghraib.

A subsequent Army investigation, made public last summer in what was called the Kern-Fay-Jones report, concluded that although Sanchez and his most senior deputies were not directly involved in the bases at Abu Ghraib, their "action and inaction did indirectly contribute" to some abuses.

Sanchez remains commander of the Army's 5th Corps, based in Germany. It is unclear whether he will be promoted to four-star ranking and given another assignment after he finishes with 5th Corps.

Sanchez and his former top deputy, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, were cited in the Kern-Fay-Jones report for failure to "ensure proper staff oversight of detention and interrogation operations" in Iraq, specifically at the Abu Ghraib prison.

It was left to Green, the Army inspector general, to weigh the gravity of the various allegations against Sanchez and other senior officers and determine whether they could be substantiated. In only one case _ that of Janis Karpinski, an Army Reserve brigadier general who commanded the 800th Military Police Brigade at Abu Ghraib _ did Green decide that the allegations were substantiated. She has been suspended from her command and given a written reprimand.

In addition to clearing Sanchez, the Army inspector general has determined that there should be no punishment given to Wojdakowski or to Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, who was Sanchez's intelligence chief in Baghdad, or to Col. Mark Warren, Sanchez's top legal adviser at the time.

In addition to those five cases, which have been the main focus of attention by the Senate Armed Services Committee, Green examined allegations against seven other senior officers, all at or above the rank of colonel. The names of the seven have not been disclosed, and it is not yet known how many _ if any _ will be punished. One of the seven cases is not yet closed.

Those seven others do not include two accused officers whose cases are being considered by field commanders rather than by the Army inspector general because they face possible criminal charges. Those two are Col. Thomas Pappas, commander of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade at Abu Ghraib, and Lt. Col. Stephen Jordan, who directed the prison's interrogation center.

Fast was promoted to two-star general and given command of Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and its Army Intelligence Center.

After her change-of-command ceremony at Huachuca last month, Fast said of the Abu Ghraib debacle, "Could I have done something to prevent this? I think we all ask ourselves that question."

Link (http://www.adelphia.net/news/read.php?ps=1018&id=11865646)

Another obvious case of those who were responsible for tragic errors being exonerated by the Bush Administration...Sanchez will probably be made a Joint Chiefs of Staff. For SHAME!
http://www.rotten.com/library/crime/prison/abu-ghraib/ghraib-box2.jpg

[DrMaddVibe]

Fuck you Lil' Nicky!

After seeing that helicopter footage yesterday you can bitch all you want about that frat house torture all you want. It doesn't mean shit.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Fuck you Lil' Nicky!

After seeing that helicopter footage yesterday you can bitch all you want about that frat house torture all you want. It doesn't mean shit.

Wow! Your retort and commentary is getting more and more sophisticated ASSVIBE!;)

But I don't really think continuing to torture mostly innocent Iraqis would have prevented that chopper from being shot down.


BTW ASSVIBE, were you not a lowly Sergeant in the Army as was I? Don't you find it the least bit upsetting or offensive that all of the people taking the fall in this are the 'little people'/lower enlisted when the top brass was either:

A.) Incompetent beyond belief, even if you believe their stories!

-or-

B.) Conducting a (failed) covert intelligence gathering project and using innocent US soldiers as cover-story fodder!

[DrMaddVibe]

Nobody cares what YOU attempt to think dildo!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Nobody cares what YOU attempt to think dildo!

"You're no daisy.";)

[DrMaddVibe]

Whatever dildo!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Whatever dildo!

"I know you are but what am I? HE HE!"
http://images.art.com/images/PRODUCTS/large/10042000/10042164.jpg

[DrMaddVibe]

That's about your level!

Now share some other "nugget" with the rest of us!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
That's about my level!

[DrMaddVibe]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
"I know I am, HE HE!" I'm in a contest to be the Roth Army's biggest fag. It's a foot race to the finish what with Jester and 3 Cock Ring chasing my rambling asshttp://images.art.com/images/PRODUCTS/large/10042000/10042164.jpg

[Va Beach VH Fan]

You could see this one coming, let the lower ranks burn....

Although for BGEN Karpinski, her career is for all intensive purposes certainly over as well, "reprimand" or not....

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe


You're so clever Mrs.SADDVIBE. You can't even debate anymore. You really are becoming the biggest childish pussy!

Maybe you compare me to JESTERETARD because you debate on his nonsensical, devoid-of-logic level, and oh yeah, because I 'OWN' YOU!;) If your posts were anymore painful and less-funny to read...well...that's a statistical improbability! Have a nice day Mrs.PUSSYVIBE!

[DrMaddVibe]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
You're so clever Mrs.SADDVIBE. You can't even debate anymore. You really are becoming the biggest childish pussy!

Maybe you compare me to JESTERETARD because you debate on his nonsensical, devoid-of-logic level, and oh yeah, because I 'OWN' YOU!;) If your posts were anymore painful and less-funny to read...well...that's a statistical improbability! Have a nice day Mrs.PUSSYVIBE!


I'm not debating. You're an assclown and not capable of it. It would mean you actually having an opinion and not clinging to an article or hiding behind some twisted message.

Every one of your posts make as much sense as his.

Everyday laughing at your nonsense is a nice day dildo!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
I'm not debating. You're an assclown and not capable of it. It would mean you actually having an opinion and not clinging to an article or hiding behind some twisted message.

Every one of your posts make as much sense as his.

Everyday laughing at your nonsense is a nice day dildo!

You love the word 'dildo' don't you?

Why don't you go google another third-grade level political cartoon?

Maybe you can actually comment on the article I cut and pasted? Oh, I forgot I am not capable of debate! Did you forget your medication this morning or just not take it with food again?

[DrMaddVibe]

Dildo fits you to a T.

You're not even a real dick.

I already commented on your bullshit article!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Dildo fits you to a T.

You're not even a real dick.

I already commented on your bullshit article!

Good, you can shut the fuck up now Mrs.PUSSYVIBE!

You really do have emotional problems don't you!


PS: It's not my article, it's from the Associated Press! I guess that's really different from when you choose to post articles from "The Christian Science Monitor" (a solid publication I'll admit actually). But still a 'VIBE cut and paste (http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20046) fool!

[DrMaddVibe]

Fuck off dildo.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Fuck off dildo.

Ahahahaha!

[Betty Bush III]

I don't condone torture unless it directly saves American lives. But I have to say this is so typical of a liberal to focus on the prison torture scandal while Americans are being killed. The traitorous liberal fairies will blink at a beheading of an American, while laboring months and years over someone sticking a pair of spiderman underwear on the head of an Iraqi. Ever seen a picture of your countryman without a head?

You people literally make me sick to my stomach. After 911 the line was drawn in sand, the men on one side and the boys on the other. This nation can't survive with your type of feeble naieve thinking. Snap out of it! If 911 didn't wake you up, nothing will.

Bury your head in the New York Times, while the rest of us support the country.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Betty Bush III
I don't condone torture unless it directly saves American lives. But I have to say this is so typical of a liberal to focus on the prison torture scandal while Americans are being killed. The traitorous liberal fairies will blink at a beheading of an American, while laboring months and years over someone sticking a pair of spiderman underwear on the head of an Iraqi. Ever seen a picture of your countryman without a head?


Did you ever take time to really think about it? How about when torture contributes to the taking of American lives? We did more for the Iraqi insurgency in the few months during the time of that prison than they could do for themselves. It was just another manifestation of the blatant incompetence by the Rumsfeld led Pentagon to use a Top Secret interrogation program designed to use against a few hardened, trained terrorists in Al-Qaida, and use those tactics on the average Iraqi picked up in a sweep or for law enforcement violations that were insurgency unrelated.

The morons YOU VOTED for handed them this great victory of propaganda, not Liberals or anyone else. And it's "stupid" people like you that give these mental defectives a free pass that make me "sick to my stomach!" There is NO accountability!

Operation Copper Green (http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14802&highlight=Seymour+Hersh)


You people literally make me sick to my stomach. After 911 the line was drawn in sand, the men on one side and the boys on the other. This nation can't survive with your type of feeble naieve thinking. Snap out of it! If 911 didn't wake you up, nothing will.

Line in the sand or oil under it? What the fuck did IRAQ have to do with 9/11!? Tell me all about that!


Bury your head in the New York Times, while the rest of us support the country.

You are not supporting the country, you are being an apologist and sycophant for a largely failed Administration BUSHEEP!

[Nickdfresh]

And let me ropost this since this thread got spammed!

Doesn't anyone find it the least bit upsetting or offensive that all of the people taking the fall for Abu Ghraib are the 'little people'/lower enlisted when the top brass was either:

A.) Incompetent beyond belief, even if you believe their stories!?

-or-

B.) Conducting (and ruining!) a (failed) covert intelligence gathering project, Operation Copper Green, and using low-level US soldiers as show-trial, cover-story fodder!?

[Betty Bush III]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
Did you ever take time to really think about it? How about when torture contributes to the taking of American lives? We did more for the Iraqi insurgency in the few months during the time of that prison than they could do for themselves. It was just another manifestation of the blatant incompetence by the Rumsfeld led Pentagon to use a Top Secret interrogation program designed to use against a few hardened, trained terrorists in Al-Qaida, and use those tactics on the average Iraqi picked up in a sweep or for law enforcement violations that were insurgency unrelated.

The morons YOU VOTED for handed them this great victory of propaganda, not Liberals or anyone else. And it's "stupid" people like you that give these mental defectives a free pass that make me "sick to my stomach!" There is NO accountability!

Operation Copper Green (http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14802&highlight=Seymour+Hersh)



Line in the sand or oil under it? What the fuck did IRAQ have to do with 9/11!? Tell me all about that!



You are not supporting the country, you are being an apologist and sycophant for a largely failed Administration BUSHEEP!


Please wake up for a few seconds so you can respond. I wasn't suggesting that Abu Gahreb was not a fuck up. Obviously these prisoners were not in possession of vital information. It was a bad situation and people made mistakes that jeopardized our fantastic relations with the middle east. I understand that it MAY have put more soldiers in danger although I think more harm came from the agenda driven, over-reporting of this scandal by the left wing fairies in the media.
I'm sure it didn't help our cause that the New York times ran scandal articles on the front page over 50 times often with nothing new to report (perhaps agenda driven, right). That would be a stretch wouldn't it? Perferct propaganda material for the enemy, just like you said.. right?

Please wake up and stop being brainwashed by the establishment media and their political agenda.

Look what happened to that douche bag Dan Rather and his anti-Bush agenda. He lost his job. There's some accountability for you. We need more of that sort of justice so the world can see the truth, not your version of the facts.

Read between the lines big guy and stop being a girl.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Betty Bush III
Please wake up for a few seconds so you can respond. I wasn't suggesting that Abu Gahreb was not a fuck up. Obviously these prisoners were not in possession of vital information. It was a bad situation and people made mistakes that jeopardized our fantastic relations with the middle east. I understand that it MAY have put more soldiers in danger although I think more harm came from the agenda driven, over-reporting of this scandal by the left wing fairies in the media.
I'm sure it didn't help our cause that the New York times ran scandal articles on the front page over 50 times often with nothing new to report (perhaps agenda driven, right). That would be a stretch wouldn't it? Perferct propaganda material for the enemy, just like you said.. right?

Please wake up and stop being brainwashed by the establishment media and their political agenda.

Look what happened to that douche bag Dan Rather and his anti-Bush agenda. He lost his job. There's some accountability for you. We need more of that sort of justice so the world can see the truth, not your version of the facts.

Read between the lines big guy and stop being a girl.

Maybe if the media were a little less free all of our problems would just disappear!
http://www.ingenious.org.uk/media/4.0_SAC/webimages/1983/_523/6_DH/A7/1983_5236_DHA7068_3.jpg
Damn media, they're all responsible for the Iraqi guerilla war!

And who gives a shit about Dan Rather? What did he have to do with Abu GHRAIB?:rolleyes:

[Betty Bush III]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
Maybe if the media were a little less free all of our problems would just disappear!

And who gives a shit about Dan Rather? What did he have to do with Abu GHRAIB?:rolleyes:

My response had to do with agenda driven news reporting. The kind that took place during Abu GHRAIB. The agenda in case you haven't figured it out was to hurt Bush and elect a Democrat. (How did that work out for you?) Dan Rather fits into this because he was fired and humiliated by trying to hurt Bush by reporting a story containing false documents. A mistake that a rookie wouldn't have made.

With cable news and internet news, the media is more free than ever you'll be happy to know. This is bad for the liberal establishment media outlets because in the free marketplace of ideas the commies are destined to fail.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Betty Bush III


With cable news and internet news, the media is more free than ever you'll be happy to know. This is bad for the liberal establishment media outlets because in the free marketplace of ideas the commies are destined to fail.

Where is the "free marketplace" when the entire fucking media is owned by 4 or 5 corporations?

In fact, the music industry, and the oil industry, among other industries are in the exact same shape.

Doesn't this LACK of a fair marketplace go against the very principles of the Republican party?

[FORD]

Anyone else figured out who "Betty Bush" and "Stillwell" really are yet?

The arrogant, know it all tone of their posts should make it more than obvious. Not to mention the way a certain ballsucker seemed to drop off the moment somebody challenged his bullshit.

[Nickdfresh]

Army criticized over Abu Ghraib probe
Report: All but one commanding officer cleared

Saturday, April 23, 2005 Posted: 9:30 PM EDT (0130 GMT)

The Army has cleared four top officers, including Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, in the abuses at Abu Ghraib.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army drew fire Saturday for its reported findings in an internal investigation of the Abu Ghraib prison abuses -- a probe that senior Pentagon officials told CNN cleared four top Army officers in Iraq of any wrongdoing.

"This just proves that the Army cannot investigate itself," Reed Brody, legal counsel for Human Rights Watch, told CNN. "If the U.S. is going to wipe away the stain of Abu Ghraib, there has to be an independent investigation that looks at the responsibility of all those people who ordered or who tolerated torture, no matter where they are in the chain of command."

The findings of the investigation have not yet been released.

The Washington Post, citing government officials familiar with the findings, reported Saturday that the only officer who will face discipline is Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski. She was commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade, which included the soldiers who have so far been convicted in connection with abuses at the prison. The newspaper said Karpinski will receive an administrative reprimand for dereliction of duty, one that could end her military career.

"It continues to seem that she has been singled out, or targeted, for responsibility for Abu Ghraib," Karpinski's military criminal defense attorney, Neal Puckett, told CNN. "She feels like it's a shared responsibility. She accepts her part of the responsibility, but it's a shared responsibility throughout the chain of command, not just her."

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who at the time was commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, was cleared of wrongdoing, senior Pentagon officials said.

It remains to be seen whether Sanchez will be further tainted. He handed over command of U.S. forces in Iraq to Gen. George Casey in July and called Abu Ghraib "a defeat for the coalition."

Also receiving no punishment are Sanchez's former top deputy, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski; Sanchez's former intelligence chief in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast; and Sanchez's top legal adviser at the time, Col. Mark Warren.

Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has said he will hold a hearing on whether the investigations went far enough in determining the extent of Army leadership's involvement.
Army response

Army officials are defending the investigation.

"In response to public expectations about senior leader punishment even before findings have remained public: We are doing what our citizens expect us to do for any citizen -- protecting their rights while ensuring we find and act appropriately on the truth," said a statement issued by Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks. "We will not rush to judgment in these cases or in any others.

"The thoroughness of the investigative process preserves the rights of all individuals involved while ensuring that the presumption of innocence must be disproved by facts before any allegation is determined to be substantiated, and that must precede any potential action," Brooks said. "The recommendations and decisions are consistent with, and appropriate to, the findings of these very thorough investigations."

Maj. Elizabeth Robbins, U.S. Army spokeswoman, said the Army is briefing members of Congress on the investigation, and "we are currently not addressing questions on the findings until we have addressed the questions of Congress."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "The U.S. does not tolerate wrongdoing when it comes to detainees. When we find it, we act to hold those responsible to account and take steps to prevent it from happening again."
Previous probes

A report issued in August -- dubbed the Fay report after the Army general who compiled it, Maj. Gen. George Fay -- found 44 instances of abuse at the prison, some of which amounted to torture.

The report criticized Sanchez for his handling of the situation. It did not find him culpable, but did find him "responsible for the things that happened," Gen. Paul Kern, the appointing authority of the investigation, said at the time. He said Sanchez put great emphasis on getting intelligence from prisoners to stop insurgent attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces.

He said the report found that the abuse was the result of several contributing factors, ending in "a lack of discipline and lack of leadership."

Two other reports reached similar conclusions.

An independent four-member panel headed by former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger blamed abuses at Abu Ghraib and other prisons on a failure of leadership throughout the chain of command.

Schlesinger's panel released the results of its investigation in August, the same week Fay and Kern released their report. Schlesinger said at the time that the higher chain of command held direct and indirect responsibility but noted that there was "no policy of abuse."

"Quite the contrary," Schlesinger said. "Senior officials repeatedly said that in Iraq, Geneva regulations would apply."

A report last year by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba found "a failure in leadership ... from the brigade commander on down."

He also noted that he had found "friction" between Karpinski and military intelligence brigade commander Col. Thomas Pappas, and was concerned because information about what was going on in the prison had not reached the MP brigade command.

Pappas' case and that of Lt. Col. Stephen Jordan, who directed the prison's interrogation center, are being considered by field commanders, according to The Associated Press. The two men could face criminal charges.

So far, six soldiers have been sentenced to prison terms, ranging from six months to 10 years, demoted and dishonorably discharged. One soldier was dismissed. The courts-martial of two other soldiers are pending.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux and Kathleen Koch contributed to this report.

Copyright 2005 CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/23/army.abughraib/index.html). All rights reserved.

[Sarge's Little Helper]

Army criticized over Abu Ghraib probe
Report: All but one commanding officer cleared

Saturday, April 23, 2005 Posted: 9:30 PM EDT (0130 GMT)

The Army has cleared four top officers, including Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, in the abuses at Abu Ghraib.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army drew fire Saturday for its reported findings in an internal investigation of the Abu Ghraib prison abuses -- a probe that senior Pentagon officials told CNN cleared four top Army officers in Iraq of any wrongdoing.

"This just proves that the Army cannot investigate itself," Reed Brody, legal counsel for Human Rights Watch, told CNN. "If the U.S. is going to wipe away the stain of Abu Ghraib, there has to be an independent investigation that looks at the responsibility of all those people who ordered or who tolerated torture, no matter where they are in the chain of command."

The findings of the investigation have not yet been released.

The Washington Post, citing government officials familiar with the findings, reported Saturday that the only officer who will face discipline is Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski. She was commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade, which included the soldiers who have so far been convicted in connection with abuses at the prison. The newspaper said Karpinski will receive an administrative reprimand for dereliction of duty, one that could end her military career.

"It continues to seem that she has been singled out, or targeted, for responsibility for Abu Ghraib," Karpinski's military criminal defense attorney, Neal Puckett, told CNN. "She feels like it's a shared responsibility. She accepts her part of the responsibility, but it's a shared responsibility throughout the chain of command, not just her."

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who at the time was commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, was cleared of wrongdoing, senior Pentagon officials said.

It remains to be seen whether Sanchez will be further tainted. He handed over command of U.S. forces in Iraq to Gen. George Casey in July and called Abu Ghraib "a defeat for the coalition."

Also receiving no punishment are Sanchez's former top deputy, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski; Sanchez's former intelligence chief in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast; and Sanchez's top legal adviser at the time, Col. Mark Warren.

Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has said he will hold a hearing on whether the investigations went far enough in determining the extent of Army leadership's involvement.
Army response

Army officials are defending the investigation.

"In response to public expectations about senior leader punishment even before findings have remained public: We are doing what our citizens expect us to do for any citizen -- protecting their rights while ensuring we find and act appropriately on the truth," said a statement issued by Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks. "We will not rush to judgment in these cases or in any others.

"The thoroughness of the investigative process preserves the rights of all individuals involved while ensuring that the presumption of innocence must be disproved by facts before any allegation is determined to be substantiated, and that must precede any potential action," Brooks said. "The recommendations and decisions are consistent with, and appropriate to, the findings of these very thorough investigations."

Maj. Elizabeth Robbins, U.S. Army spokeswoman, said the Army is briefing members of Congress on the investigation, and "we are currently not addressing questions on the findings until we have addressed the questions of Congress."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "The U.S. does not tolerate wrongdoing when it comes to detainees. When we find it, we act to hold those responsible to account and take steps to prevent it from happening again."
Previous probes

A report issued in August -- dubbed the Fay report after the Army general who compiled it, Maj. Gen. George Fay -- found 44 instances of abuse at the prison, some of which amounted to torture.

The report criticized Sanchez for his handling of the situation. It did not find him culpable, but did find him "responsible for the things that happened," Gen. Paul Kern, the appointing authority of the investigation, said at the time. He said Sanchez put great emphasis on getting intelligence from prisoners to stop insurgent attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces.

He said the report found that the abuse was the result of several contributing factors, ending in "a lack of discipline and lack of leadership."

Two other reports reached similar conclusions.

An independent four-member panel headed by former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger blamed abuses at Abu Ghraib and other prisons on a failure of leadership throughout the chain of command.

Schlesinger's panel released the results of its investigation in August, the same week Fay and Kern released their report. Schlesinger said at the time that the higher chain of command held direct and indirect responsibility but noted that there was "no policy of abuse."

"Quite the contrary," Schlesinger said. "Senior officials repeatedly said that in Iraq, Geneva regulations would apply."

A report last year by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba found "a failure in leadership ... from the brigade commander on down."

He also noted that he had found "friction" between Karpinski and military intelligence brigade commander Col. Thomas Pappas, and was concerned because information about what was going on in the prison had not reached the MP brigade command.

Pappas' case and that of Lt. Col. Stephen Jordan, who directed the prison's interrogation center, are being considered by field commanders, according to The Associated Press. The two men could face criminal charges.

So far, six soldiers have been sentenced to prison terms, ranging from six months to 10 years, demoted and dishonorably discharged. One soldier was dismissed. The courts-martial of two other soldiers are pending.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux and Kathleen Koch contributed to this report.

Copyright 2005 CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/23/army.abughraib/index.html). All rights reserved.

Oops. I wasn't paying attention. Tell me again what is going on.

[Betty Bush III]

Originally posted by FORD
Where is the "free marketplace" when the entire fucking media is owned by 4 or 5 corporations?

In fact, the music industry, and the oil industry, among other industries are in the exact same shape.

Doesn't this LACK of a fair marketplace go against the very principles of the Republican party?


If you can operate a mouse and a keyboard there is a free marketplace of ideas out there. The heavy hitters are owned by a few corporations, but the savvy news consumer knows to look at several sources.

Most idiots already have their mind made up before they know the facts anyhow. They look for the news that fits their submental view of the world. College students do this best.

[American Gypsy]

Politics is the entertainment branch of big industry.