by Larry C. Johnson (bio below)
Yesterday’s press conference with Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and JCS Chief General Peter “Perfect” Pace gave us some insight into why Abu Ghraib could occur and how Rumsfeld’s lack of leadership allowed such reprehensible behavior by U.S. troops.
Look what happened when Rumsfeld and General Pace were asked about the obligation of U.S. commanders to deal with evidence of inhumane treatment:
QUESTION: Sir, taking on his question a bit — and I can give you actual examples from coalition forces who talked to me when I was over there about excesses of the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Defense; and that is in dealing with prisoners or in arresting people and how they’re treated after they’re arrested — what are the obligations and what are the rights of U.S. military over there in dealing with that?
RUMSFELD: . . . . Obviously, the United States does not have a responsibility when a sovereign country engages in something that they disapprove of. However, we do have a responsibility to say so and to make sure that the training is proper and to work with the sovereign officials so that they understand the damage that can be done to them in the event some of these allegations prove to be true.
QUESTION: And, General Pace, what guidance do you have for your military commanders over there as to what to do if — like when General Horst found this Interior Ministry jail?
PACE: It is absolutely responsibility of every U.S. service member if they see inhumane treatment being conducted, to intervene, to stop it. . . .
RUMSFELD: I don’t think you mean they have an obligation to physically stop it, it’s to report it.
PACE: If they are physically present when inhumane treatment is taking place, sir, they have an obligation to try to stop it.”
There you have it. A Secretary of Defense who believes that U.S. soldiers have no obligation to do anything other than file a report if they encounter torture or other inhumane treatment.
General Pace’s public slap down was a remarkable moment. … continued below …
He signaled very clearly that a limit of the U.S. military’s cooperation with civilian leadership in the war in Iraq has been reached, at least on the issue of torture. Up to this point he has been willing to back up Rummy’s claim that troop training is going swell, despite evidence to the contrary. But on the issue of torture and abuse he drew a public line in the sand. U.S. soldiers and Marines have an obligation, a duty, to stop inhumane treatment regardless of who is doing it. General Pace understands, whereas Rummy is clueless, that once that line is crossed the military’s ability to maintain public support would be in jeopardy.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that Rummy’s attitude that there is no obligation to stop inhumane treatment was clearly conveyed to U.S. soldiers in the first days in Iraq. Unfortunately, those Generals in charge at that time, such as General Sanchez, did not have the guts and the spine to stand up to Rummy and let him know that U.S. troops will not tolerate nor engage in inhumane treatment. This is a hopeful sign. Maybe more Generals are coming to understand that the future of the Army is at stake.
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Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world. Further bio details.
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This cannot be the end of the story.
Rumsfeld does not brook contradiction, let alone when it humiliates him publicly.
Was Pace just pushed to the limits of honor and conscience, or has he also counted the consciences of his peers, I wonder.
And it wasn’t good when news channels played that back and the anchors chortled about Pace correcting Rummy.
A new genre in imperial intrigue: the coup-for-all.
Hi susan, have you noticed that the times are wrong. Your comment says 10:36 PDT am and its only 9:39 am PDT right now…PDT….I have noticed this the last couple of days…anyone else..
That’s odd. Because here’s what I see:
Do u have a gremlin in your ‘puter?
by susanhu (susanhuatearthlinkdotnet) on Wed Nov 30th, 2005 at 11:04:37 AM PDT
this is what I see and it’s 10:04 right now PDT
Some TV talker (tweety?) said the generals talk to Murtha, not the administration. Pace sounds like a brave person to me, and I’m sure rummy will try to punish him.
We’ve seen the lifelong effect on combatants of the Vietnam war (and previous wars). The generals care about the troops. Rumsfeld doesn’t.
is completely different, it seemed to me that they were engaging in a little quasi good cop bad cop for the cameras, Rum, whose popularity may be softening a bit, says something, then the brave uniformed hero idol reassures Americans that nothing bad can happen because Uncle Sam has a duty to oh no, not to worry, no inhumane treatment on our watch, we’re all over this one, and the President has repeatedly stated that US does not torture.
This was indeed a sparkling moment to me, when gen. Pace made that statement….after all the difficulty with the “insurgent” word that Rummy was so troubled with…he just couldn’t find another word to use…Is Rummy senile?????
When I read stuff like this I wonder about the guy’s background. Where did he live, where was he educated? How did his mindset develop to what it is now? I could almost understand, if he was not an American. To come from “my” generation, and carry around notions that are as sick as his are, causes me to ask, where did we go wrong??
Oh good grief. What is that meant to mean?
It simply means that the America I was taught about when I was a youngster would not produce a Rumsfeld.
I believe that was true then. I believe it is no longer true now. I was taught that we always took the high ground. We didn’t torture. We came to the defense of nations that were in harms way.
Actually, the America you lived in as a youngster did produce a Rumsfeld. Lots of them from the sounds of things. And you did torture. Always have. And you’ve always intervened violently in the perceived interests of the US. Pretty much all countries carry on like that to the extent that they can, so that’s normal.
The mythology was different from the truth, it always is. The big difference now is that the likes of Rumsfeld feel able to say this shit in public. Nothing else has changed, but that really is a fundamental one: you’re not even pretending to be a moral country anymore.
But don’t mind me: I’m not American, so I’m off to slap ’round the leprechauns I have chained in the cellar. They still haven’t told me where the gold is.
Coleman: Perhaps you are right. My response concerns the America I was taught to believe in a long time ago. Maybe it never really existed. But I think I really know that it is a lot different here in the last six years or so. If my original comment implied that I was pointing fingers at anyone outside the U.S., then I am sorry, that was not what I intended. Thanks for reminding me that the pond is international in scope. I need to be more aware when I contribute my two cents worth here. Hope I did not offend you.
Presuming your conception is correct…….(((jumping up and down on this revelation!!!!!!!)))):o) God, it is about time!!!!!!!! Now what will Pace’s future be, is the next question. If in fact he didn’t back rummy, will he be terminated like others?
Wow. A one-sentence window into the black hole that takes the place of Rumsfeld’s conscience.
He actually said in public that he expects U.S. soldiers to stand by and watch a person being tortured, then write up a report? Is there an official form for that?
Whenever Rumsfeld’s karma comes around, it’s gonna be way ugly.
“Obviously, the United States does not have a responsibility when a sovereign country engages in something that they disapprove of.”
Has no one noticed the elephant in the room here?
“the United States does not have a responsibility when a sovereign country engages in something that they disapprove of.”
WTF. The Bush White House invaded Iraq and, when WMD were not found, jacked the rhetoric over toward regime change because Saddam was a bad guy whose activities we supposedly disapproved of. But now the US has no responsibilty to interfere with sovereign countries doing things we disapprove of?
Rummy’s karma will surely kick his ass but the irony might drown him.
Good catch.
I remember this following incident when it supposedly happened. I thought it was a bad sign back then. It’s a look inside the people chosen to run that show.