In a series of interviews early this year, the first he has given, Taguba told me that he understood when he began the inquiry that it could damage his career; early on, a senior general in Iraq had pointed out to him that the abused detainees were “only Iraqis.” Even so, he was not prepared for the greeting he received when he was finally ushered in.It's a recurring pattern with the Bushies. They never want the truth to come out, and if it does, they just shrug and say, "What are ya gonna do about it?"
“Here . . . comes . . . that famous General Taguba—of the Taguba report!” Rumsfeld declared, in a mocking voice. The meeting was attended by Paul Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld’s deputy; Stephen Cambone, the Under-Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J.C.S.); and General Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, along with Craddock and other officials. Taguba, describing the moment nearly three years later, said, sadly, “I thought they wanted to know. I assumed they wanted to know. I was ignorant of the setting.”
Then they turn and around and either shoot or destroy the career of the messenger.
Taguba got a different message, however, from other officers, among them General John Abizaid, then the head of Central Command. A few weeks after his report became public, Taguba, who was still in Kuwait, was in the back seat of a Mercedes sedan with Abizaid. Abizaid’s driver and his interpreter, who also served as a bodyguard, were in front. Abizaid turned to Taguba and issued a quiet warning: “You and your report will be investigated.”I hate these people with the heat of a thousand suns. They have no honor. None. Every single one of them should be driven from public service.
“I wasn’t angry about what he said but disappointed that he would say that to me,” Taguba said. “I’d been in the Army thirty-two years by then, and it was the first time that I thought I was in the Mafia.”
And the earth should be salted behind them.
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5 comments:
A friend and I were discussing this topic this afternoon. I said I wish the liberals would come up with a catch phrase that we could use in every instance to put the conservatives in place. He suggested "vicious and sadistic."
These people need to be branded in a with a simple telling phrase.
Anybody have any other suggestions?
Criminals.
Sandy, "utterly without honor" works for me.
It sums it all up.
There's nothing they won't do. No one they won't trash.
Yes, 4Legs -- that's a good phrase.
I don't want to stoop to their practices, but I just want to make them sweat a little. I wish there could be a rallying cry we could all get behind that begins to influence the wider public. "Utterly without honor" sounds good to me.
"Utterly without honor" describes the radical Republicans and neocons well.
Also utterly without common sense. Greed for money and greed for power in the public sphere do eventually lead to exposure.
In a functioning Democracy, that is.
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