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| Posted By: Harry Posted On: May 7, 2004 Views: 338 | Rumsfeld to testify By SONYA ROSS, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - A Democratic senator became the first in Congress to demand Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation over the U.S. military's abuse of Iraqi prisoners, but the White House reaffirmed President Bush's support of the embattled Cabinet officer. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, demanded Rumsfeld's ouster "for the good of our country, the safety of our troops, and our image around the globe. "If he does not resign forthwith, the president should fire him," Harkin said. The top House Democrat indicated she, too, wanted Rumsfeld out. Asked if she thought Rumsfeld should quit, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., replied, "Yes, I do." She did not immediately elaborate. Harkin's statement came as White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush "absolutely" wants Rumsfeld to remain in office. "The president very much appreciates the job Secretary Rumsfeld is doing and the president has great confidence in his leadership," said McClellan. The spokesman declined to characterize Bush's comments to Rumsfeld in a private conversation between the two men on Wednesday, though another Bush aide said the president had given his Cabinet officer a "mild rebuke." Rumsfeld, scheduled to testify publicly before a Senate committee on Friday, abruptly canceled a scheduled speech in Philadelphia in order to prepare for the hearing, according to a Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Harkin, a critic of the administration's foreign policy, said in his statement that "the secretary must be held accountable" for abuses in military prisons. "The United States Constitution assures civilian control over the military. The blame cannot and should not remain solely with low-level soldiers," he said. In a Thursday editorial, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called for Rumsfeld to resign over the "botched handling" of the investigation into the prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and over earlier Iraq war decisions. And a column in The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman called on President Bush to fire Rumsfeld "today, not tomorrow or next month." Asked about the column, Republican Sen. John McCain told CBS' "The Early Show," "I don't presume to tell the president what he should do, but it's obvious that there's a lot of explaining that Secretary Rumsfeld and others have to do." Reports of abusive treatment of Iraqi detainees, including Iraqis forced to submit to sexual humiliations, have sparked a torrent of criticism in Congress from lawmakers demanding that the administration investigate fully. Several Republicans have expressed unhappiness in recent days that they were not informed of the abuses until they were disclosed publicly on CBS, which aired photographs as evidence. White House aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that privately, Bush made it clear to Rumsfeld that he was displeased over not learning about the pictures of U.S. soldiers posing with hooded or naked Iraqi prisoners until the images aired on national television. The president, in an interview Wednesday with the U.S.-sponsored Al-Hurra television network, expressed "confidence in the secretary of defense" and "confidence in the commanders on the ground in Iraq." He promised "people will be held to account" for the prisoner abuses. Whether Rumsfeld will be one of those people remained unclear. Rumsfeld himself has deflected questions about whether he should resign. But as the defense secretary prepared for Friday's congressional hearing on the prison abuses, the chorus of criticism gathered strength. In its Thursday editions, the Post-Dispatch called for Rumsfeld's resignation not only because of the prisoner abuses but also because Rumsfeld "seriously underestimated" both the number of U.S. troops needed in the Iraq conflict and the threat from weapons of mass destruction posed by Saddam Hussein's government. "It's the accumulation of all these miscalculations, misconceptions and missteps _ and an arrogant inability to admit his mistakes _ that require him to step down," the editorial said. Rumsfeld was the architect of the Iraq war _ and his department largely controlled the postwar occupation. As that occupation has become plagued by wide-ranging problems, including a stubborn insurgency, the criticism of him has grown. There were complaints that reconstruction contracts were not issued competitively and that there were too few U.S. soldiers on hand to secure the country. But the complaints have crystallized now _ especially among Democrats, but even among Republicans _ over the pictures of prisoner abuse by U.S. forces, and whether the Pentagon informed Congress or the president soon enough about the growing investigations. "The Congress ... has been kept completely in the dark," McCain said. |
| Posted By: legion Posted On: May 7, 2004 Views: 334 | RE: Rumsfeld to testify Don't you get sick and tired of these political type scumbags calling for each other to resign all the time? It gets a little tiresome after a while - we all know darn well NO ONE is aboot to resign, ever, for anything, so why not spare us all the histrionics? We know Bumsfeld is a liar and a professional conman, so should every politician. They should all resign, right after they apologize for their incompetent self serving bungling, meddlesome warmongering and crimes against humanity during the course of their so called 'leadership'....AND I'm sure all this will happen just as soon as minkies fly out of my butt. Totalitarianism is democracy's natural conclusion. That is all. (don't forget: mid terms next week will cover everything I've taught you Minks thus far...) |
| Posted By: Complainer #1 Posted On: May 7, 2004 Views: 330 | RE: Exams? Why, I can't study 'cuz my copy of Das Capital has sticky pages. Seems Wiz was playing around again. Oh, and Francois ate my homework. True story. |
| Posted By: Donald R. Posted On: May 7, 2004 Views: 326 | RE: I'm going to testify Why should I take the heat due to afew bad eggs at camp? If anyone should be introuble for all of this it should be the soldiers that did this or the squad. Dummys |
| Posted By: François Montepelier Posted On: May 7, 2004 Views: 321 | Bull and **** chocolate It is all bull**** american politics Legion man. They all lie and bomb people and lie and again. I am French, I don't care for their fat bellies. François Montepelier |
| Posted By: Tangler100 Posted On: May 7, 2004 Views: 320 | Hang on, Shrub's already apologized. As I've said earlier, Shrub has taken this Iraqi POW abuse VERY seriously and is NOT shovin' it under the Humvee. Rumsfield has been read the riot act; Rumsfield is not a 'tarded Minky--but maybe he SHOULD connect his boot into Lego's butt. Call that a lesson in forward propulsion. Shrub has spoken directly on Arab TV to express his outrage, and, while talking to the King of Jordan, King Abdullah II, has apologized for this completely unacceptable and untolerable 'Murkinville troop behavior. Those responsible are being brought to justice. As far as Rumsfield goes, he knows his butt's on the chopping block from now on, and he's not gonna let it fall off. So somebody go tell Lego the Minky's are flyin' off his butt for lack of decent buttcrack space. The groove just wasn't big enough, and it sure as hell stunk as well. ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) |
| Posted By: the ugly american Posted On: May 7, 2004 Views: 309 | You better duck and cover, Francois Ha ha who is stupid forinor now please thanking you while you rub sore anus. Isn't it a little funny how France didnt' want the US to invade Iraq and find out the little scam France and Co were pulling with the Oil for Food program, all under the 'watchful eye' of the UN. Funny thing, that! Well, as long as BlackJack Chirac keeps up his nonsense, the missiles will be flying into France soon enough. And that's all I got to say about that, you smelly excuse for a human. TUA ua@americarocks.com |
| Posted By: François Montepelier Posted On: May 8, 2004 Views: 288 | Rubbish France did not want another aggression USA war bacause imperialist war is bad you fool american. I do not no what you say with oil and food program? You are saying silly thing to fool me. What do you mean? No missiles hit France because France is intteligent to wash it's hand of bad war and Bush and Blair bullies of poor iraq people. It is is not me who is stinking, ity is you you dirty pig furker arrogant war lover. Shame on your bad pig you fool man! François Montepelier |
| Posted By: Harry Posted On: May 9, 2004 Views: 272 | Atancion Monsieur François Montepelier Watch your steps Monsieur Le Professeor!  |
| Posted By: legion Posted On: May 11, 2004 Views: 257 | RE: Rumsfeld to testify So I take it those of you who want to nuke Iraq are pretty much admitting that we're openly at war with the Iraqis, not "liberating" them, like we claimed to be doing earlier. Just checking. Heheh. This is too easy. Enjoying the deconstruction of Empire? Interesting times we live in, which is nice if you're NOT in the middle of it (such as good ole neutral Canada) Gotta go read about the beheading of Murkin captives right now, see you later. |
| Posted By: JSK Posted On: May 11, 2004 Views: 251 | RE: Rumsfeld to testify Leege, Why not go check out what they did to the Italian guy.Oh yeah you can't! Ofcourse seeing he wasn't American they didn't show it on Arabic television or on Islamic sites like they did for the guy who just got beheaded. And I heard they killed him pritty sickly as well. You forign pricks must be masterbating to the thought that some innocent guy just got killed especially seeing he was American. Yeah, real nice ... real funny. Some dude which wasn't even in the armed forces gets captured and killed on camera. Thank the media for this one. They usually hide or let other things pass when other countries do wrong. One American group screw up (the torture)& suddenly we look past who we did it to. Now these murders think this is just another reason to jump on the band wagon of death. Your a ****ing cock sucker Leege writting like you did. Frans-ass how's your farming? JSK |
| Posted By: alfonsothefan Posted On: May 11, 2004 Views: 249 | RE: He doesn't care, killer This zero, this disgrace as an excuse for a human being, is laughing now about the beheading of an American. It's obvious, so blatently obvious, how this moron and others allow jealousy of richer, more productive people get to them. Like his bitch butt buddy on the other bored, Sperm Jolly thinks America had it coming or it's various agencies somehow were 'in on the game.' He won't be satisied until his pathological obsession in seeing us fail is brought to fruition. Funny, cuz we are heading in the right direction thanks to tax cuts and such. My my these lefties hate losing. See, my 401k and IRA are increasing greatly and will continue to regardless of which nitwit gets to be prez. He knows I know that -- as a Canajin -- he cannot improve his lot much. Sux to be those stuck in the frozen tundra but there you are... atf |
| Posted By: Harry Posted On: May 12, 2004 Views: 244 | Iraqi women wrestling team I wish the Iraqi war was settled between our and Iraqi female wrestling teams! That would have been fun to watch! I don't even want to think that Legion is actually happy about Americans being beheaded, anyway that would belie his anti-nationalistic and anti-war ideas. I think he is saying that to give you guys hard time. |
| Posted By: JSK Posted On: May 12, 2004 Views: 242 | RE: Rumsfeld to testify No Harry to me thats not just giving American's a hard time its showing that as long as its an American death its ok to do. **** him JSK |
| Posted By: JSK Posted On: May 12, 2004 Views: 241 | RE: Rumsfeld to testify Nice pic Harry ... Wheres the evil army of American's when you need a good raping? JSK |
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