FURIOUS BUSH DEMANDS TO SEE ALL PRISONER ABUSE PHOTOS, VIDEOS

Drudge ^ | 5/9/04 | Matt Drudge

[demkicker]

A furious President Bush has demanded to see all photos and videos showing abuse of Iraq detainees, a senior White House source said late Sunday.

"The president was blindsided by the first TV images, he will not be blindsided again," the source, who demanded anonymity, explained to the DRUDGE REPORT.

The president has instructed Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to present him with him all known images that could further deepen the crises.

Monday editions of the NEW YORKER feature photos of a dog attacking a naked Iraqi detainee at Abu Ghraib prison.

President Bush was aware of the photo, the top source claims.

The White House is preparing for more fallout, and leaks from lawmakers.

The Pentagon is considering the possibility of showing the unseen material to members of Congress.

"It's clear the moment the evidence is sent to the Congress, we will see a new feeding frenzy in the media."

[Psycho_Bunny]

all known images that could further deepen the crises.

What "crises"?

All I see is media hysteria and scandalbation.

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

[luvbach1]

You are right. It may well be impossible to win a war with the Demonrat Party having a voice in its conduct.

[sinkspur]

Young, ignorant, and, at least in one case, criminal behavior.

The alpha dog of the group, likely the 35-year old Sgt. Gruner, (who, by the way, was already in trouble with the law for beating his wife), decided to have some fun with the camel-jockeys, and the rest of the weekend warriors went along, lest they be labeled "pussies."

That is, except for one, who couldn't stand the stain on his honor.

Those in charge of Gruner either looked the other way (the more cynical view) or they were just overwhelmed with the task of thousands of ex-Baathists in custody and left each unit to run itself.

That's what I think happened.

[Southack]

"You have it in your head that this is some kind of gay porn ring. I don't think it is, in the least."

I'm very suspicious that it is a gay porn ring; not completely convinced, but almost.

If it was just a few "souvenier" photos of hazing, I'd probably be more receptive to your argument.

But *thousands* of digital photos of nude men stacked in naked human pyramids, paraded around on dog leashes while nude, and videos of homosexual rapes...well, that just strikes me as probably being a gay porn ring rather than a normal military prison.

No matter, though. Gay or straight they should be doing time at Leavenworth.

[IfYouSaySo]

As I recall, the reference to 1000 photos by Hersh referred to the number of photos on the disk he received. He said that the vast majority were simple travelogue photos, i.e., man on camel...friends in front of a mosque, etc.

This does not look like a “porn ring“ Rather, it looks like photos of “what we saw in Iraq.” At least that was how Hersh described the cd in an interview I saw.

[Fester Chugabrew]

We will forever be second guessing ourselves about how quickly and in what manner this had to be dealt with. IMO, bleeding it via media was not the way to go. Detractors will say, "If we hadn't made these pictures public, you would've sat on the evidence for years." My answer to that is, "So what?"

In short, the publicity is as unwarranted as the acts themselves.

[TheCrusader]

"Are you serious? Holding a barking dog on a naked man, cowering in fear? --- There is simply no defense for this. None."

Ever occur to you that dogs are kept in POW camps for a good reason? This man was probably threatening the guard, or perhaps tried to escape. He could have been totally uncooperative with the guard. Maybe he even hit an MP. "Every picture tells a story", but only a moron will conclude any story before he knows all the facts that occurred before and after the picture.

[plain talk]

I find it interesting how gutless many people are when it comes to matters like this to say publicly what most people think to themselves. After 9/11, few people had problems with using real torture if that's what it took to get information out of those responsible. Here we have essentially fraternity pranks conducted on terrorists and armed combatants attempting to kill our soldiers.

What are you referring to? I didn't see a photo of a dog biting a man. It looked like they were just taunting him. Actually a few little dog bites wouldn't be too bad an idea either if it would extract information and save lives. I see nothing wrong with using any means necessary to defend our soldiers. The only mistake made was the photos were taken and leaked to the press.

[LandOfLincolnGOP]

you don't seem to understand - THEY WANT HIM TO BE RESPONSIBLE. The Dems and the media don't just want a thorough investigation of the guilty parties - they want Bush to fall, and they want the US to lose its ability to project military power in a war they don't "approve of".

I understand a lot of things. I understand that some things are more important than politics. I understand that the only way to get on top of this thing is for President Bush to show the type of strong leadership he's known for and demand accountability from our military and its civilian leadership. And I understand that our values -- American values -- can endure beyond this crisis, beyond this election, and beyond this lousy opportunity a few bad soldiers gave the Rats here at home.

My faith in our values and in President Bush are steadfast. My faith in some of my fellow FReepers trying to sweep this disgusting behavior under the rug, or to blame the messengers? Much lower.

[sinkspur]

This man was probably threatening the guard, or perhaps tried to escape. He could have been totally uncooperative with the guard.

Did you see the pictures? He's shackled. And naked. What's he threatening the guard with? His penis?

My wife is sometimes uncooperative with me, but I don't turn dogs loose on her.

[MJY1288]

sink, We have been told that 1000 pictures were taken and they were leaked to the Press. We have seen about 10 or so of them. Do you think CBS chose the photo's that would do the least harm to efforts in Iraq, or they chose the one's that were least likely to damage the Bush Administration?

If so, I have a bridge to sell you!

The day before the pictures were released by CBS, somehow the Classified DOD report on the investigation of the prisoner abuse was released to the media without permission from the DOD. Do you think that was just a coincidence, or an innocent mistake made by a staffer?

Good God bud OPEN YOUR EYES, we are under attack by the fourth estate and the fifth column in this country....AKA the Dems and the Media

[SierraWasp]

I don't know what the sinker is gettin so excited about. First they said adnauseum, 911 was our government's fault for not having good enough intel... Now they're saying, Iraq is gonna be lost because our techniques were a little overly agressive and humiliating and (gasp)... there are pictures!!!

There were pictures of the "Highway of Death," too and I still believe that's why we halted Gulf War I!!!

I think we're "lookin for love in all the wrong places!" That's why we lose our nerve and waste billions on trying to fix entire nations, only to be frustrated by a population raised on visual aids!!!

The picture of "the good earth," rising over a "dead moonscape" launched a GovernMental EnvironMental extremism movement our economy has stuggled with for thirty five friggen years in this nation!!!

A picture of a burned, naked female Vietnamese child and Walter Chronkite caused the greatest nation in the planet's history to turn tail and run like the politically corrected cowards the "peace movement" wished us to be... all to save something called "a sense of moral superiority" we find so comfortable until planes crash into tall buildings, killing everyone possible.

This is what's wrong with "Group-Think!" We elect leaders... Then refuse to allow them to lead!!!

[sinkspur]

Good God bud OPEN YOUR EYES, we are under attack by the fourth estate and the fifth column in this country....AKA the Dems and the Media

Oh for heaven's sake!

Either this stuff happened, or it didn't.

It apparently DID happen, since none of the military are denying it. Only head-in-the-sand FReepers, like yourself, are coming up with wild-eyed conspiracy theories in an attempt to explain it away.

Eventually, you will learn that bad stuff happens, and we have to accept that bad stuff.

This is very bad stuff.

[onyx]

Hackworth has been after Rummy for a while now.
I posted this on a thread a few days ago.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/08/04/hackworth/index_np.html

Hackworth facilitated CBS getting the photos.
Damn him.

[TheCrusader]

"This is NOT resisting arrest!!! The guy's standing there, buck naked, with a 100 pound dog, with 3 inch bicuspids bared in his direction!"

And of course, being naked is the proof that the Iraqi assassin/terrorist thug wasn't being uncooperative or acting dangerously before the dog arrived to help. Yep, once their clothes are off these Islomaniac insurgents who run at American tanks firing small arms and who strap suicide bomb vests to themselves become completely docile. All we need to do now, according to Sinkspur, is burn all the clothes in Iraq and claim total victory over the docile ones.

[sinkspur]

Now they're saying, Iraq is gonna be lost because our techniques were a little overly agressive and humiliating and (gasp)... there are pictures!!!

Yes. There are pictures.

And, everybody, from the President on down, says this is reprehensible behavior.

Only on Free Republic do I find defenses for it.

Nowhere else.

[sinkspur]

And of course, being naked is the proof that the Iraqi assassin/terrorist thug wasn't being uncooperative or acting dangerously before the dog arrived to help.

Tell me how a naked man, with his hands tied behind his back, acts dangerously. I'm anxious to hear this.

[LisaMalia]

I'm very suspicious that it is a gay porn ring; not completely convinced, but almost.

It is so obvious to me that this is a setup from some very determined people to make our President, military and country look bad. Think about it. All the posed pictures? People with a political agenda have alot to gain from this.

I'm not sure who the guilty parties are who perpatrated this fiasco, but I hope that SOME viable journalist (we know they're out there somewhere) gets to the truth, and exposes the people who are behind this.

[sinkspur]

Here we have essentially fraternity pranks conducted on terrorists and armed combatants attempting to kill our soldiers.

"Fraternity pranks" like this get fraternities shut down, buster.

And, these men weren't armed.

They were buck naked with their hands shackled behind their backs!

Actually a few little dog bites wouldn't be too bad an idea either if it would extract information and save lives. I see nothing wrong with using any means necessary to defend our soldiers.

Every military expert I've heard, including several on this forum, said that this kind of technique is the last thing that should be used to extract information, as it WOULD....NOT....WORK!

The only mistake made was the photos were taken and leaked to the press.

So, any means is OK with you, as long as we don't know about it?

You are one sick puppy.

[kenth]

It's interesting that you couldn't possibly know what really happened, and that you're jumping to conclusions regarding the picture. But others are able to ascertain the guilt and just desserts from said photograph.