John Warner of Virginia is one of those Republicans with a capital "R". He's like McCain, as conservative as the day is long, but not a kool-aid drinking fanatic. Sort of a throwback to the days before incivility. Well, now he's got the Chickenhawk Goopers all freaked out because he wants an investigation, not a whitewash of the Abu G-Rape scandals. And surprise, the biggie chickenhawks say it will be a "distraction"? Huh? Maintaining Good Order and Discipline is now a distraction?
Warner says his committee has a "solemn responsibility" to discover what went wrong and to "make sure it never, never happens again." But some conservatives are angry about the high-profile televised hearings, saying the prisoner-abuse issue is overblown and threatens to undermine the United States' primary mission in Iraq.
...
"I think he should stop the hearings at this point; we've heard enough," said Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), a committee member. "We have a war to win, and we need to keep our talents concentrated on winning the war as opposed to prisoner treatment."
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) complained that Warner and other Senate members have become "mesmerized by cameras." Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was irked when Warner, in a departure from normal committee practice, decided to put all abuse-inquiry witnesses -- including the secretary -- under oath, according to Senate sources.
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Friends say Warner -- a sailor in World War II, a Marine during the Korean War and secretary of the Navy before he came to the Senate in 1979 -- is motivated by a strong belief that the reputations of both the military and the Senate are at stake unless they get to the bottom of the scandal.
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Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), another committee member, has expressed concern that the hearing may be "a real distraction from trying to win the war, especially at this most fragile time." House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) also suggested a lower profile for the prisoner-abuse issue, saying, "We should not allow it to distract us from the war at hand."
So that's a pretty fabulous list of Chickenhawks, eh? Delay, Inhofe (the Senate's pet idiot), Cornyn ... jeez, the most junior E-1 in the service has more going for them than these no-loads. Actual Military service for one thing.
Even rabid kool-aid consumer Lindsay Graham is in favor of the investigation ... ooops, silly me, he's an AF vet (a JAG). Guess he doesn't want the military to be totally disgraced like the ChickenHawks do. Duncan Hunter was an Army Airborne guy '69-'71...it sort of surprises me that he would fall in line with the ChickenHawks on this one...but, whatever.
Oh, and I love this shot at you-know-who:
Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), the president's Democratic challenger, has mentioned Warner as a possible defense secretary, and there has been speculation that he may be in Bush's Cabinet list for a second term. But Warner dismissed such talk, saying running the Pentagon is a job for a younger person.
Ha Ha.
posted by Jo Fish on 05.28.04 at 12:51 AM
Comments:
For context, Kerry mentioned the senior Senators on the Armed Services committee when asked "who could possibly replace Rummy at this delicate time?" Kerry mentioned McCain, Levin, and Warner as some of the many people who could do the job.
Bush has forgotten to show respect for the Senate, and the old-timers are pissed. I don't think they are going to be nearly as accommodating as they has been. I'm getting the feeling that some of them are taking heat at home.
posted by: Bryan on 05.28.04 at 02:18 AM [permalink]
Investigation DeLay-ed is investigation denied.
posted by: Shag from Brookline on 05.28.04 at 06:56 AM [permalink]
This is a really strong statement by Warner. It doesn't quite amount to an open declaration of war. Remember, the investigation has already been held and blame has been placed. No further investigation by the Senate could do anything but climb the chain of command higher. They've already shot down Karpinski and Sanchez as much as they are willing. It sounds to my ear like a brushback pitch at Rumsfeld and maybe Bush himself. Not quite a declaration of war, more like knocking on the window while those two sit at dinner in a restaurant and mouthing the words "I'm watching you." The Senate is getting cranky and feeling not merely left out, but pissed off. Warner is saying "Watch your step" because they are not at all happy.
They shouldn't be. The way things are going now, Republican Senators' jobs are on the line as they will be viewed as being in a league with Bush on Iraq. The fact is that the Republican Party is all being indicted by Iraq, and as Iraq goes, so may well go the Republican Party. They toed the line too closely, stayed on message, and sacrificed their independence. Chickens, home, roost.
posted by: dean on 05.28.04 at 08:56 AM [permalink]
From the Marine Corps Leadership Traits:
*Integrity: Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principles; includes the qualities of truthfulness and honesty.
*Judgement: The ability to weigh facts and possible solutions on which to base sound decisions.
Too bad the chickenfuckers couldn't take some time to learn something from men of character and principle. But, that would require morals to begin with....
Semper FI
posted by: Barndog on 05.28.04 at 01:29 PM [permalink]
"I think he should stop the hearings at this point; we've heard enough," said Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), a committee member. "We have a war to win, and we need to keep our talents concentrated on winning the war as opposed to prisoner treatment."
we're still at war? I thought Chimpy McFlightsuit declared and end to major combat opps. gotta love Inhofe.
You're probably saying to yourself. "Boy, the old Fixer-man is a bigger idiot than usual, bitching about this Memorial Day thing, and Americans forgetting what this weekend is all about."
You know why? Because I dodged bullets for four years in Asia, drug interdiction in South America, and killing a few Cuban Communists in Grenada. I've lost friends over the years, guys (and gals, you politically-correct busybodies) who had the same things to live for that I did, families, hopes and dreams to make something of themselves and a better life for their kids. In short, I hate war.
I am a child of war, but call me the silver lining in the dark cloud of World War II. My mom was a German Army nurse during that war, and my dad was a British paratrooper. They met in Jamaica, Queens in 1953, after dad came back from the Korean Conflict. Yes, the poor bastard moved to the U.S. after WWII and was promptly drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950. They met and married and gave birth to one child, yours truly. In my family, on both sides, going back five hundred years, military service was understood.
I had to be coaxed, at age 17, to enlist (It was either enlist or serve 6 months on a Grand Theft Auto charge). And I'm grateful that my dad convinced the judge to give me a chance to redeem myself. I served eight years total (6 regular AF, 2 active reserve), and I'm proud of the part I played in protecting the country. I'd go again if they'd take this broken down old carcass, and there are many who would also go to protect this country without question. Old bastards like me who love America and would gladly lay down our lives to protect what we have. There are many like me, a couple million of them serving on active duty right now.
They go, without question, to where our leaders send them. They lay their lives on the line every day to do what our leaders say is a noble job. They will do it again and again because they made the commitment, officers and enlisted, generals to privates, they all made their commitments to the noble ideals of the United States of America. It is our leaders' responsiblity to assure the correctness of their sacrifice. People with such commitment do not deserve to have their lives wasted by those who have never looked into the business end of an enemy rifle. Unfortunately, I feel the lives of our boys and girls are being wasted in Iraq, and that pisses me off.
We have a bnch of guys in Washington who've never served in the military. Yes, I include President No Nuts because the only reason he went into the Guard was that there was no other way out. To these guys, the lives of our military personnel are just numbers on a ledger sheet, not exeptionally trained, valuable resources who should not be squandered in pursuit of imperialistic dreams.
Solders hate war. Anybody who enjoys killing, even in wartime, is a psychopath, period. Ask any general if he wants to put his people in harm's way. he'll tell you that a reality of war is that he has to, but he doesn't want to, and he doesn't want to do it frivolously. The glib frivoloity with which the Bush Administration went to war in Iraq is criminal, and the lack of planning for the aftermath is treasonous. I'm sorry, to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have perished in Iraq, to the families who will have an empty chair at future holiday gatherings, to all those who have suffered because of this fiasco, but 800 lives have been lost for NOTHING. You have not sacrificed your lives to protect this great nation and the Constitution, you were murdered by people who only see your lives as a means to an end. Hopefully, some time soon, they will be forced to pay.
Yes, I am one pissed off motherfucker this Memorial Day. 800 of my brothers and sisters are dead, close to 5000 wounded, for NOTHING. They say Bush went to war to avenge his daddy. Well, I want vengeance for our honored dead this past year. Getting Bush out in November is not good enough. I want him in jail.
