Senate To Investigate Administration Coercion of Military Lawyers
Senate To Investigate Administration Coercion of Military Lawyers
Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) alleged that the U.S. military’s top uniformed lawyers were pressured by the administration for more than five hours to “sign a prepared statement” supporting the President’s proposal for military tribunals. Today on CBS’s Face The Nation, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) announced that he plans to hold a hearing investigating the incident. The JAG lawyers would be called as witnesses. Watch it:
Full transcript:
SCHIEFFER: One final question to Senator Specter. Senator Specter, do you see a way out here?
SPECTER: I definitely do. It is our job in the Congress, in the Senate to solve these problems. And if we sit down and work on it, the research we found yesterday which hadn’t been discussed before, where you have the Geneva Convention of 1990 on torture incorporating just the provisions that Senator McCain is concerned about, and when you have the judge advocate generals in this, I think we perhaps ought to have another hearing. We had a letter which was constructed with the Department of Defense last week, which has been subject to challenge as to whether the JAG officers were pressured.
The Judiciary Committee has the primary responsibility on war crimes and on the Geneva Convention. And I think that we can really find out where those JAG officers stand if we have a question-and-answer session. So that our people are going to be at work this afternoon with Senator McCain’s staff and tomorrow morning with Senator Warner and Senator Graham’s staff.
And our job is to find an answer. And I think we can give the CIA the tools it needs to protect Americans and to question terrorists and to comply with the Geneva Convention. That’s our job, and we can do it.
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Arlen will bury it.
September 17th, 2006 at 11:51 amI am so tired of Spector spouting off about how Congress needs to protect the American people. Just like every other repugnut he talks big and has no follow through.
How many “hearings” on how many topics concerning violations by this corrupt administration has Spector claimed he was going to have? I have lost count.
September 17th, 2006 at 11:52 amHe said, “Perhaps…”
It will never happen. This is Arlen Specter.
September 17th, 2006 at 11:58 amYeah, like he investigated the warrantless wiretaps. We all know how that turned out.
Shutup Oathbreaker Specter, unless you are going to actually do your job and defend the constitution against the law breaking Bush administration,as you swore to in your oath of office.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:00 pmGood ‘ol Arlen has been a fixer since the JFK hit.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:03 pmSpector barks again.
He’ll have his tail tucked back between his legs by tomorrow.
Then he’ll be figuring out a way to let the administration off the hook with this one.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:05 pm“Geneva Convention of 1990 on torture incorporating just the provisions that Senator McCain is concerned about…”
There is no such thing as a Geneva Convention of 1990, on torture or anything else. Specter’s making it sound like the President’s bill reflects international law. It does no such thing.
http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/
September 17th, 2006 at 12:09 pmArlen, arlen, arlen specterlation….Look double speak lier, 2 faced reich winged little yes man….We the people have had enough of you’re ass covering…Just go away and don’t bother with any more of you’re lies, you’re wasting our time and showing what a poor excuse of a citizen you are….To every one else….Blessings
September 17th, 2006 at 12:15 pmSUUUUUUURRRRREEEE you will, Arlen! We believe you. The check is in the mail.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:16 pmThe shit ’s hit the fan all over D.C , all we get is promises , from the same yellow jello bellyed double talking politicos with a white wash in mind . CRAP ON YOUR HOUSES.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:17 pmU.S. war prisons legal vacuum for 14,000
BAGHDAD, Iraq – In the few short years since the first shackled Afghan shuffled off to Guantanamo, the U.S. military has created a global network of overseas prisons, its islands of high security keeping 14,000 detainees beyond the reach of established law.
What you gonna do bang up 14,000 for the rest of their lifes being tortured in secret prison
The war on Karma is getting to much for the world
STORY FROM YAHOO NEWS
September 17th, 2006 at 12:18 pmCAPTION:
“Yes folks,Ill really really really really investigate this time,I promise.”
September 17th, 2006 at 12:20 pmHuman rights groups count dozens of detainee deaths for which no one has been punished or that were never explained. The secret prisons — unknown in number and location — remain available for future detainees. The new manual banning torture doesn’t cover CIA interrogators. And thousands of people still languish in a limbo, deprived of one of common law’s oldest rights, habeas corpus, the right to know why you are imprisoned.
“If you, God forbid, are an innocent Afghan who gets sold down the river by some warlord rival, you can end up at Bagram and you have absolutely no way of clearing your name,” said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch in New York. “You can’t have a lawyer present evidence, or do anything organized to get yourself out of there.”
The U.S. government has contended it can hold detainees until the “war on terror” ends — as it determines.
Stop the war on Terror (Karma) and let them all go , and put bush in prison , If that man loves his country so much he wont mind being in Jail for the rest of his life for mass murder against the human race ……. Bush make Hitler look like a saint
September 17th, 2006 at 12:21 pmArlen Spector, the liar who said he was going to investigate the illegal wiretapping, the liar who said he was going to investigate torture, the liar who said his NSA bill did not contain retroactive pardons for Bush/Cheney, the liar who said his new NSA bill doesn’t call for removal of current lower court actions against the NSA and phone companies to the secret FISA court, the liar who said he won “concessions” from GW that he will follow the law (if he feels like it). And you believe him yet again WHY?
September 17th, 2006 at 12:30 pmOH NO! Not the magic bullet boy again! How many times are we supposed to fall for this. Fool me once… keep on fooling me?
September 17th, 2006 at 12:31 pm# 6 – Starwheel
It’s not that “he’ll have his tail tucked between his legs by tomorrow”
September 17th, 2006 at 12:38 pmHe’s a front man. Don’t you know this? He only makes noises to keep his opponents ( The Dems and the American people in general) off guard. He is not a moral man. He is a lying sack of shit. He introduces things that he senses that we on the “other side” want only to say..he “tried.” He is cynical, dishonest, and an arm of the right wing government. He has no intention of holding this administration accountable…….in any way whatsoever.
Thank’s for the great link, BnF……Blessings
September 17th, 2006 at 12:41 pmI caught this show and wrote about it over at my blog. It was pretty clear who came out on top of this issue.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:43 pmAmerica’s Least Wanted
When it comes to Specter, “Hearings” is an oxymoron (as opposed to plain moron). The mealy mouth sycophant may hold “Hearings” but he sure as hell has never held a “Listening.” Like most all Rethugs, Specter has good hearing but his listening is impaired.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:52 pmLOL
I get a kick out of Specter, sure, he’ll investigate it.
And then when he figures out crimes were committed, he’ll pass a law legalizing it.
What a joke.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:54 pmSen Specter is using weasel words before he even gets started on this thing. He really can’t help himself, can he?
September 17th, 2006 at 12:58 pmIsn’t it interesting that the Dems can finally appear to hold the moral high ground? More than once on MTP, Sen. Levin spoke of America and “values”, needing to stand by Article III of the Geneva Conventions. It would further demonstrate our moral decency to the world, as opposed to undermining it as we have in recent events including Abu ghraib, Guantanamo, and the secret CIA prisons. Once again, Bush is way off course. He endangers American values, American soldiers, and the American people.
September 17th, 2006 at 1:13 pmSen Specter’s has become an old whore who’s been rode hard and put away wet.
September 17th, 2006 at 1:19 pmIsn’t it interesting that the Dems finally appear to be the ones holding the moral high ground on this? Sen Levin was on MTP this morning, and more than once he said we need to stand by Article III of the Geneva conventions and our American “values”. Bush cherry-picked prewar intelligence to justify his true desire. And the White house is now trying to script law to meet its deeper purpose; “the ends justifies the means.” But it endangers American soldiers, American values, and the very fabric of our Constitution. Do American values stop at the border? In the president’s eyes, they do. Our image has been hurt around the globe by Abu ghraib, Guantanamo, and the secret CIA prisons, and this will inevitably add to it.
September 17th, 2006 at 1:27 pm(Sorry to say the same thing twice; I didn’t think it was posted).
September 17th, 2006 at 1:28 pmHe’s the village bicycle? Well he’s a tool anyway.
He’ll use his bogus investigation into this “incident” as a diversion. 5 hours of Bush proclaiming his authority sounds pretty much like torture to me.
September 17th, 2006 at 1:32 pmI have learned to NOT believe anything Arlen Specter says.
September 17th, 2006 at 1:33 pmWould Jesus “Water board”?
September 17th, 2006 at 1:38 pmYou mean people who blow CIA agent’s cover during wartime also strongarm people to get their way? What is this? Some kinda Banana Republic?
September 17th, 2006 at 2:10 pmWhatever Spector does, or doesn’t do, it’s outrageous that these men were pressured for 5 hours to sign the statement supporting Bush’s proposal. It shows how BushCo does things; by force, certainly using harassasment and bullying to get their way.
The issue of torture is symbolic of BushCo’s disdane for human rights in general. Bush Cheney and Rumsfeld would have been right at home in the Third Reich.
September 17th, 2006 at 2:17 pm#23 Zooey
What you say is true but he is still happier than a dead pig under a new wagon.
September 17th, 2006 at 2:34 pmSpecter is a worthless Bush stooge, so he will never properly investigate this matter!
September 17th, 2006 at 2:56 pmMY GOD READ THIS Waterboarding WikiPedia
The prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner’s face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt. According to the sources, CIA officers who subjected themselves to the water boarding technique lasted an average of 14 seconds before caving in. They said al Qaeda’s toughest prisoner, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, won the admiration of interrogators when he was able to last over two minutes before begging to confess. “The person believes they are being killed, and as such, it really amounts to a mock execution, which is illegal under international law,” said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch.[
September 17th, 2006 at 2:58 pmArlen Specter is a sham. This GOP piece of scat doesn’t care about the American People. He is only concerned with saving his old scrawny criminal butt.
September 17th, 2006 at 3:00 pmWaterboarding in WikiPedia look it up
The prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner’s face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt. According to the sources, CIA officers who subjected themselves to the water boarding technique lasted an average of 14 seconds before caving in. They said al Qaeda’s toughest prisoner, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, won the admiration of interrogators when he was able to last over two minutes before begging to confess. “The person believes they are being killed, and as such, it really amounts to a mock execution, which is illegal under international law,” said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch.
September 17th, 2006 at 3:04 pmHehehe
He said “JAG-officers”
September 17th, 2006 at 3:09 pmren > unfortunately Hell would have to freeze over for Arlen Specter to actually truely investigate wrongdoing by the Dubya Dunce Decider Despot > lol.
September 17th, 2006 at 3:12 pmOh yea! Specter going to do another investigation and I’ll bet that there will be no swearing in, again, before answering questions. And, before Specter writes a bill, he will first consult with the WH to make sure it has frat boy Bush’s approvel before bringing it to the Committee.
Wonder what kind of dirt traitor Rove and traitor Cheney has on Specter for Specter to kiss their butts. If only Specter would get down on his knees and give frat boy… you can fill in the rest.
September 17th, 2006 at 3:16 pmTobey Tall
and put bush in prison
This is all I want for Christmas… Cheney/Bush/Rumsfeld cartel tried for war crimes and found guilty and…life in prison where they can become someone’s new “girlfriend”.
September 17th, 2006 at 3:22 pmno need to inform america that on the 14-Sep-2006 a US soldier went missing in Iraq
This will be the first guy to get what Bush says is now legal ?????
think carefully
September 17th, 2006 at 3:37 pmDo not – I repeat , Do Not, believe a word this man says. Watch what he does.
September 17th, 2006 at 3:38 pmHis record is full of saying the right thing, and then toeing the party line, never offending the White House, and granting favors to AG and others who come before his committees.
#44, TT
I haven’t heard another word since the news of the soldier going missing.
It’s like it’s not a news item – does anyone know anything?
My cynical mind is telling me that we will not be told of any soldier who might possibly be held as a prisoner because Bush won’t want people to think of what might happen to our captured guys if he gets his way in re-writing the 50 year old Geneva Conventions.
September 17th, 2006 at 3:40 pmAnyway it looks like a (BAD) deal is closer already
Deal may be in works on interrogations AP – 2 hours, 16 minutes ago
YAHOO NEWS FRONT PAGE
W.House: deal possible on CIA interrogations
September 17th, 2006 at 3:43 pmREUTERS HOME PAGE
“…we can give the CIA the tools it needs …”
how long has the CIA been around? … they’ve always had the tools – just didn’t use them very well…
and, yea, that qualifier “perhaps” – can’t beat that for a cop-out…
September 17th, 2006 at 4:36 pmi don’t believe anything he says…
Specter’s a run of the mill “con man”. He makes the mafioso look like boy scouts. He’s one slick sicko! Just watch the clips about how he is attempting to insert “retroactive exoneration” for BushCo’s criminal behavior in the actual bill but telling the national public that he is not. Get rid of this con artist now! His 9/11 commission report is full of lies and guff. He’s an embarrassing fraud.
September 17th, 2006 at 4:54 pmjust read about Arlan and the JFK Hit – yeah! Where was good old boy Arlan?? In the same place as Papa Bush, no doubt, who was the head of the CIA….I think we need the JFK murder reopened and, this time, remove anyone with a “vested interest” in covering up the truth …. then we might get a bit closer to what really happened.
September 17th, 2006 at 4:56 pmKaty,
September 17th, 2006 at 4:56 pmThat’s what is so suspicious of Bush’s intentions here — Geneva Conventions must be revised NOW? After 50 years?
Could it be that Bushie and friends fear they may be charged with crimes?
His AG and other judicial friends might not be able to protect him entirely.
He claims to want to protect the CIa and others not-in-uniform — that’s him, right, and everyone else in the White House who knew of torture and approved it?
He wants changes made retroactive — jeez – does the country need a ton of bricks to fall on us before we see his reasons?
Congress will tap dance and try their best to accommodate him, but this is going to be like climbing a greased pole. We will watch closely.
I am not hopeful that we, the nation, will come out on top of this, but there should be a rancorous debate.
In the end it will be our soldiers who are at risk.
Bush re-writes the articles to suit himself, so other nations will do so also. The non-state Al Qaeda is not our only enemy.
In Friday’s news conference, Bush says that he hopes other nations, such as Iran, Syria and North Korea follow America’s lead on interpreting Article III of the Geneva Convertion and treats prisoners according to Bush’s interpretation of Article III… so waterboarding captured American solders would be considered acceptable behavior, according to Bush’s interpretation.
September 17th, 2006 at 5:00 pmWe need a change in direction in November… put the Democrats back in charge of the Senate so Specter can become a minority member on the Judicial Committee. This is the only way we can stop this nonsense and maybe, in another 50 years or so, we can gain respectability from other nations.
September 17th, 2006 at 5:06 pmThis is an attempt by Arlen Sphincter and the Republicans to control their own investigation. After a few months *surprise* everything will come up clean.
September 17th, 2006 at 5:33 pmThis is not the reason that the three military Senators (real men if they follow thru), stood up to Bush. These two mushmouths, Specter and the other old fellow (announcer) really do need to go to the home and get off television and out of our lives.
Didn’t you all see Specter lurking in the shadows, ready to “solve” the problem. If this was just a show, I don’t’ intend to listen to any one of them again. Specter is already on that list!
September 17th, 2006 at 7:23 pmhttp://www.bowman2006.com/about.htm
September 17th, 2006 at 7:26 pmHere’s what a real man looks like!
Good luck, Dr. Bowman in 2006. We, here in PA are working hard to kick out Rick.
September 17th, 2006 at 8:20 pmWhy do Americans continue to allow the bush Reich fascist pigs to illegally live in the White House?
September 17th, 2006 at 9:14 pm#59 It’s impossible to get rid of a corrupt Republican president. The majority party has all the power and when Republicans are the majority they stonewall everything and always come to the conclusion that they did nothing wrong. They take control of their own investigations and always exonerate themselves. If there is a investigation it take longer than their president’s term in office. At least Nixon, the second most reviled Republican president in US history, had the decency to resign.
September 17th, 2006 at 9:43 pmWe must be careful not to assume that the Senators’ proposal for alterations to the Geneva Conventions are that much better than Bush’s.
September 17th, 2006 at 9:45 pmBush’s must be disallowed, for sure, but we have to learn more about the one that may be put in instead.
I don’t know why the rules have to be changed at all– but there should at least be an honest and full debate on this, with the public being informed about what is being done in their name. It is after all, American citizens who will personally feel the effects of what ever it is that they do.
Important info below:
Arlen Specter is lying about his own bill — again
September 17th, 2006 at 9:52 pmhttp://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/09/arlen-specter-is-lying-about-his-own.html
Spector says a lot of things, but doesn’t do anything. Just like Lindsay Graham today was excellent, but they’ll all fold like house of cards when Bush tells them to.
September 17th, 2006 at 10:43 pmSpecter is a paper tiger. He acts outraged. He roars at the unacceptable behaviour of this administration, and then he finds a way to make the unnacceptable acceptable. I believe he’s a tool of this administration and nothing but. He’s designed to make the gullible feel there’s some semblance of checks and balances.
September 18th, 2006 at 3:05 am[...] Apparently the White House held military lawyers captive in a 5 hour meeting where they tried to force them to sign a prepared statement in support of Bush’s pro-torture bill, and in a pathetic attempt to try and counteract Colin Powell’s letter criticizing the legislation. Thankfully the Senate is investigating the White House’s actions…and hopefully, something will come of it. “President Bush has been more respectful of civil liberties and civil rights than any previous wartime president in the history of the United States.” [...]
September 18th, 2006 at 10:02 amyea they’ll have the hearing… without putting anybody under oath.
September 18th, 2006 at 10:52 amLet Stevens run it…
Was it Grouch Marx who said, “Military justice is about justice as military music is about music.” When I served I remember a case in which a Master Sergeant had recently been tried for a minor infraction and a friend who clerked in Headquartters told me the officers on the jury were gecommending he be reduced one stripe in rank. I questioned my friend about this since the verdict was to be annonced the following day proving they were violating the rules of the Code of Militry Justice. I also had ridden on a train with a lawyer who had served in World War 2 and he mentioned a case on the post where he had been stationed during that war. This case did get enormous coverage at the time. The army had tired a man who claimed a conscientious object to war. The lawyer said he knew the defense team assiged to the accused and admitted they threw the book at him only because of the intervention of the commanding gerneral.
September 18th, 2006 at 11:03 amListening to Arlen Specter tell people that Congress will find a way to solve the dilemma is like listening to the fox tell the chickens and farmer they are better off with him standing watch on the coop. If Americans want to see what kind of leader Arlen is, just turn your memories back to less than one year and recall how he CAVED iinto the Bush Administration to to an aggressive investigation onthe secret wire tapping and eavesdropping on Americans telephone records and computers. Arlen Specter has cast aside the solemn oath he swore to curry favor to the Bush Administration. I suspect there is a deeper story here as to “why” Arlen refuses to stand up and be counted; perhaps it’s more troublesome.
When will Pennsylvanians initiate a massive recall process to remove this fraud from the Senate?
September 18th, 2006 at 11:49 amUh, he’s not going to do shiite.
“Bla, bla, bla, [tough talk] yap, yap, yap”-Arlen Specter
“Bla, bla, bla… is anyone listening? hmmm… ok, guess not… drop subject…”-Arlen Specter, two weeks later.
Thanks for the help Captain Spineless.
September 18th, 2006 at 1:27 pmIt’s MAGIC BULLET BOY!!!
Everything this man says is a crock!!
September 18th, 2006 at 2:29 pmanother case of TORQUEMADA GONZOLOST and TORTURE BOY COMMANDO IN CHEEZINESS, GEORGE ‘W’ for WRONG bush, thinking he will still be able to slide like a slug under the prison cell door when he gets imprisoned for TORTURE AND WAR CRIMES! time to OUT THIS PNAC CABAL AND DO IT LIKE YESTERDAY!!!!!!!
September 18th, 2006 at 2:35 pmWith one face, my Senator Arlen Spector promises investigation, and with the other face, he and Dick want to pardon Bush for shedding the constitution and breaking our laws. This week, the senate will vote to do that.
Here are some quick facts about the Cheney-Specter bill:
-It allows President Bush—and every president after him—to wiretap Americans indefinitely, in secret, without a warrant and without any oversight.
-It effectively pardons the president for any illegal behavior by forcing Congress to concede that he has the inherent authority to conduct the program—something federal courts, numerous legal experts and many leading Republicans disagree with.
-It completely guts FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) which has protected the privacy of Americans against illegal wiretaps for close to 30 years.
-It prevents any legal challenges from taking place in the public court system. Instead, it moves all cases to a secret court, where only Bush administration officials can argue it.
-It would help “immunize” any officials who broke the law in this program from being held accountable in the future.
Sometimes I think the spineless hypocrite Arlen Spector is almost as bad as my other Senator, Rick (Voldermort) Santorum.
September 18th, 2006 at 3:51 pmNow, now let’s not raise our expectations too high about Sen Spector, after all he is trying to do his best under trying conditions…..However, we need to make certain that he at least meets our LOWEST expectations, and he may even fail there… Now where is that memory hole?????
September 19th, 2006 at 12:36 amYet another pack of BS from our so called leaders. It sickens me to hear time after time how they will investigate the wrong doings of this illegal administration. We spent years and millions upon millions of dollars on the impeachment of pres. Clinton for getting a BJ and yet this president has admitted to illegal wire taps and much more and yet he remains untouched.
I think it is time that the american people take back the country, by force if necessary. The gap between the very rich and the very poor is growing each and every year. More people now live below the poverty line and that number grows every day. We will get to a point where the masses in this country realize that if they just stopped working the rich would fall and fall hard. What we need is a national strike. Every working man and woman should take a week and not work. If that would happen on a large scale across the country they would bring the corporate dogs down. But this country is made up of nothing but sheep and they are either too stupid or too afraid to do anything to stop the repugnants from destroying the democracy we once had.
September 19th, 2006 at 9:04 amGod Bless America and God Bless George W. Bush!
How you like dem apples libs?
Let the left hate speak begin!
Ready, set…TYPE!!!
September 22nd, 2006 at 8:33 pm