Cheney overrules Rice on Iran prisoners.
Cheney overrules Rice on Iran prisoners.
Via TPM, the Washington Post reports:
After intense internal debate, the Bush administration has decided to hold on to five Iranian Revolutionary Guard intelligence agents captured in Iraq, overruling a State Department recommendation to release them, according to U.S. officials.
At a meeting of the president’s foreign policy team Tuesday, the administration decided the five Iranians will remain in custody and go through a periodic six-month review used for the 250 other foreign detainees held in Iraq, U.S. officials said. The next review is not expected until July, officials say. . . .
Differences over the five Iranians reflect an emerging divide on how to deal with Iran. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went into the meeting Tuesday advising that the men be freed because they are no longer useful, but after a review of options she went along with the consensus, U.S. officials say. Vice President Cheney’s office made the firmest case for keeping them.
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We need to torture them into beating the war drums. Try again in 6 months.
This craziness has to stop. Just because he’s captured by the US doesn’t mean he’s automatically a criminal. Put him on trial or give him back.
April 14th, 2007 at 2:32 pmhttp://www.n-tv.de/790615.html
-laicists demonstrate for sep and state
April 14th, 2007 at 2:33 pm-upcoming elections in turkey
-prime erdogan unliked right winger
-100000 participants
sry for sep of church and state
April 14th, 2007 at 2:38 pmAnyone notice that Jake and Patrick1 aren’t posting on this?
Memo to Jake: thank liberals for your 40 hour work week, and tell your bosses at the RNC to support raises for minimum wage.
April 14th, 2007 at 2:45 pm“Consensus”? Please! It’s a consensus of one, Dick Cheney. Any other opinions are unwelcome. Why even bother with a sec. of state? Why bother with having a president? Dick Cheney rules!
April 14th, 2007 at 2:56 pm6 months thats a good time to cover up the drill holes and mend broken bones in another cover up … Like the Iranian Diplomat the other day that had been confirmed by the red cross that he showed signs of torture ….. How convienent Mr Cheney ( Murderer)
April 14th, 2007 at 3:06 pmI don’t know about the rest of you but this is humiliating to me.
When the leader of Iran looks more reasonable and honorable than the President of the United States, then I’m humiliated.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:06 pmDoesn’t anyone long for the days when the Veep was some unknown and forgettable person who was ignored until the President dropped dead?
April 14th, 2007 at 3:11 pm7/ reasonable and honorable… correct but please dont forget hes also more
1/ Intellectual
April 14th, 2007 at 3:12 pm2/ Humain
3/ Respectful
4/ Wiser
5/ Caring for his people
6/ And he dont stink of BLOOD
When the leader of Iran looks more reasonable and honorable than the President of the United States, then I’m humiliated.
Comment by I WORFEUS
Amen.
All possible current and future hostages better count on being held for an indefinite time — or death.
Bush & Cheney don’t care either way.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:13 pmI WORFEUS @ 7 It’s not too hard to appear or to even be more reasonable than Dick Cheney. A couple weeks ago Bill Maher had a great bit on the outing of Valerie Plame and what kind of unpatriotic slime would do such a thing.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:16 pmDavid at # 8. Amen brother. Almost anytime time prior to November of 2000 is preferable to the present.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:18 pmYep#7 and all you are correct…Blessings
April 14th, 2007 at 3:30 pmWhat a pleasure it will be a couple years from now to see Cheney scowling as he is thrown into prison for committing treason and war crimes.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:43 pmCheney is a thug.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:43 pmWhat a pleasure it will be a couple years from now to see Cheney scowling as he is thrown into prison for committing treason and war crimes.
Comment by Whizz Bang — April 14, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
I look forward to the day when God sends Cheney to meet his new MASTER, Satan.
See you in hell Dickie (cause I’ll be there),
Mr. Bush
April 14th, 2007 at 4:55 pmPresident of the unamerican Nazis, not REAL Americans
Doesn’t anyone long for the days when the Veep was some unknown and forgettable person who was ignored until the President dropped dead?
Comment by david
You mean like that guy (I forget his name….) that couldn’t spell potato?
April 14th, 2007 at 5:08 pmThe US government and their propaganda arm, the capitalist corporate media, was filled with uproar and indignation at Iran capturing English soldiers in, at best, disputed waters.
These five IRANIAN DIPLOMATS were in Iraq at the invitation of the “sovereign” “democratically elected” Iraqi government. They are hostages!
I am outraged at the lack of outrage! -J. “Imhofe” Stewart
April 14th, 2007 at 5:47 pmThis entire thing with the sailers being released and bull shit bush’s gang still holding prisoners is very curious…First off it had to piss cheney off big time that Iran became the benolevent benafactor by turning loose their captives…I can imagine his most bloated self going into a huge fit that he coulden’t us that to start his next mis adventure war…
Now we have the fact, of which we all knew, rice is not relevent or needed..Hell with cheney and rove running this intire show we could save a lot of money and insult to our ear’s if they just moved the bush and rice to some sanitarium some where, droped them from the bloated pay roll and let both extreme evil’s finish the term..
The one thing that doe’s bother me though is how does a councel to the president get so much power, how come rove can pick and choose along with myer’s the president’s attorney who get’s to keep their job and who does not.?.. I didn’t vote for any of these reich winger’s, but it seems to me those that did vote for bush/cheney should be asking why people that weren’t voted in are calling all the shot’s…..For a bigger question, how come they have security clearence on all matter’s?…Blessings
April 14th, 2007 at 6:03 pmYou can hardly blame Cheney for playing hardball with this provost cum secretary of state.
April 14th, 2007 at 6:15 pmAnother example of the US dictating to the world on their behavior, but Bush/Cheney doing as they please.
April 14th, 2007 at 6:19 pmOn what legal grounds are they keeping them? Are we now at war with Iran? The most corrupt of administrations in US history. Cheney wants to…..
April 14th, 2007 at 6:20 pmI never thought I’d miss Spiro Agnew.
April 14th, 2007 at 6:31 pmOh, yeah. Spiro Agnew and his “nattering nabobs of negativism”. The good old days. I kind of miss having Nixon to kick around too. This bunch makes Nixon & gang look like a bunch of nuns in a convent.
April 14th, 2007 at 6:45 pmNo kidding, Uncle Ho.
April 14th, 2007 at 7:48 pmWho would have ever thought we’d see an administration worse than Nixon’s.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went into the meeting Tuesday advising that the men be freed because they are no longer useful
mmmmm…and then Iran belongs to the “Axis of Evil”. Yep.
April 14th, 2007 at 8:37 pmThey can’t release the Iranians and they can’t let Iran see them and interview them. Why you ask? Because they have been torturing them in the time they have had them in custody. Imagine what that would tell the world. We kidnapped Iranian Diplomats and have held them for months now and have not allowed anyone to see them or interview them. The Iranians arrested 15 British military whom they say were in their territorial waters. And what did they do to them? I don’t know, but they didn’t look much worse for wear when they were released. And there were several videos of them talking with their Iranian captors, laughing and joking and looking very well cared for. What does this tell the world. I know what it tells them. The United States has become a terrorist nation and has lost all respect any country could ever have for us. I weep for what we have become.
April 14th, 2007 at 11:26 pmThe Iranian consulate at Arbil was set up in 2006 after agreement between Baghdad and Tehran to facilitate cross-border visits of their citizens.
5 US helicopters landed on the roof of the consulate in the border city around 4am. American soldiers broke down the doors, detained five consulate staff and took away papers and computers.
Iraqi Officials of the Regional Government said that consular activities, such as the issuance of visas, had been carried out by the office staff since 1992.
The Independent (UK newspaper) reported that instead of the current captives, the US had hoped to capture the deputy head of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Mohammed Jafari, and chief of intelligence of the IRGC, General Manuchehr Frouzandeh, who were on an official visit to Iraq to improve co-operation in the area of bilateral security, during which they met the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.
US troops attempted to detain people at the Arbil airport that same day, but Kurdish forces intervened. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said “A massacre was avoided at the last minute.”. A US official confirmed that the incident nearly resulted in US and Kurdish allies firing at one another.
April 15th, 2007 at 2:46 amBut if we release them, we won’t be doing everything in our power to provoke Iran to take further action against us and escalating this to full on war. That would be very disappointing for us worshipers at the Church of Death and Destruction where we annoint our heads with oil.
Black gold. Texas tea.
Now the first thing you know ol’ Jeb’s the Governor there
His kinfolk said “Jeb, fix the election there.”
So Kathleen Harris headed the conspiracy.
The Supremes sealed the deal now the rest is history.
So now it’s time to say goodbye to George and all his kin,
And they would like to thank you all for kindly chippin’ in.
You’re all invited to pay the bill into eternity,
And have a heapin’ helpin’ of the latest casualty:
America, that is.
Come on in.
Fall under a spell.
Turn your brains off.
Y’all support the troops now, y’hear?
April 15th, 2007 at 9:31 amL’il Dick was on Face the Nation this morning…
…I couldn’t stand to watch it all…
…Schieffer asked that fat basta*d if the Bush administration…
…due to the many misstatements…
…had a “credibility problem”…
…the criminal L’il Dick with that same sour straight jowl-melted face answered…
…”No Bob, I don’t think we do. I think history will (my words) exonerate this administration”…
…Schieffer asked about Scooter Libby…
…fat basta*d says he’s “not going to comment on it. It would be inappropriate”…
…If ANYBODY deserves to have tragedy, disease, misfortune, plague, poverty, suffering, torture and every malady known to man befall them…
…It’s the criminal Bush/Chenyites and their supportersand benefactors…
…CURSE THEM ALL…
April 15th, 2007 at 4:56 pmOT – I read that Gonzales is going to throw Harriet Meyers under the bus.
April 15th, 2007 at 6:04 pm…â€No Bob, I don’t think we do. I think history will (my words) exonerate this administrationâ€â€¦
Read as: because we plan to take over the world, kill everyone who disagrees with us, and write the new history books.
April 15th, 2007 at 7:22 pm