May 2, 2004 by s.z.

They Just Didn't Care Another famous MST3k line (part of a stinging indictment of the people who made Attack of the The Eye Creatures).  And it seems like it might be applicable to our senior military officials, in regard to the results of an investigation into reports of U.S. soliders abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison. From the NY Times (emphasis added): An internal Army investigation found a virtual collapse of the command structure in a prison outside Baghdad where American enlisted personnel are accused of committing acts of abuse and humiliation against Iraqi detainees. A report on the investigation said midlevel military intelligence officers were allowed to skirt the normal chain of command to issue questionable orders to enlisted personnel from the reserve military police unit handling guard duty there. [...] The scandal appeared to have caught senior Pentagon officials and some top officers off guard on Sunday, despite President Bush's condemnation of the abuses on Friday. Appearing on three Sunday talk shows, Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, gave conflicting answers when asked if the problems at Abu Ghraib were systemic throughout detention centers in Iraq. At first, General Myers insisted that the instances of mistreatment was not widespread and were the actions of "just a handful" of soldiers who had unfairly tainted all American forces in Iraq. But when pressed, he acknowledged that he had not yet read a classified, 53-page Army report completed in February by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, first reported in the May 10 edition of the New Yorker, that chronicled the worst of the abuses at Abu Ghraib. General Myers left open the possibility the abuses could be broader, saying "We don't know that yet." A spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that the secretary had not been briefed on General Taguba's report either, but had been kept abreast of the investigative process. General Myers also acknowledged that he had asked the CBS News program "60 Minutes II" to delay broadcasting photographs of the abuses taken by guards inside the prison to avoid worsening tensions in Iraq at a time when attacks against American forces are on the rise and one soldier is being held hostage by insurgents. "I thought it would be particularly inflammatory at that time," General Myers said on the ABC News program "This Week." Per "60 Minutes," he asked them that over two weeks ago.  Wouldn't you think that knowing that the story was going to be reported by the major media in the near future, he would find the time to read the report of the investigation of the incidents?  And why does the firestorm of criticism seem to have taken the Pentagon off guard?  Couldn't they anticipate this?  If not, either they are spectacularly incompetent for not realizing how the world would view these photos, or morally bankrupt for thinking that since these abuses were part of a war to save American lives, nobody would really care (you know, since they didn't).  This does not give me a give feeling (not that I had one before) about the future of this whole Iraqi endeavor.  The report on General Taguba's investigation identified two military intelligence officers and two civilian contractors for the Army as key figures in the abuse cases at Abu Ghraib. In his internal report on his findings in the investigation, General Taguba said he suspected that the four were "either directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib and strongly recommended disciplinary action." The Taguba report found that they were never properly trained or supervised. It found that in effect, the military police were told to soften up the prisoners so they would talk more freely in interrogations conducted by intelligence officials. The Taguba report states that "military intelligence interrogators and other U.S. Government Agency interrogators actively requested that M.P. guards set physical and mental conditions for favorable interrogation of witnesses." It noted that one civilian interrogator, a contractor from a company called CACI International Inc., based in Arlington, Va., and attached to the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, "clearly knew his instructions" to the military police equated to physical abuse. The Taguba report's sharpest criticism was for officers in charge of the military police and military intelligence units in the prison. [...] The report identifies Col. Thomas M. Pappas, commander of the 205th military intelligence brigade, Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, the former director of the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center and Liaison Officer to the 205th Military intelligence Brigade, Steven Stephanowicz, an Army contract employee from CACI, and John Israel, a contractor and civilian interpreter with CACI, as the people suspected of being "either directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib." The report concluded that Mr. Stephanowicz made a false statement to the investigation team regarding the "locations of his interrogations, the activities during his interrogations, and his knowledge of abuses." It recommended that he be dismissed. Mr. Israel, the report found, "denied ever having seen interrogation processes in violation" of Army standards, "which is contrary to several witness statements." Colonel Pappas was recommended for a reprimand for, among other things, failing to supervise his soldiers properly, and failing to ensure that soldiers under his direct command knew, understood and followed the Geneva Conventions for the treatment of prisoners of war. Billmon, of Whiskey Bar, who is doing a stellar job of blogging this story, has reported on an internet diary which indicates that a "Steve Stefanowicz," a translator at Abu Ghraib, was still working there (and playing golf) in April 2004.  If he is Steven Stephanowicz, CACI employee, then it would mean that no action at been taken on Taguba's recomendation regarding Stephanowicz for at least two months.  And since Stephanowicz is a contract employee (presumably still, because CACI has indicated, per a Wash Post story, that they have "received no indication from the Army that any CACI employee was involved in any alleged improper conduct with Iraqi prisoners") it's not like there's any cumbersome personnel regulations that would delay getting rid of him -- somebody from the "customer" just calls CACI and says that Stephanowicz is no longer wanted on the job due to security concerns, and he's on the next plane out.  But if nobody read Taguba's report, I guess it would make taking action on it difficult. Here's my own bit of investigative journalism: the results of a Google search on Col. Thomas M. Pappas: 205th MI Cmdr BRIGADE COMMANDER. COLONEL THOMAS M. PAPPAS. Colonel Thomas M. Pappas assumes command of the 205 th Military Intelligence Brigade ... www.205mi.wiesbaden.army.mil/205th%20MI%20Cmdr.htm - 7k - Cached - Similar pages 205th Military Intelligence Brigade ... Commander: COL Thomas M. Pappas. CSM: Bruce E. Brown. Check out The New Photos. ... www.205mi.wiesbaden.army.mil/ - 21k - Cached The first link gives you Pappas's bio -- he's career military intelligence, although his area of expertise seems to be signal intelligence.  I would speculate that despiteserving in Bosnia, he'd never been in charge of interrogation of prisoners before. The second link is the website for the 205th Military Intelligence Brigage, based in Wiesbaden, Germany (it hasn't been updated since last year).  When you click it, you get a scary DOD warning, but as yet nobody has broken down my door and taken me to Gitmo, so it's probably safe to read.  Of interest is the colonel's philosophy, which includes the following: My vision or goal for the 205th MI Brigade is to sustain a battle-ready MI team founded on tactically and technically proficient soldiers and leaders.  I want to develop a winning team that continually strives for excellence in all that we do.  As your commander, it is my responsibility to provide the direction and get everyone “rowing” on the right azimuth.   The following are the highlights of my command philosophy on TRAINING, MAINTAINING, LEADING and CARING: This is the LEADING section: Leadership by example is the most important attribute for our unit’s success. Focused on training:  a shared value.  We will train to standard – everything else supports. Power down.  We sill foster a command climate that is marked by decentralized execution.  NCOs are the primary leaders of soldiers in our Army today. Strong unit identity.  Leaders instill pride, esprit, confidence, and trust – these are indispensable requirements for the success of any unit. Caring with a capital “C”.  This includes every member and family in the 205th MI BDE!  We must “walk the walk” and not just “talk the talk.” High standards and discipline.  Doing things right must be a central organizational value. Teamwork is a way of life.  This is from the most junior soldier right up to the most senior commander. Values required of every leader and soldier in the Brigade:  Integrity, Honesty, Personal Responsibility, and Selfless Service. That's a nice philosphy, but apparently it didn't get implemented by everybody in the 205th. Anyway, I can only hope that the colonel's leaders show some of that caring, and start taking the mistreatement of prisoners seriously now.  I volunteer to read the Taguba report to them, if they're strapped for time or something. 11:29:45 PM

Giving Conmen a Bad Name From Newsweek: U.S. intelligence agencies have recently raised concerns that Chalabi has become too close to Iran's theocratic rulers. NEWSWEEK has learned that top Bush administration officials have been briefed on intelligence indicating that Chalabi and some of his top aides have supplied Iran with "sensitive" information on the American occupation in Iraq. U.S. officials say that electronic intercepts of discussions between Iranian leaders indicate that Chalabi and his entourage told Iranian contacts about American political plans in Iraq. There are also indications that Chalabi has provided details of U.S. security operations. According to one U.S. government source, some of the information Chalabi turned over to Iran could "get people killed." (A Chalabi aide calls the allegations "absolutely false.") Why would Chalabi risk his cozy ties to Washington by cuddling up to Iran's fundamentalist rulers? Administration officials say Chalabi may be working both sides in an effort to solidify his own power and block the advancement of rival Iraqis. A U.S. official familiar with information presented to policymakers said that White House advisers were concerned that Chalabi was "playing footsie" with the Iranians. Yet Chalabi still has loyal defenders among some neoconservatives in the Pentagon. They say Chalabi has provided information that saved American lives. "Rushing to judgment and cutting off this relationship could have unintended consequences," says one Pentagon official, who did not respond to questions about Chalabi's dealings with Tehran. Each month the Pentagon still pays his group a $340,000 stipend, drawn from secret intelligence funds, for "information collection." And just who leaked it to Newsweek that top Bush administration officials have been briefed about electronic intercepts which indicate that Chalabi and friends are selling us out to the Iranians?  Is the White House getting its revenge for those "you'll be met with sweets and flowers" promises from Chalabi, or is the CIA getting its revenge on Feith and the Office of Special Plans?  4:53:33 AM

Mystery Quote From a student paper report of a recent speech given on campus: She frequently called Liberals elitist and, because of their public schooling, inherently unintelligent. "Liberals are being let down in their education," she said. "Liberals do not understand the concept of logic."   Can you guess who said this?  (Hint -- keep in mind the old adage, "It takes one to know know one.")  4:20:07 AM