Posted on 08/23/2005 8:51:26 AM PDT by Niks
you betchta. As the poster above pointed out, these dudes could be hung out to dry over the 'new tone'.
Bush should just get out of the way and hopefully let rummy take this on.
LOL!!!
Maybe it was the camera angle and the lighting that threw me..
Listening to Bob Beckel now--a kinder, softer version. (BARF!)
beckel replaced colmes one night. Who DID let the gas out of him.?
Now I feel like a perv, looking at our commander-in-chiefs buttocks whenever he walks away from a camera. :-)
Obviously your feet are planted FIRMLY on the ground and you know how the game is played in Washington. I pray that these two fine officers are equally well versed as I STRONGLY suspect they are.
That's why I listen to G. Gordon Liddy instead of Rush.
He is all over Able Dander.
"What is being covered up?"
Why isn't the Administration standing up for these two outstanding officers?(my question)
The LCDR is junior. He doesn't understand the game. The reason this is out there is because he became personally, morally offended that the official version of the "truth" was going to be sealed with the government not having known a thing about Atta and co. before September 11th.
But that isn't true, and there are plenty of bright-eyed boy scouts in the junior ranks who can't abide a lie, and are willing to self-immolate over a point of honor like that. The LCDR's coming forward was not a calculated political act. It was spontaneous.
Scotty Philpot is a seasoned veteran. He's been in the Navy since he was 18 years old, 22 years of active service, plus four years at Annapolis. He's not a political type either, not by half, but he does understand the chain-of-command, following orders. He did his duty and sent the info up the chain. Faced with his junior's sudden, embarassing eruption into the media, Scotty had a pair of choices: keep quiet and let his junior be mauled as a liar. Or step forward, very reluctantly and unenthusiastically, stand by the truth of what his subordinate said (if not the wisdom of saying it), and hope to God that the men above him are as loyal and honorable down the chain as he has been.
Philpot went public only because his junior went public. It was not calculated. It was a gut-check moment. He stood by his man. Now we'll see if the admirals and Rumsfeld and the President have as much personal honor as Captain Philpot. I may have been a little too hard on the C-in-C up the chain. I will judge them on their solidarity with their officer here. He's told the truth, they should stand by him.
If they don't, captains are popcorn and peanuts in Washington. Scott will be out, forced retirement.
It's a test.
Scott passed his.
Let's see how Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush do.
You said it all very well. My congratulations.
It is indeed gut check time all the way to the top.
The other possibility the Pentagon (using DiRita) is drawing out the opposition to deny, deny, deny this operation only to spring the trap.
I saw Slade Gorton going ballistic on O'Reilly last night denying everything about the story. I have never seen him so exercised and adamant on anything, thundering in fact, in outrage at the suggestion the 911 Commission is covering anything up. He must really be getting nervous!
Who next on that failed Commission will hang themselves and their cover-up report?
I think there are some obvious reasons why certain Republicans may not want to play the blame-game. I noticed this last night when Oreilly was interviewing the former GOP/911 commissioner Slate Gordon...who dismissed both BORe and Schaffer's claims about Able Danger.
While Gorelick obviously raised the bar...and the wall, when she went beyond what was "legally required" I think there are some Republicans who feel responsible for contributing to this "attitude" throughout the '90s...and for good reason.
Coming off of Waco, and the Clinton Administrations proclivities for using personal and private information against its own citizens...and politicians, many just weren't eager to give the government (Clinton) access to more resources that could be used to attack his opponents.
Whether it was the FCC or Telecommunications Acts, some Republicans weren't thrilled with the idea of giving the government more power. If I recall, things like roving wiretaps were opposed by the likes of Bob Barr and other Republicans for fear of how some in the Clinton administratin would use that power.
Without seeing the actual legislation, it just may be that some GOP congress-critters feel that they helped contribute to this "attitude" that fourished through the 90s...and they just don't want to play this blame-game because it may open up a further exposition into their legislation. Either that, or the CLinton's still have a lot of info in their FBI files.
And there will be more...
If Rumsfeld stands by his officers here, which the indications in that thread indicate that he will, then I owe SecDef an apology for the intemperate language I used earlier in the thread: IF the LCDR and Capt. Philpott's careers continue on track, that is.
It isn't enough to talk the talk. The truth will be what happens when these two men next talk to their detailers.
My brother in law looks exactly like the President. Or maybe an almost carbon copy. I can't go there though, it's incestuous. So, I'll keep looking at the President's butt. I guess I'm a perv like you LOL!
(I can't believe I'm going here)...My sister, OTOH, all she has to do is give her hubby a pair of boots and well, you get the picture!
Slade Gordon was rabid last night. O'Reilly could not get a word in (has anyone done that to him before?) and Slade did not come up for air until the break.
You made an excellent post.
I have to say that I have complete faith in Bush, I can't believe that he would let these officers be hung out to dry. As you say, we will see.
I've read things in the past about why things are done a certain way for "the greater good" of the service, or nation. I can't imagine this falling in to one of those categories.
My take is that these officers know that when good men stand by and do nothing, evil prevails.
Lastly, do you personally know these officers?
Interesting about the demeanor of Gordon on O'Reilly last night. I didn't see it, I was following the thread about the National Geographic show about 9/11.
Did O'Reilly get a chance to challenge his assertions at all?
BTTT
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