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To The Honorable Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee During the Democratic Debate between Senators Clinton and Obama televised on the evening of February 21st, Senator Obama spoke of information passed on to him by an officer in the United States Army about our forces in Afghanistan suffering from a shortage of equipment and weapons. The very next day, a member and former Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Warner, sent a letter to Senator Obama, asking for information about these charges. Senator Warner wrote: "...I, and I believe other members of SASC, have a responsibility to establish...

UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES _________________________________________________ There will be a meeting of the Committee on ARMED SERVICES Thursday, February 3, 2005 10:00 AM Room SH-216, Hart Senate Office Building OPEN To receive testimony on U.S. military operations and stabilizationactivities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Honorable Paul D. Wolfowitz Deputy Secretary of Defense   General Richard B. Myers, USAF Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff   Mr. Ronald L. Schlicher Deputy Assistant Secretary of StateCoordinator for Iraq

I don't know if this was posted somewhere here yet, if not, here it is: By APARNA H. KUMAR WASHINGTON (AP) - An upcoming report will contain "a good deal of new information" backing up the Bush administration's contention that Saddam Hussein pursued weapons of mass destruction, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said Tuesday. The administration cited Saddam's hunger for such weapons as a main reason to invade Iraq last year. "I'm not suggesting dramatic discoveries," Warner told reporters, but "bits and pieces that Saddam Hussein was clearly defying" international restrictions, "and he and his government had...

WASHINGTON - An upcoming report will contain "a good deal of new information" backing up the Bush administration's contention that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) pursued weapons of mass destruction, Senate Armed Services Committee (news - web sites) Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said Tuesday. The administration cited Saddam's hunger for such weapons as a main reason to invade Iraq (news - web sites) last year. "I'm not suggesting dramatic discoveries," Warner told reporters, but "bits and pieces that Saddam Hussein was clearly defying" international restrictions, "and he and his government had a continuing interest in maintaining the potential to...

WASHINGTON - An upcoming report will contain "a good deal of new information" backing up the Bush administration's contention that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) pursued weapons of mass destruction, Senate Armed Services Committee (news - web sites) Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said Tuesday. The administration cited Saddam's hunger for such weapons as a main reason to invade Iraq (news - web sites) last year. "I'm not suggesting dramatic discoveries," Warner told reporters, but "bits and pieces that Saddam Hussein was clearly defying" international restrictions, "and he and his government had a continuing interest in maintaining the potential to...

May 22, 2004 An Abu Ghraib Investigation t has been gratifying to see Senator John Warner, the Republican who is chairman of the Armed Services Committee, lead a bipartisan effort to look into the abuse of prisoners in Iraq. The hearings have already done far more than the Pentagon ever intended to do in providing a public airing of the Abu Ghraib disaster. But with each day's horrible revelations, it seems evident that the hearings will not be enough. It is also hard to believe that the military's own investigations will yield much, given the shifting of blame offered...

The 2nd least reported story of the week, following the generally ignored or obfuscated revelations about the Sarin IED was the testimony of General John P. Abizaid, USA (Commander US Central Command), Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez (USA Commander Multi-National Force-Iraq) + Major General Geoffrey D. Miller (USA Deputy Commander for Detainee Operations) before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, 5/19/2004. This testimony took place at the same time as the 9/11 Commission was holding hearings in New York but, nonetheless, it was still surprising to see the committee room nearly vacant given all the press handwringing over the...

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee lashed out at his Senate counterpart yesterday for summoning senior U.S. commanders from the field to testify at hearings into the prisoner-abuse scandal, saying the move threatens to disrupt military operations in Iraq. "I think the Senate has become mesmerized by cameras, and I think that's sad," said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.). Hunter's remarks represented a rare public attack by one leading Republican lawmaker on another. They reflected the growing strains in senior GOP circles over how to manage the scandal that has tarnished perceptions of the United States abroad, undercut U.S....

<p>The House Armed Services Committee chairman yesterday said the ongoing Senate hearings into prisoner abuse in Iraq are hurting the U.S. military's ability to wage the war.</p> <p>"We've got 135,000 kids over there that need leadership, and their leadership can't be dragged back to Washington every couple of days to focus on seven people. And that's what's happened," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican.</p>

Three U.S. generals to explain what they know about Iraq prison abuse By Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press, 5/19/2004 01:38 WASHINGTON (AP) Senators are pulling in top U.S. generals from Iraq to tell what they know about the prisoner abuse scandal over strong criticism from a Republican committee chairman in the House. The Senate Armed Services Committee is ''basically driving the story'' of prisoner abuse and ''jerking out these battlefield commanders'' while their troops are in a shooting war, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said. ''The Senate has become mesmerized by cameras'' and ''they have given now probably more publicity to what...

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. military personnel took photos of Iraqi prisoners in sexually humiliating poses in an apparent effort to obtain leverage for future interrogations, a leading senator said Tuesday. ``They staged those photographs, which I understand were going to be shown to the prisoners' families by way of threats unless he came forward with some valuable information,'' said Sen. John Warner, R-Va., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.``The plot is thickening,'' Warner added as he presided over a daylong hearing into prisoner abuse. The hearing was jolted by the release of a video, posted on an Islamic...

Pentagon to Give Congress Abuse Photos Associated Press WASHINGTON - Bracing for what the defense secretary has described as "sadistic" pictures, Congress will see the unreleased photos showing Iraqi prisoners being abused by U.S. soldiers, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Sunday. Another leading Republican, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, suggested that Pentagon chief Donald H. Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers may not keep their jobs as the scandal unfolds. "I think it's still in question whether Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and, quite frankly, General Myers can command the respect and the trust...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Congress will investigate Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's handling of the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prison scandal despite Vice President Dick Cheney's call for lawmakers to leave him alone, senators said Sunday. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said critics who call for Rumsfeld's resignation were "missing the boat." But he told NBC's "Meet the Press" that Cheney's statement Saturday night was similarly misguided. "Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation may happen, it may not. That's not the focus," said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "And as to the White House, please don't say things like 'You should get...

<p>May 8, 2004 -- Donald Rumsfeld acquitted himself convincingly and with dignity at yesterday's hearings on Capitol Hill.</p> <p>Certainly nothing surfaced in those proceedings - or anywhere else yesterday - that would justify Rumsfeld's resignation, as Democrats demand; the secretary is right to rebuff those calls.</p>

<p>Yesterday's congressional hearings on the abuse of Iraqi prisoners had two basic purposes: identifying misconduct and coming up with procedures to prevent it from occurring in the future. Based on roughly five hours of testimony, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his subordinates have been doing precisely that. In fact, they have been doing so almost constantly ever since the evidence of mistreatment came to their attention in January.</p>

The world learnt one of Washington's best kept secrets yesterday: how, exactly, do you set off Donald Rumsfeld's notorious - and normally well-hidden - temper? The answer emerged as the defence secretary faced harsh questions on Capitol Hill about Iraqi prisoner abuse. Partisan attacks will not do it - again and again, Mr Rumsfeld brushed aside Democratic critics with chops of his hands, and retorts that their allegations were "not accurate". When senators waxed pompous, Mr Rumsfeld ostentatiously studied his papers, scribbled notes to himself or craned to speak to the generals at his side. In private, Mr Rumsfeld is...

I cannot seem to find a FULL transcript [questions & answers of the Rumsfeld testimony before the HASC. I have found PDF's of his opening remarks... What I need is an HTML version of the actual questions and answers... Any help would be really appreciated There was an absolutly amazing response to one of the questions that blew me away...I forget the Rep. who asked it, and the question itself...but Rumsfeld's response was stunning, and had me applauding. Admin Moderator yank if please of course, but give it ten minutes...

In today's testimony before the Armed Services Committee Hillary Clinton may have revealed the source of the leak of the report. Please have a look at the relevant snippets of the transcript from today. I guess my theory is this: If she isn't behind the leak, she knows exactly who is.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld extended his “deepest apology” Friday to Iraqi prisoners abused by U.S. military personnel, telling Congress that he accepted full responsibility for the shocking events. But he warned that worse was yet to come....." < snip> “There are other photos that depict incidents of physical violence towards prisoners, acts that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhumane," he said. “... It’s going to get a good deal more terrible, I’m afraid.” Rumsfeld did not describe the photos, but U.S. military officials told NBC News that the unreleased images showed U.S. soldiers severely...

Donald Rumsfeld put on a typically confident performance yesterday when he was grilled by Congressional committees on the torture of Iraqi prisoners by Americans at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. Apologies are not Mr Rumsfeld's style, but this was one occasion when nothing less would do. Mr Rumsfeld did not seek to play down the "sadistic and cruel" abuse, nor the catastrophic harm inflicted on American prestige; he offered compensation to the victims; he humbled himself. He also apologised to President Bush, who has had to appear in public to appease Muslim anger twice this week to limit the damage...

John Kerry burned the midnight oil on the phone with Democrat members of the Senate Armed Services Committee last night. He pleaded with them to go lightly on Donald Rumsfeld when the Secretary of Defense appears before them today at around noon. Rumsfeld is scheduled to answer their questions about allegations of abuse by US soldiers against Iraqi prisoners and the ensuing investigation. The photos of those alleged cases of abuse have enraged the Arab world. And Democrat bigs on the Armed Services Committee have called for Rumsfled’s head. But according to our source inside the Kerry campaign, John Kerry...

Rumsfeld Accepts Responsibility for Abu Ghraib By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 7, 2004 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld accepted full responsibility for "the terrible activities that occurred at Abu Ghraib." The secretary said the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the prison in Iraq "occurred on my watch, and as secretary of defense I am accountable for them, and I take full responsibility." Rumsfeld was joined by Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee; Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker; and U.S. Central...

Did anyone else watch the full congressional hearings? Duke Cunningham, flying ace fighter pilot from vietnam asked to sit in on the hearings. Surprising he is not on this committee. Anyway, he had to wait until everyone else, over 3 hours of questions were asked and answer on the house side, 3 hours on the senate side. His opening statement brought tears to my eyes and I could see Rummy was having problems blinking back tears himself.Duke said to Rummy something along these lines. I have talked to thousands of military people in every branch of service in the last...

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has offered his "deepest apologies" to Iraqi inmates mistreated by US troops. Mr Rumsfeld told Congress he bore responsibility for the issue. But he strongly denied the Pentagon had not taken "swift, corrective" action - and ordered an inquiry on the handling of the abuse by his department. Mr Rumsfeld said only when he saw the abuse photos on Thursday - and there were many more than those aired - did he realise how grave the situation was. Faced by calls to step down he said: "Needless to say, if I thought I could not...

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday extended “my deepest apology” to Iraqis brutally abused in U.S. military prisons and said he favors compensating them for their suffering. “These events occurred on my watch. As Secretary of Defense, I am accountable for them. I take full responsibility,” Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Rumsfeld took the witness chair after a week of controversy over the photographs of U.S. captors abusing their prisoners, often forcing them to assume sexually humiliating poses. Several Democratic lawmakers have demanded his resignation. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said the committee needed to know...

(CNSnews.com) - Despite calls for his resignation and word that some are drafting an article of impeachment against him even as he testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Friday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had a clear message for his critics: he will not resign. "I've got my own view about people who want to call for your resignation before you speak, but I'll leave that to myself," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Rumsfeld. Lindsey asked the defense secretary whether he believes he's able to carry out his duties in a bipartisan manner and also what he would say to...

<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld took responsibility on Friday for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops and offered his "deepest apology" to the victims, but said he would not resign just to satisfy his political enemies.</p>

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday extended "my deepest apology" to Iraqis brutally abused in U.S. military prisons and said he favors compensating them for their suffering. "These events occurred on my watch. As Secretary of Defense, I am accountable for them. I take full responsibility," Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. At the same time, he brushed aside Democratic demands for his resignation. Asked whether he could remain effective in his post, he said if he believed he could not, "I'd resign in a minute." "I would not resign simply because people try to make...

Today we have Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his staff being grilled by members of congress over the supposed atrocities in Iraq. While members of the Democratic party make absolute fools of themselves, Maine's own Republican Susan Collins must feel sorry for them, for she is making statements every bit as arsine, ignorant and foolish as the best of the democrats. Today we are going to look at some pictures, and we are going to look at what Democrat Senator John Kerry confessed to having had done in Viet Nam. Then you need to ask yourself what is so...

WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld apologized at a congressional hearing on Friday for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners held by U.S. forces outside Baghdad. Some critics have called for Rumsfeld to resign for his handling of the prisoner-abuse scandal. Meanwhile, U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer first heard of allegations that troops were mistreating Iraqi captives at Abu Ghraib prison in January, a spokesman said Friday, while the Red Cross claimed it had been warning of prisoner abuse since the very beginning of the U.S.-led invasion. "Ambassador Bremer was made aware of the charges relating to the humiliations in...

Go to the link! Listen to the opening statements! http://www.1290whio.com

Link to C-SPAN http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp I'm sure all the networks will be showing this.

Donald Rumsfeld appears before two committees on Capitol Hill today to talk about the Pentagon's handling of Iraqi prisoners, and it won't be pretty. Cabinet officers get paid to take such heat, and Mr. Rumsfeld can more than hold his own. Our concern is with his boss, President Bush, and whether he and his political advisers appreciate who the actual target is of this week's game of ginning Rummy. The resignation the critics really want is the one that would start next January 20. With that in mind, we'd like to know who thought it'd be smart to leak that...

<p>In a letter published recently in the Register, Keith Peters joins the chorus of Bush-bashers by accusing President George W. Bush of using scare tactics and of exploiting the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks ("9/11 tragedy exploited for political profit," March 7). That's but two of the Democrats' 9,000-plus Bush bashing points (BBPs). Let's examine a few.</p>

9/11 Panel Cites Bush, Clinton Inaction Email this Story Mar 23, 11:01 AM (ET) By HOPE YEN (AP) Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright testifies before the federal panel reviewing the Sept.... Full Image WASHINGTON (AP) - The Clinton and Bush administrations' decision to use diplomatic rather than military options against al-Qaida allowed the Sept. 11 terrorists to elude capture years before the attacks, a federal panel said Tuesday. The Clinton administration had early indications of terrorist links to Osama bin Laden and future Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as early as 1995, but let years pass as it...

Clinton administration diplomatic troubleshooter Mansoor Ijaz charged Monday that one-time White House terrorism czar Richard Clarke blocked his efforts to have Osama bin Laden extradited from the Sudan to the United States five years before the 9/11 attacks. "I was personally asked to brief Condoleezza Rice's deputy national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, on exactly what had gone wrong in the previous efforts to get bin Laden out of the Sudan, to get the terrorism data out of the Sudan," Ijaz told Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends." "In each case of things that were involved in the Clinton administration, Richard...

The Al-Qaida terrorist network posed a threat to the United States for almost a decade before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Throughout that period -- during the eight years of the Clinton administration and the first eight months of the Bush administration prior to Sept. 11 -- the U.S. government worked hard to counter the Al-Qaida threat. During the transition, President-elect Bush's national security team was briefed on the Clinton administration's efforts to deal with Al-Qaida. The seriousness of the threat was well understood by the president and his national security principals. In response to my request for a...

On March 9, CIA Director George J. Tenet testified about threats to our national security before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Most of the mainstream media focused on Democrat Senators Ted Kennedy and Carl Levin challenging Tenet to admit that the Bush administration had hyped pre-war intelligence on Iraq. NBC Nightly News' Andrea Mitchell took the same approach but then failed to note that Tenet, a former Democratic staffer on Capitol Hill, did not take the bait and explicitly denied that the Bush administration had manipulated the intelligence.

THE FY 2005 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BUDGET FEBRUARY 3, 2004 SPEAKERS: U.S. SENATOR JOHN W. WARNER (R-VA) CHAIRMAN U.S. SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ) U.S. SENATOR JAMES M. INHOFE (R-OK) U.S. SENATOR PAT ROBERTS (R-KS) U.S. SENATOR WAYNE ALLARD (R-CO) U.S. SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (R-AL) U.S. SENATOR SUSAN M. COLLINS (R-ME) U.S. SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN (R-NV) U.S. SENATOR JIM TALENT (R-MO) U.S. SENATOR SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R-GA) U.S. SENATOR LINDSEY O. GRAHAM (R-SC) U.S. SENATOR ELIZABETH DOLE (R-NC) U.S. SENATOR JOHN CORNYN (R-TX) U.S. SENATOR CARL LEVIN (D-MI) RANKING MEMBER U.S. SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY (D-MA) U.S. SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD (D-WV)...