Posted on 05/20/2004 6:53:01 PM PDT by sathers
Plans to destroy the prision where Iraqi detainees were 'humiliated' and 'abused' took a small step forward Thursday as lawmakers voted to include it in a multimillion dollar defense bill.
The plan by Pennsylvania Reps. Curt Weldon a Republican, and John P. Murtha a Democrat would demolish the Abu Ghraib prision and build a modernized detention facility in its place.
It was slipped into a $422 billion defense authorization bill that the House approved Thursday.
The proposal drew an immediate rebuke from one lawmaker Wednesday during a short debate on the House floor.
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) said destroying the prision is the 'sovereign Iraqis' decision to make. 'It is not ours to insist upon or suggest but only to abide.'
Weldon responding, noted that the demolition plans calls of the consent of the new Iraqi government, since 'by the time this bill passes, they will be in charge.'
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
The biggest mistake was that we did not crush Iraq sufficiently in the original conflict. We didn't defeat Iraq's army we accomplished a coup d'etat by just entering Baghdad and saying 'here we are'.
The armchair generals say we should have kept the Iraqi army together, but we didn't disband their army they just melted back into the population.
Yes, Mohammedans are a prayerful lot. They even pray while they saw off the heads of Infidels.
You mean to Allah, don't you. Congress has not converted them yet.
Well, let's just say for the sake of argument that you're right even though you're not, precisely how would you propose that we should have crushed Iraq more sufficiently than we did in actuality?
We might have been able to do a good job of it if we could have been able to attack through Turkey. But with what we had and given that the Iraqi army (including elite units) were about the most craven lot ever to go afield what we did saved many American lives.
Did this vote include who would pay to re-build the prison?
Enough money already. It is time to limit the spending. But congress is unable to do that.
I see. Well notwithstanding all that, precisely how would you propose that we should have crushed Iraq more sufficiently than we did in actuality?
At the present it is hard for me to see where our past and present intentions are appreciated in Iraq. The appreciation that I have seen is the decapitation of Berg, the slaughter of the Black Water contractors, and the April 9th, 2004 insurgency where women and children were used as human shields while Iraqis and others attacked a 20 something convoy where Thomas Hammill and a soldier (that we have not heard a word from or about in over a month) were captured.
We certainly did that to the extent that we were able. You yourself stated that the Iraqis melted back into the populace before we ever got to them. Reread your own comment..
Declare a shoot-on-sight dusk to dawn curfew and confiscate ALL weapons.
We tried both, and failed. The reason we failed is because we have one troop in Iraq for every 148 Iraqis.. If we want to establish a police presence, which is what is required for that, we would need the 1:25 or so ratio we had in Germany & Japan after World War II.
We didn't put up with this $hit in post war Germany.
Yep.
Iraq 2004 - 1:148
Germany 1945 - 1:24
Ponder that one..
Nice try, though. We defeated the Iraqis as sufficiently as possible this side of reality..
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - A proposal to destroy the prison where Iraqi detainees were abused moved forward Thursday as lawmakers voted to include it in a defense spending bill.
The measure, by Pennsylvania Reps. Curt Weldon, a Republican, and John P. Murtha, a Democrat, would demolish the Abu Ghraib prison and build a modern detention facility in its place. It was included in a $422 billion defense authorization bill the House approved Thursday.
"This prison was a symbol of terrorism under Saddam, and it was an institution that the Iraqi people despised," Weldon said.
The abuse that happened at the prison "really created a bad perception in Iraq," Weldon said. "So my feeling is, tear it down. Get rid of it Not just because of what a few soldiers did, but because of also because of what that symbol meant to Saddam, and show the Iraqi people, 'Hey, we don't want that kind of torture anymore.'"
During a short debate, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., said destroying the prison "is the sovereign Iraqis' decision to make.
But Weldon, in an interview, noted that the demolition plan calls for the consent of the new Iraqi government since "by the time this bill passes, they'll be in charge."
The House voted 308-114 to include the prison provision in the defense bill. A similar proposal is pending in the Senate.
A proposal to destroy the prison where Iraqi detainees were abused moved forward Thursday as lawmakers voted to include it in a defense spending bill.
The measure, by Pennsylvania Reps. Curt Weldon, a Republican, and John P. Murtha, a Democrat, would demolish the Abu Ghraib prison and build a modern detention facility in its place. It was included in a $422 billion defense authorization bill the House approved Thursday.
I will bet you dollars to donuts that the new Iraqi government will be thrilled to 'consent'..
Though, to be exact, we would not have needed the same density of occupation as was required in Nazi Germany, but we would have needed about twice the density we started off with..
Started off with in Iraq, that is. I think it's about my bedtime.. =)
During a short debate, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., said destroying the prison "is the sovereign Iraqis' decision to make.
But Weldon, in an interview, noted that the demolition plan calls for the consent of the new Iraqi government since "by the time this bill passes, they'll be in charge."
Good for Thad McCotter! Thought we were acting like arrogant Americans...again.
Good point, let the free Iraqis decide what to do with it.
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