Posted on 05/25/2004 1:39:54 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
WASHINGTON — Some two months after the Red Cross warned U.S. commanders of widespread prisoner abuses, the commanding general at Abu Ghraib prison assured the Red Cross in a confidential letter that Iraqi detainees were being given the best treatment possible and that even more "improvements are continually being made.''
In an interview today, however, Brig. Gen. Janis L. Karpinski insisted that she was "set up'' by Army officials who had her sign the letter when she had no idea of the depth of problems uncovered at the infamous prison outside Baghdad.
In addition, Karpinski said she was notified in an e-mail today that she was being suspended from duty, but has not been given a formal explanation.
"You'd think somebody would pick up the phone and call me,'' she said, lashing out at the Army hierarchy. "That should have been the protocol courtesy. I am a general officer. Nobody could spend the 25 cents to call me?''..."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
< Sgt Schultz > I KNOW NOTHING, NOTHING!!! < / Sgt Schultz >
In spite of the dire reality of all this, Karpinski lends this affair some comic moments.
Barry McCaffarey hammered her after her interview.
Give me your number, bitch, and I'll call you.
Frankly, now that I think about it, she's more the Wilhelm Klink type.
Sir, no excuse, sir.
Yep.
And where she complained, "You'd think somebody would pick up the phone and call me...," why should they? She defamed our Army with typical victimology and false accusations revealing her incredibility to the media through an "online" interview while this case is pending.
She lacks military bearing and loyalty.
"..RET. GEN. BARRY MCCAFFREY, NBC MILITARY ANALYST: One appalling statement I heard was where she claimed that she was not allowed—and a piece of the prison was under her military command. Her soldiers are in there. Any soldier, this is not the values of the United States Army, the armed forces. So the fact that she didn‘t get in there and sort out what was going on was the most appalling single thing I have read about it.
NORVILLE: That was General Barry McCaffrey on “The Today Show” this morning. We‘re taking an hour-long look at the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison.
Back now with Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who was the commander of the 800th U.S. Military Brigade. She ran the prison. She‘s also here with her attorney, Neal Puckett.
I know you want to respond to that. That‘s a hugely serious charge.
You didn‘t go where your men were..."
"..KARPINSKI: I did go where my men were. I went where my women were. I went where my soldiers were. And I did not visit there as often as I had in the past. I said that because it was transferred under the control of the military intelligence command. I still had soldiers there certainly, but it was one of 16 facilities under my command.....
PUCKETT (Karpinski's Attorney): One point of clarification.
What General McCaffrey, a piece of information that he has not had available to him or he would not have made that statement, is that he would never go and visit and do an inspection tour of a sister command. He would never go to another commander‘s unit and inspect and check out how well he is doing his job. The same thing applied here. Abu Ghraib, at the time these offenses were committed, did not belong to Brigadier General Karpinski. It was not her prison to go into. It belong to Colonel Pappas.....
(CROSSTALK)
NORVILLE: I understand your position on this. But I‘ve got to tell you, it sort of sounds like passing the buck......."
God knows they tried.
Seems she was constantly on TV bitching and moaning, and never home to get the calls.
That is the essense of it. To my eye at least she looks worse and worse the more she opens her mouth. I bet that perception is not confined to supporters of Pres. Bush.
I can't believe a person is going to look and listen to her and not detect a transparent and crass effort to cover herself.
She made misrepresentations to Taguba..not good....
When she started her TV tour...she turned me off. I don't believe it helped her with the public and I just bet the military isn't going to treat her better because of it.
She ran a sloppy command...outside of that unit. Some people were praised for doing their jobs well in spite of a lack command support and input.
I'm as much a victim as those prisoners I was overseeing said the General.
She didn't?!...But it is what she is implying.
Has she blubbered yet? Next comes the PMS offense or postraumatic stress defense.
Can you say "AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROMOTION", General?
The liberals must just love seeing this played out in mock trials by incensed, data-challanged journalists of all political persuasions and possessing all sorts of half-baked notions.
I think its that the men "didn' show no respect".....;)
I just wish she would stand up and take it like a man.
I don't need no stinking baking.
I agree many things are floated out there ...unfairly.
I read Taguba's report on her and the lack of discipline and good order of those under her.
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