Pentagon Investigates Top General Franks

CNN ^

[areafiftyone]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon has launched an investigation into allegations of possible misconduct by the man who would lead U.S. forces in the event of a military strike on Iraq, CNN has learned.

Army Gen. Tommy Franks, the head of the U.S. Central Command, has been under investigation for some weeks now by the Pentagon inspector general's office. It is not clear how serious the allegations are, or what direction the probe has taken.

[txradioguy]

Charles served, but saw no combat time. Andrew served in the Faulklands. He actually wanted to make it a career but mommy said he couldn't.

[woodyinscc]

" Rummy is trying to, in a very delicate way, say he thinks the IG investigation is nothing but Bravo Sierra"

Just decided I couldn't say it any better!!

I just love watching the way he handles the press.

[Aliska]

Thanks for the info. I was wracking my brain trying to remember about Charles. Too bad though. We either have good old boys or boys with powerful mothers.

[txradioguy]

Well I may be crazy or brainwashed but I could win the lottery tomorrow and still stay til retirement, and that's 12 years away! The great thing about our military is that those who want to serve are there allowing those who would be less than 100% in their effort through a draft, to do what their heart desires.

[DeathfromBelow]

I carried a TS/SCI clearance for over 18 years with two different wives, and to this day neither one has any idea of what those subject matters were.

That doesn't mean that it doesn't happen, my relief had a wife that thought TS should be the topic of conversation at the commissary, he was gone before I got settled in my next command.

[txradioguy]

I like the screen name, I take it you're in the Silent Service. I know what you're saying about the security clearences. I've only had a TS and I don't talk about things I've seen with that. My dad when he was in the AF has a TS/Cryptographic. He won't talk about things he did and he got out in 1965! Loose Lips really DO sink ships.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Rummy hates leaks worse than GW.

Amen. Thank you for your service! The Clinton moles and leakers are traitors, yet OUR press sees these moles as heros and our CIC as the enemy. If American journalists can't tell that our President is more trustworthy than Saddam, how can they be trusted to cover the news?

Andrew Sullivan has the best explanation for the current destructive behavior of the left I've seen. They should not be in possession of sharp objects - or pens right now.

I feel something different about Bush, some kind of deep trust that he won't let us down, along with, in my case, a pretty strong belief in the principles of limited government and proud enterprise he is espousing. But Bush shows, I think, that successful politicians, like successful countries, don't have to court approval for everything they do to command respect for the principles that animate them. Yes, Bush, like most pols, has cut corners with principles along the way. But he has them, he hasn't lost them, and they remain a lodestar for the trials ahead. This is, indeed, an unexpectedly radical administration. And the stakes keep getting higher. If we wage a successful war in Iraq, the academic and elite left in this country, previously deeply wounded, cannot survive. They will be shown for what they are: defenders of everything real liberals should oppose. That, I suspect, is why so many of them are resisting the war so fiercely. They know that their fate is now bound up with Saddam's. What an irony. But what an opportunity to despatch both at once.   -  Andrew Sullivan, Jan. 26 2003

[freebilly]

Yeah, he seems like a good guy to me, too. Hope this is a tempest in a teapot....

[PhiKapMom]

Looks like a leak from someone in the investigation. Seems it has been going on for awhile if Franks notified Rumsfeld that this was happening.

[PhiKapMom]

Abizaid is a Leboneese-American Christian, real tiger. One of the few upper brass that LIKES and KNOWS HOW TO USE all assets of modern warfighting, i.e. when to use Spec Opns, when to use PsyWar, when to use Marines, TacAir, StratAir, when to lock and load the heavy divisions, when to go "hi diddle diddle, right up the middle." etc.

Abizaid is a a BAMF.

Thanks -- I had to dash off for the noon luncheon of the Cleveland County Republicans or I would have done some researach on it. I knew there was a difference in philosophy and there was a reason I liked this Lt General -- you have nailed it IMO.

[woodyinscc]

What Andrew Sullivan says is telling!!

You can see it in the press, you can see it in their eyes!
They know that the short end of the rope is not ours. Keep up your woderful posts.

[Capt_Hank]

This same question was raised last year on the board. I wondered how he made it to the top without being a Ranger. I'm sure the Command at the 82nd Airborne wondered the same thing. When I was in, 65 thru 67, your ticket had to be punched with the Ranger Tab if you aspired to go to the top.

[Quix]

Thanks.

Most people think my legs are long enough without any additional pulling.

[PhiKapMom]

NO government official should divulge classified information to anyone who is not authorized, even the president of the US.

You are so right!

One time at an AFLC (now AFMC) Council meeting of the Generals of our HQ and heads of staff offices, the 4-star was dicussing what depot could be closed in the Command as we had too many. McClellan AFB was the depot mentioned. The 4-star said that if he ever heard that someone leaked that he would have their head.

Within a few days there was a letter from the Governor of California protesting the closure and articles in the papers. He called everyone in one by one until he found the leaker. I will never forget the look on the General's face -- he was livid!

From the reliable rumor mill I heard it was a General who had told his wife who leaked. I will never forget that and that was only sensitive information not classified.

When dealing with military information there is such a thing as "Need to Know!" and a wife or husband does not have a "Need to Know!" IMO!

[PhiKapMom]

Rummy SEEMED to make a strong statement of support. I wonder how hollow it is.

I wondered the same thing when I heard him on the car radio!

[Aliska]

When dealing with military information there is such a thing as "Need to Know!" and a wife or husband does not have a "Need to Know!" IMO!

You are partly right. Even in the Pentagon with people having the highest security clearances possible, only those who have a "need to know" are allowed access to certain information.

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but divulging classified or even sensitive unclassified information was not one of them, and I worked with lots of it. No one I knew would have done anything like that either.

That general had a perfect right to be angry with the leaker. People don't take these things seriously enough any more from the sounds of things.

We have people in congress leaking information and we have people lower on the totem pole working with similar data who wouldn't think of doing such a thing because they know they would be canned or severely disciplined, government employee or no. There is a code of honor about the whole thing, too, but honor doesn't play as well in these times.

[Aliska]

Andrew Sullivan has the best explanation for the current destructive behavior of the left I've seen. They should not be in possession of sharp objects - or pens right now.

Or security clearances.

[PhiKapMom]

Know I took my oath seriously when I said I would not divulge -- always had this feeling that someone was lurking around if I did -- paranoid since the person who gave me my initial briefing about security made a huge impact!

He stressed that if anyone not on the list of "Need to Know" for classified was not to have access to the material and rank made no difference.

Don't know how it is today but in the days when I worked for the Air Force, the Top Secret log sheet had the name of every individual who touched that document so you had a chain of access and that log was not destroyed with the documents!

[Aliska]

I wonder if they keep those logs any more. They were a royal pain. Handling classified information is a royal pain, stamping everything, can't throw anything in the regular trash, handcarry, etc., etc. I wouldn't want to deal with it any more. I think the very worst job on any installation was the poor soul who was custodian of the safes. If one thing turned up accounted for, it was awful trying to figure out what happened.

One of the biggest pains were the guys who couldn't remember the combinations to the safes :-). And if you didn't lock and double check and sign off right, they got a phone call :-(.

Funny how you describe it. I felt I would be betraying a deep trust if I screwed up, like betraying my country. But that was then and this is now.

[Leroy S. Mort]

Spouses SLEEP with those who have top secret information. Does anyone for a moment think that these highly intelligent women are in the dark? It's ridiculous.

As one who possessed some of the highest levels of clearance (even the names of some of them are classified), I can tell you that my spouse knew nothing classified then from me and knows nothing now. She also has a Master's degree and sleeps with me regularly.