Powell says Bush was 'informed' of Red Cross concerns

[Barrett808]

Powell says Bush was 'informed' of Red Cross concerns
Officials advised president 'in general terms' about reports of abuse, he says
By Mark Matthews
Sun National Staff

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said yesterday that he and other top officials kept President Bush "fully informed ... in general terms" about complaints made by the Red Cross and others over ill-treatment of detainees in U.S. custody.

Powell's statement suggests Bush may have known earlier than the White House has acknowledged about complaints raised by the International Committee of the Red Cross and human rights groups regarding abuse of detainees in Iraq.

"We kept the president informed of the concerns that were raised by the ICRC and other international organizations as part of my regular briefings of the president, and advised him that we had to follow these issues, and when we got notes sent to us or reports sent to us ... we had to respond to them, and the president certainly made it clear that that's what he expected us to do," Powell said.

Powell said that he, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld kept Bush "fully informed of the concerns that were being expressed, not in specific details, but in general terms."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said last week that the president was first informed about the abuse of detainees in Iraq by Rumsfeld, who "let the president know that there were allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq and that the military was taking action to address it."

(more)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.powell12may12,0,2804533.story?coll=bal-news-nation

[mourningdove92]

1. Oh my, they just cannot get their stories straight!

Looks like we are right back to the old, What the the pResident know and when did he know it.

[Bullshot]

2. It looks to me like Powell occasionally lobs little bombs like this

which counter what the rest of the Bush administration are saying.

Sometimes I wonder if Powell does not approve of how this whole thing has been handled and he does this just to piss the rest of the boys off.

[Webster Green]

3. This seems rather huge to me.

Has Powell finally had enough? I wonder if he is soon to be a dis-gruntled, former employee who was "out-of-the-loop", and has no credibility.

[crossroads]

15. Powell knows he is not staying on

with or without Bushie. Best to put some distance if he wants history to remember him well.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. Reminds me of "UBL plans to attack the US"

It is clear that bush doesn't listen or read. - except maybe the bible.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Somebody pass the popcorn,

this will be really entertaining, really

[neuvocat]

6. This is huge!

Maybe it doesn't look as huge as compared to last year in reference but that's because we have all these scandals coming out the seams from the White House.

[Barrett808]

7. Josh Marshall sez

Okay, I think the wheels are now officially off this car. The Baltimore Sun quotes Colin Powell as saying that "we kept the president informed of the concerns that were raised by the ICRC and other international organizations as part of my regular briefings of the president, and advised him that we had to follow these issues, and when we got notes sent to us or reports sent to us ... we had to respond to them, and the president certainly made it clear that that’s what he expected us to do."

Powell further said that he, Rice and Rumsfeld kept Bush “fully informed of the concerns that were being expressed, not in specific details, but in general terms.”

Not only does that contradict what the White House and the president have said. It contradicts the testimony of one of Don Rumsfeld's principal deputies from only yesterday.

When asked by Sen. John Warner whether the ICRC's concerns had made their way to the Secretary's level, Stephen Cambone replied: "No, sir, they did not. Those reports -- those working papers, again, as far as I understand it, were delivered at the command level. They are designed -- the process is designed so that the ICRC can engage with the local commanders and make those kinds of improvements that are necessary in a more collaborative environment than in an adversarial one."

(more)

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_05_09.php#002952

[TahitiNut]

8. Just like Saddam Hussein was informed of the abuses, right?

Funny how there's always a different standard for DimSon ... always lower. Much lower. Subterranean. Even compared to Saddam Hussein.

[Tellurian]

9. I like when Powell makes an inflamatory statement..

[yellowcanine]

10. So Powell just contradicted McClellan

Somebody's lying. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. Looks like Powell has just sent a strong signal that he's not going...

...to cover for the rest of the NeoCons anymore.

The cracks are getting wider.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

12. Colin's chance to do penance for covering up My Lai. Hang'em, pardner!

Ya think Colin would like to restore some of his creds so he can take the 2008 Repub nomination away from Ahnuld?

[0007]

13. At the second hearing Lt. General Alexander said he only

was aware of the Red Cross report last week.

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

14. No honor amongst thieves.

Looks like Powell is threatening Bush, while simultaneously shifting blame to others.

JB

[dArKeR]

16. Iraq abuse led to no outrage until photos surfaced

AP , New York
Friday, May 14, 2004,Page 6

Until stomach-churning pictures emerged of naked Iraqi prisoners stacked like firewood or held at the end of a leash by their US captors, wartime prison abuse was a virtual non-story.

Similarly, the death of American Nick Berg in Iraq may have been little more than a footnote until video was posted Tuesday showing an executioner cutting off the man's head with a knife.

To most of the world, Iraq is a war of images. Pictures can drive public opinion and policy: the statue of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein toppling in Baghdad, US President George W. Bush standing on an aircraft carrier in front of a "mission accomplished" sign, the charred bodies of four contractors who had driven into disaster.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/05/14/2003155416

[Entente]

17. Powell is a wild card!

[radfringe]

18. so we're back to the main question again....

"What didn't he know and when didn't he know it?

[truthisfreedom]

19. ok, it's official. they are a bunch of freaking clowns!

which criminal from the batman series is bush? cheney is obviously the penguin, rove is the riddler...

[struggle4progress]

20. kick

:kick:

[Generator]

21. I only have three words

Guilty Guilty Guilty

Stop Blaming your Henchmen, MR. President