Rolling Stone: Army Used Psy-Ops on Senators

[babylonsister]

http://www.nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/rolling-stone-army-used-psy-ops-on-senators-20110224

Rolling Stone: Army Used Psy-Ops on Senators

By Sara Sorcher
Thursday, February 24, 2011 | 7:25 a.m.


Rolling Stone reports today that a U.S. Army unit specializing in "psychological operations" in Afghanistan was ordered to manipulate American senators visiting the country into providing more troops and funding for the war.

Psy-ops are intended to target “hostile foreign groups,” and are banned by federal law for use on on Americans, the magazine reports. When Lt. Col. Michael Holmes, the leader of the information operations unit tried to deflect the Army order given by Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, a three-star general in charge of training Afghan troops, he then found himself the target of a military investigation to investigate his bevahavior, which allegedly included alcohol use and having an "inappropriate" relationship with a subordinate.

Holmes said the operations was initially intended to include "seemingly innocuous" work, such as compiling detailed profiles of special visitors to Afghanistan, profiles that included voting records and their personal preferences.

Caldwell's chief of staff is reported to have asked Holmes how the military could secretly manipulate the lawmakers without their knowledge. In an email, Caldwell’s staff commissioned Holmes' team for information to shape the general’s presentations to the visitors and to "refine our messaging." Holmes said that the team was supposed to provide a "deeper analysis of pressure points we could use to leverage the delegation for more funds."

Among those singled out in the campaign: Sens John McCain, R-Ariz., Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Al Franken, D-Minn. and Carl Levin, D-Mich.

Full article here:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/another-runaway-general-army-deploys-psy-ops-on-u-s-senators-20110223

[guruoo]

1. Be interesting to hear what Franken has to say about this nt

[Vinca]

2. Just copied it to read later. Of all those people, Grandpa McCain

would be the easiest to manipulate in favor of war and killing. Lieberbush, of course, would beg like a chihuahua to go along with McCain.

[chade]

3. McCain? Lieberman?

Seems like kind of a waste of psyops. Observe:

Me: "Hey McCain, the GENERALS are, like, totally squeeing fangirls about the Afghanistan war, but they need more money."
McCain: "THE GENERALS?!1! Quick! Send them PILES OF MONEY."

Me: "And Senator Lieberman, word on the street is we heard through the grapevine that sometimes some people in Afghanistan think about maybe considering possibly saying MEAN WORDS about Israel."
Lieberman: "DESTROY THEM ALL."

...Can I have my brazillions in Army psyops funding monies now plz??

[gratuitous]

4. They can't find bin Laden, but they know how to work Senators

Isn't it nice to see what matters to the military?

All war is sin.

[siligut]

5. Bin Laden is what they fed to us to get our money to give to war

They needed a big bad enemy so we wouldn't put up a fuss.

[karynnj]

6. This should be illegal -

I understand McCain, Lieberman, Reed, and Levin as they are the key people on the Armed Services committee - though they likely already had the support of Lieberman and McCain. The surprise is Franken, who is not on that committee. Could they have worried that he would be one who could call for fewer troops? (Yet - Kerry, who was against McChrystal's plan and who is in a more powerful position is not listed.)

[babylonsister]

7. I think it is illegal; from the article...

"My job in psy-ops is to play with people’s heads, to get the enemy to behave the way we want them to behave," says Lt. Colonel Michael Holmes, the leader of the IO unit, who received an official reprimand after bucking orders. "I’m prohibited from doing that to our own people. When you ask me to try to use these skills on senators and congressman, you’re crossing a line."

[karynnj]

8. Excellent point

I suspect that Levin will have ample reason to call for a hearing. This really is despicable. I am reading the Rolling Stone article now and see that that the fact that it is illegal is a main point of the article.