Breaking: Rumsfeld to Testify Wednesday on Pat Tillman's Death

[VolcanoJen]

Source: MSNBC, NBC News, AP

Rumsfeld to testify Wednesday on Pat Tillman's death - MSNBC/NBC Breaking News.

1st Edit: Keith Olbermann, appearing live on MSNBC, just confirmed that Rumsfeld will indeed appear tomorrow before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for a hearing on what the Pentagon knew about Pat Tillman's death. Still no link...

2nd Edit: From AP's updated story, also linked below and as source, scroll down in the story quite a bit: "Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is scheduled to testify, said committee spokeswoman Karen Lightfoot. The panel issued a subpoena Monday night for testimony from (Lt. Gen. Philip) Kensinger, according to Lightfoot, who said the subpoena is in the hands of U.S. marshals who were trying to deliver it in advance of Wednesday's hearing."

3rd Edit: Think Progress Link: Rumsfeld To Appear Before Congress Tomorrow

House Committee On Oversight and Government Reform Link (updated to include Rumsfeld as a witness): The Tillman Fratricide: What the Leadership of the Defense Department Knew

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070801/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/t...

---

Superimposed on MSNBC at the moment. Will update shortly when link emerges.

[babylonsister]

1. Wow! Get yer popcorn ready! nt

[mr_hat]

3. No popcorn for me. Need to keep my gag reflex clear.

[burrowowl]

21. Do you think Rummy will say

anything truthful!?
I think his testimony will make me

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Commander AWOL ordered the hit to keep Tillman quiet." - Rum Dumb

"But you'll never prove it because of, um (smirk, smirk, smirk) Executive Privilege and shit like that.
The source of his death sentence will forever remain an unknown unknown. Smirk, smirk, smirk."

- Rum Dumb

[VolcanoJen]

4. "There were a few bad apples." - Rummy

Oh, how it could go on, and on.

[sarcasmo]

5. Kick and Nom. This will be interesting.

[driver8]

6. Here is a transcript...

"I don't recall"
"I can't recall"

"I don't recall"

"I don't know"

"I don't remember"

"I can't recall"

[Jacobin]

7. Here's the rest of it:

"Were soldiers getting killed in Afghanistan? Why yes, they were. Was I aware of some soldiers being killed by friendly fire? Why, I would think that happens from time to time in a war. Was I aware of some coverup of Pat Tillman's death? Heavens to Betsy, I should say no!"

[IChing]

9. Pretty good 'Rummey talk'

I wish they would arrest him on the spot.

[Adsos Letter]

10. "We wage war with all the honesty and integrity we have...

...not the honesty and integrity you wish we had."

[cureautismnow]

40. "We know where our honesty and integrity are..."

"They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."

[babylonsister]

11. And 'golly gee, I never said nothing to nobody.' nt

[truth2power]

17. Isn't that creepy? I've never heard a grown man

talk the way Rummy does. Everybody in the Administration is emotionally regressed.

[liberalhottie]

20. Tillman

this is so terrible. I cannot imagine why Rummy would have a change of heart <grin>

[jimshoes]

8. Rumsfeld has a knack of

turning the questioners into the bad guys. He's a snake that way. Keep that creep on the defensive. Remind him who he worked for, you know, us, the patriotic citizens who paid his salary, not the guy who got appointed as prez.

[Bushwick Bill]

12. Keep this in mind

when this SOB says he doesn't remember or wasn't involved.

Aside from the grim mirth we might all experience at all these “Oh my”s, the essence of this excerpt, emblematic of the whole inquiry, is that when Rumsfeld is being asked a question for which he might be legally held accountable at a later date, he develops selective amnesia, and punts to one of the pre-selected others in his retinue. This is a masterful exercise of Disingenuous Boss Syndrome. And the subject of it—Donald Rumsfeld—figures directly into this account of the death of Pat Tillman and the subsequent cover-up.

Here are a few comments about Herr Rumsfeld:

* Since the day he took command of the Pentagon, Rumsfeld has been using his famous "8,000-mile screwdriver" to tilt the civil-military balance his way. According to his critics, he is Robert McNamara reborn—an arrogant micromanager, contemptuous of soldierly expertise and certain of his own infallibility. (Andrew Bacevich, Los Angeles Times)

* To counter critics' description of Rumsfeld as a micromanager who did not listen to military leaders, the Pentagon circulated a one-page memo late last week detailing the defense secretary's frequent contacts with numerous uniformed and civilian advisers. (Associated Press)

* If a civilian such as Donald Rumsfeld seeks to exercise from Washington functions that were traditionally those of soldiers, he should take the customary consequences. (Max Hastings, Washington Post, entitled “To the Micromanager Goes the Blame”)

* It says Mr Rumsfeld has held 139 meetings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff since the beginning of 2005, and 208 meetings with the senior field commanders. The retired generals complained that Mr Rumsfeld was a "micromanager" who often ignored the advice of senior commanders. (Mark Mazzetti and Jim Rutenberg, Sydney Morning Herald)

* Was Donald Rumsfeld a micromanager? Yes. Did he want to be involved in all of the decisions? Yes. (Michael DeLong, New York Times)

* DoD lawyers deny the allegation, but Rumsfeld's management style, the infamous micromanagement, lends credibility to it. It's logical that a micromanager would utilize the tools of technology available to him to direct interrogations from a distance. (Daily Kos)

* Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong, former deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, said Monday he suspected Rumsfeld's critics simply didn't like Rumsfeld's management style and personality. “His management style is a tough management style,” DeLong said on NBC's “Today” show. “He's tough to work with. He is a micromanager, but he's very effective. He's very competent but very dogmatic and tough when he deals with people.” (Albuquerque Tribune)

A Google search with the terms “Donald,” “Rumsfeld,” and “micromanager” yields 10,600 results. The point being…Rumsfeld, a world-class micromanager, does not have the reputation of someone who is incapable of remembering the chain of command from himself to a high-profile, scandal-ridden military prison in Iraq.

This is not a generic demonstration of DBS, because Rumsfeld was certainly not hands-off in the case of Pat Tillman. And if Rumsfeld was interested—given the career interests of every officer below him, and the legitimacy crisis of the administration of which he is a part—everyone was interested.

The very idea that there was not involvement in the aftermath of Pat Tillman’s death that went all the way to the top of this hierarchy, including the office of the Commander-in-Chief, is absolutely ludicrous.
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/051806_tillma...

[Olney Blue]

13. Rummy on the Hill?

[VolcanoJen]

14. Oh, now that would make a good reality show...

... if it wasn't so f'n sad.

Looking forward to seeing ol' Rummy again tomorrow. He's yet to face a bit of a hostile audience, and these conditions are different from the five-year skate he received from the media. Should be interesting.

[northofdenali]

15. K&R

[TroglodyteScholar]

16. I bet we get some of this bizniz....

Or maybe this:

[arewenotdemo]

19. What we're sure to get is a lot of "My goodness", and "Gracious!"

from the Old Nazi.

Let him retire to Paraguay in peace, if he's not going to be handed over to the World Court.

[mzmolly]

23. And some of this - "Should I remember? Yes. Do I remember? no."

[Hepburn]

18. Holy FN shit!!!!!! K&R

Wow, glad I went to Food 4 Less 2 days ago and got 10 boxes of Kettle Korn!!!!

[Algorem]

22. does he still have his desk at the Pentagon?

[Gelliebeans]

24. He better not be

allowed to hem and haw and the whole henny-penny defense. That guy is a snake.

[CK_John]

25. This could be a moment like when in Watergate the taping system was reveled.

It was a shout out moment, "the end is near", and everybody knew it. If * pulls executive privilege, * is toast. If Rummy blames Tillman or pulls a "don't recall", * better head to ranch. If Rummy pulls a "you can't handle the truth", * knows the dam has broken.

[radfringe]

26. there are known knowns, known unknowns

and unknown unknows....I dunno know

[stevedeshazer]

27. Rumsfeld to testify at Tillman hearing

Source: Army Times

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday morning about what Defense Department leaders knew about the friendly fire death of Cpl. Pat Tillman, the committee confirmed late Tuesday.

The hearing, “The Tillman Fratricide: What the Leadership of the Defense Department Knew,” will begin at 10 a.m. in Room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Also confirmed to appear are retired Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; retired Gen. John Abizaid, former commander of U.S. Central Command; and retired Gen. Bryan Douglas Brown, former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.

The only invited speaker who has not confirmed his attendance is retired Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, former commander of Army Special Operations Command. According to the committee, a subpoena has been issued for Kensinger to appear.

Read more: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/07/army_rumsfeldtill... /

---

[Aviation Pro]

28. Congratulations....

...Motherfucker George Bush, you just pissed off the entirety of the Special Operations community by making LTG Kensinger the fall guy in the Tillman murder. Between calling off the raid by SEAL Six when we could have netted OBL and this fuck up, you, you retard, asswipe, fuckface coward, have incurred the ire of the brethen of Iron Mike.

[razors edge]

35. What he said. times ten.

[tekisui]

29. Mr. Straightforward

I'm surprised he'll even appear. It's been a while since we've heard Rummy's crazy talk. Should be greasy.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

30. How did they get him to show up... And * not to claim executive

privilege?

[cui bono]

31. He promised to not recall anything. n/t

[ryanmuegge]

32. Of course he won't remember anything. With as much of a micro-manager as he was

There's no way he doesn't know what's going on.

[burrowowl]

33. Yes! Rummy won't

remamber a thing!

[MADem]

34. Your link crapped out. That's GREAT news, BTW.

I got to the story eventually by typing Tillman and Rumsfeld into the ARMY TIMES search feature, and it came up as the same link you provided, but when I tried to go directly there from your link, I got "This page has gone AWOL." Go figure!!! Maybe it's a "can't get there from here" thing, or maybe it's operator error on my part...?

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/07/army_rumsfeldtill... /

See--same link. Big finish on that article:


....The committee’s announcement came hours after Army officials released findings from an investigation by a four-star general into officers in Tillman’s chain of command and the role they played in the mistakes and errors made in reporting Tillman’s April 22, 2004, friendly fire death in Afghanistan.

During a briefing at the Pentagon by Army Secretary Pete Geren and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody, Kensinger was singled out as the officer who was to blame for why the Tillman family and many Americans believe the Army tried to cover up the circumstances of the former professional football player’s death.

Geren has called for an Army Grade Determination Review Board to determine if Kensinger should lose his third star, and officials have issued an official reprimand against Kensinger.

Wednesday’s hearing will be the second such session by the oversight committee into Tillman’s death. Tillman’s mother, Mary, and brother Kevin, along with former soldier and prisoner of war Jessica Lynch testified during a highly charged hearing in April.

Will CSPAN carry it, I wonder?

[AndyTiedye]

36. Got One Article that Says He WILL Testify, and One Says He Won't

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[bklyncowgirl]

37. I predict that der Rummy will be stricken by a sudden attack of amnesia.

Either that or we'll get word that he's suffering from Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers would be a nice way for them to clear his name--yeah he screwed up the war but he was a sick man.

[napi21]

38. I don't CARE! I don't want to hear Rummy, I want to know WHO

actually SHOT Tilman, and WHY! John Elloit was talking about this on AAR last night. I agree! I'm sure Tilman's parents feel that way too! Sure I want to see the higher-ups that insisted on the coverup punished too, but why isn't anyone screaming for the real truth about what happened?

[tanyev]

39. Rumsfeld will be speaking to what the DOD knew they knew,

knew they didn't know, and what they didn't know they didn't know. (Clear your room of anything that can be picked up and thrown at the TV or monitor.)

[maddezmom]

41. kick

[DemoTex]

42. Under oath? No fingers crossed?

These old eyes will believe it when they see it.