General Sanchez GONE !!!

[bushgottago]

I just hear it on CNN. No details yet.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. But he is not being recalled

due to the prison scandal, so stop
saying that

[frank frankly]

2. he wanted to spend time with his family

and tell them about the torture he witnessed and ordered.

[KissMyAsscroft]

3. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!

What a pity...

[saigon68]

32. Greasy "PISTOL BOY" sanchez

Hey that’s sanchez in the middle






SORRY SANCHEZ consiglieri to Pontius Paul Bremer I Viceroy of IRAQ-NAM

His quote,” We are going to Kill the Shia Criminal al Sadr”

[symbolman]

4. Okay

so that means he KNEW something and he should be subpoena'd at once and given full immunity if he talks..

this goes UP the LADDER..

The Denial RIver is beautiful this time of year..

[Az_lefty]

5. Their calling it a normal rotation

but I heard he's not getting his 4th star. If that's the case he effectively been relieved.

[trogdor]

20. The fourth star would have to be approved by the Senate.

Bush doesn't need any more shitstorms on Capitol Hill.

[nodictators]

24. We should give him a Depleted Uranium Star

That would be a fitting award.

[TheDebbieDee]

35. LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOooooooolllllllll

[jobycom]

6. So you CAN change military leaders in the middle of a war!

Good to know.

[LagaLover]

10. They changed Franks in the middle of the war...

[jobycom]

12. Wow. That means the right wing line about not firing Rumsfield was

disengenuous? WHoda thunk?

[LeftHander]

13. He called Cambone fucking stupidest man in D.C.

Got him replaced...

[saigon68]

39. Cambone

not brightest bulb on the tree.

[nolabels]

41. Who is Stephen Cambone?

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/ind/cambone/cambone.php

(check the hand jestures)
http://antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2659

Who is Stephen Cambone?
Rumsfeld's Henchman
Stephen Cambone, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's right-hand man, was for the first time caught in the glare of media attention as part of the congressional inquiry into Iraq prison abuses. Under sharp questioning by a few senators on May 11, 2004, Cambone vigorously defended both Rumsfeld and Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy. Cambone's attempt to split hairs on whether the Geneva Conventions were applicable to intelligence gathering in Iraq and his awkward defense of the role of military intelligence in interrogations put him at odds with the U.S. Army general who first investigated abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. As the first-ever undersecretary of defense for intelligence, Cambone will likely come under increased fire as the prison scandal unfolds. Some of the most intense questioning of Cambone centered on whether the Geneva Conventions were "precisely" respected. What "precisely" Cambone knew and when he knew it, and what precisely was the role of military intelligence will be questions that Cambone will be required to answer.

Cambone, who as director of strategic defense policy during the Bush I administration under Defense Secretary Cheney had been a prominent promoter of missile defense systems, served as the staff director of the two congressional commissions – one on missile defense and another on space weapons – chaired by Donald Rumsfeld in the late 1990s.

The two Rumsfeld commissions focused on the issues at the top of the list for the national security militarists and the large military contractors: the ballistic missile threat to the United States and U.S. space-based defense capabilities. In the tradition of Team B, the unstated agenda of these commissions was to turn up pressure on the administration to support new weapons programs and substantially increase major military spending. Both commissions received funding from defense spending bills – in effect using taxpayer revenues to subsidize them. But perusing the backgrounds and connections of the individuals charged with overseeing the commissions, Rumsfeld and his right-hand man Stephen Cambone, most observers at the time believed that the conclusions were preordained.
(snip)

[Don_G]

7. I Heard On NPR

That Dimbo McChimp thought Sanchez was doing a fantastic job and had to leave for other oppourtunities.

Isn't that just like Dimbo McChimp---one verifiable smear and you're out.

[leftchick]

11. fabulous....

He said Sanchez is doing a "fabulous" job.

[0007]

17. Maybe Abu' Sanchez will let junior play with his gun, 'huh?

"The gang that couldn't shoot straight" is right on target.

[Spazito]

8. Okay, now will Congress call him back re his testimony?

One can conclude, or at least I do, that, after the revelation that he was at the prison 3 times in one month while the tortures were going on, rather than being able to provide evidence the claim was false, he is removed because the claim is true. If so, that means he lied, under oath, to Congress. What are the penalties for lying under oath to Congress?

[Just Me]

16. OH !! I !! WISH !! n/t

[SemperEadem]

23. Perjury, perhaps...

probably a couple years in a military resort, I mean prison, release, then a war analyst position on FOX.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

27. "Whadda'ya think? 9 iron or 8 iron?"

And I'm not talking about the tensile strength of the prison bars.

[UpInArms]

9. but he leaves with "high praise" from the mangler

I can't get the link to work, but this is on the Google News page:

http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?arti...

Top US general in Iraq being replaced; Bush voices praise
Boston Herald, MA - 2 hours ago
By Associated Press. President Bush is praising the top US general in Iraq -- even though administration officials confirm he's about to be replaced. ...

[Bariztr]

38. Exemplarary

Just heard a sound bite from the local radio news where Shrub called his service "exemplarary". My knowledge of the English language is remedial at best but "exemplarary"?? Does this man not have a proofreader...its just ridiculous.

But let him say it in his own words:

"I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is underestimating."
— U.S. News & World Report, April 3, 2000


Bariztr

[John_H]

14. Watch for a blurb about his emplyment with a major bush donor

when he retires in a couple months. Remember, they had to get him out of there, but the also have to buy his silence.

[robertpaulsen]

15. Here's my link I found.

http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20040525/D82PO33O0.htm...

Sanchez to Be Replaced As Iraq Commander

snip


WASHINGTON (AP) - The top U.S. military officer in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, will be replaced as part of a command restructuring that has been in the works for several months, administration officials said Tuesday. The Pentagon also suspended Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski from her command.

Both have become symbols of lax supervision at the Abu Ghraib prison where U.S. soldiers allegedly abused Iraqi inmates.

President Bush praised Sanchez during a photo opportunity in the Oval Office. "Rick Sanchez has done a fabulous job," the president said as he met with a group of Iraqis. "He's been there for a long time. His service has been exemplary."



Seems more like CYA than real accountability. No surprise there.

[0007]

18. Yeah, it is a CYA mode and the article was kind of a puff piece

if you know what I mean?



His service has been exemplary, according to junior. Sanchez is worthy of imitation? junior would like to see more generals packing a gun to press conferences, 'eh?

[Cooley Hurd]

26. Sorry, but I just don't buy that he would leave a month...

...before the June 30th transfer of power takes place (and at the height of the fighting) unless he's being forced out. Why not wait the extra month and see the mess you made thru?

[robertpaulsen]

28. Exactly. Just like Garner being replaced by Bremer was normal.

Just like they planned it all along. And we'll find those WMD stockpiles, just you wait!

Seriously, even Rethugs are having second thoughts about the $200 million they've forwarded to the BFEE for reSelection. Talk about throwing good money after bad.

[Just Me]

29. To,...ummmm,....get him outta' the limelight?

Before the shit really hits the fan?

[jamesinca]

40. For a few reasons that come to mind

First of all the US is not pulling out of Iraq in a month. We will continue to have troops over there. That June 30 thing is just a mirage at best. Military involvement does not end on the 30th. This has been clearly laid out by the administration time and time again. The only thing that changes on the 30th is Paul Bremmers title.

The second thing, and I am just stretching the mind here on this one, US immunity from war crimes by the international courts is not being renewed. I don't know what the text of the original agreement says, but I bet that Sanchez can not be charged with anything if he is back in the States as a private citizen when that contract ends, regardless of the things that happened under his command during the immunity period.

That is just my guess.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

19. One layer peeled off to get to the pulp

The pulp is what we're after.

[Spazito]

21. Here's an interesting take on it, from Kimmitt...

"Kimmitt says commanders are usually kept in the war zone for about a year -- and says Sanchez has been there more than a year. And Kimmitt says other commanders will also be rotated out in the coming months -- including himself."

From this article: Kimmitt downplays Sanchez move

http://www.kbcitv.com/x5154.xml?ParentPageID=x5155&Cont...

So Kimmitt will be leaving too, wonder if he will get a promotion or a demotion?

[anarchy1999]

33. Kimmitt and Senor need to go as well. POS MF's

Harvard MBA's they are, they need to get back to outsourcing jobs. Not running the military. Outsourcing the military is not working well. Halliburton scum.

[Catfight]

22. Still the Bush administration fails to hold anyone accountable,

and fails to display to the world that torture will not be covered up, tolerated, or used for political gain. Also on NPR the Iraqi's stated Bush is only concerned about re-election.

[r_u_stuck2]

25. The Spin

I was watching when the spin was it was a normal "PLANNED" rotation. BUT, no one knew who would replace him or who would replace the person who replaced him or where the chairs would be shuffled.

Now if this was "PLANNED" wouldn't it make a little sense to already know whose chair was being vacated and who would be taking the place of each one.

Nah, they got feedback that said get him out and out he goes. Typical of ALL the "PLANNING" that has gone on from day one.

[yellowcanine]

30. But they won't force him to retire or he will talk....paper clip duty

No doubt Gen. Sanchez will be shunted to some backwater to mark time until November - at which time his sorry ass will be canned.

[daleo]

31. If the war on terror was really of such importance

Would they be rotating people out in a year? Seems funny for World War IV (a neo-conism that I have heard).

[Disturbed]

34. Cover Up

The Cover Up continues. Will Congress be complicit in it?

[NashVegas]

36. duplicate

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

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

[maddezmom]

37. Gen.George Casey as the replacement???

~~~~
It is not clear what will happen to Sanchez. For months senior commanders have said privately that plans envisioned a new role for him, possibly as head of the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in South America, the Caribbean and most of Central America. But that position requires a congressional confirmation hearing, which would be likely to lead to a new round of questions about the Abu Ghraib scandal and Sanchez's actions in dealing with it.

Sanchez commands most regular Army and Marine units in Iraq. But there are four other U.S. three-star generals in Iraq. The new commander will outrank all those officers and, unlike Sanchez, will also have authority over all U.S. military units there, including Special Operations forces and the Iraq Survey Group, which focuses on searching for weapons of mass destruction.

The leading contender for the new, four-star job has been Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army's second-in-command, officials said. The other senior officer under consideration for the post is Army Lt. Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. But several officials said yesterday that Rumsfeld seemed in the past week to pull back from formally proposing Craddock.
~~~~~~~~

But retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who commanded Sanchez in the 1991 Gulf War, remembered Sanchez, who led a battalion in McCaffrey's 24th Infantry Division, as one of his best subordinate commanders. "A terrific combat commander, led from the front, great personal courage, soldiers trusted him," McCaffrey said.

Even so, McCaffrey was less than glowing in his assessment of Sanchez's performance in Iraq.

"I think Rick got sucked into Bremer's CPA and rarely broke out of his orbit," McCaffrey said, referring to the Coalition Provisional Authority, headed by civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52980-20...


Interesting comments about Sanchez and Bremer from Gen. McCaffrery.