The Obama Administration has finally responded to the international outcry over the abuse of Bradley Manning. After State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley acknowledged the abuse, the Administration fired him with the apparent approval of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Now, everyone is in agreement: there is no problem in how Bradley Manning is being abused. That is particularly the case with former White House aide Mike Hammer who will replace Crowley. There’s a nice way to start a job — the replacement for the guy who dared to admit concerns over a human rights case.
International groups and civil libertarians have denounced the Obama Administration for the mistreatment of Manning, the Army private who is being held in solitary confinement in Quantico, Virginia.
In speaking to a group at MIT, Crowley said the treatment of Manning “is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.” Notably, he also said that Manning is legitimately under arrest for the alleged commission of the serious offense of leaking classified information.
Crowley is reportedly personally offended by the mistreatment of Manning — a sentiment that is not welcomed in this Administration any more than the last Administration.
Obama has assured the public that he has determined that Manning is being treated well. How? By asking the Defense Department, of course. They say that Manning is being treated well and that some of the conditions of his confinement are there to help him.
For her part, Hillary Clinton accepted Crowley’s resignation “with regret,” but there is no evidence that she fought to protect him from being forced out by the Administration.
Source: CNN
From TPMDC
Conyers: Obama Would Be In Trouble If The 2012 GOP Field Wasn’t So Weak
Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 14, 2011
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/conyers-obama-would-be-in-trouble-if-the-2012-gop-wasnt-so-weak.php?ref=fpb
Excerpt:
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), a stalwart of the House’s progressive wing and the self-proclaimed Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, told reporters Monday that President Obama should be thanking his lucky stars the Republicans can’t seem to rustle up someone credible to take him on.
Pointing to the numerous ways Obama has disappointed his wing of the Democratic party since taking office, Conyers suggested Obama might have a hard time of it in 2012 if the Republicans came up with someone suitable.
“I’m sure he realized what he was getting into,” Conyers said of Obama, reflecting on his term in office. “He tried to close Guantanamo, he was against tax cuts for the wealthy — we keep having a longer and longer list of things that he wanted to do, wished he could do more about and of course is having a big problem.”
Conyers also lamented the White House talk of increased offshore oil drilling and general discussions of the environment.” In general, he criticized Obama for “all these concessions with the people that are going to oppose him.”
“The only thing that saves him, of course, is that there doesn’t seem to be anybody to run against him next year,” Conyers said before launching into a bit of free-association on the potential 2012 GOP field so far:
You could count Sarah Palin, my favorite undisclosed candidate. Or Michele Bachmann. Newt Gingrich has been reinvented for the third time. And Romney…He didn’t finish the thought about Romney.
“It’s not the greatest list to choose from as we go into the next election,” Conyers concluded.
Crowley is a retired Airforce colonel. I assume he takes our nation’s security seriously. Obama aliennates his base by papering over the crypto-facist tendancies of the previous admionistration. He’s losing voters like me. He’s giving the Republicans the White House.
I suspect that if the preident’s handlers were dumb enough to allow him to be directly questioned about this episode his response would be similar to his response to those on the left who thought his healthcare plan was a joke and a give away to the insurance companies.
In that case Obama, with an agressive and condesending tone he resrves for those on the left,said in essense that he had to live in the real world, that he didn’t have the luxury of maintaining hard idealogical positions.
But questions of healthcare (and let’s be honost, he really just wanted to say he had one in the “win” column. It didn’t matter what was in the bill) are political. Questions of torture and war crimes are matters of law. The United Nations Convention Against Torture IS United States law and has been since the Reagan administration. It contains not “emergency” provision allowing for the “ticking time bomb” scenario that right-wing fantasist drool about. It also makes it a crime for governments to knowingly refuse to prosecute war criminals.
The military pretends to be concerned about Manning’s mental health while doing what it thinks (knows) it can get away with to destroy him physically.
Don’t you remember this song?
AY,
I guess I was right about Barack O’Bush … he has Irish ancestry … lol!
raffflaw, No,I paid a subscriber fee to help with the genealogy work. Still have more to do.
SM,
Obama is Irish? Wow. It that a free app on Ancestry.com to check if you are related to Obama?? Maybe if enough “relatives” send him a message, we can get him to remember the rule of law.
“Winning the future.”
“Change you can believe in.”
Oh Gyges,
I think I shall call you ‘Killer’ because you slay me.
The worst part of the story is that Cheney and Obama are cousins. The relatives were in Ann Arundel County, Md. Maybe ancestry. com is wrong.
Gyges, Don’t know of a third party candidate for this election. Maybe someone will step up but with Obama at the top of the union sample ballot will be hard for the person to get more than 2 percent.
SwM,
Look at the difference … AY wants you to hide in an attic while I want you to get us on Air Force One … I guess you could say that in either case, you’ll be up in the air.
SWM,
For safety and security reasons…I would not admit that in public….If you do again…I’ll call Ross and see if we can use his attic…..
Swarthmore mom
1, March 14, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Obama’s mom is of English and Irish descent. If ancestry.com is correct, I am related to them as a ninth cousin.
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Oh goody … can you get us on Air Force One?
Swarthmore mom
1, March 14, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Blouise, I hope I am not wrong but maybe the more attention Manning receives in the media the better chance he has.
==============================================
I agree … in fact I think that’s his only chance and I believe that had his name faded from public view, he would now be dead.
What he did punched the State Department and their cohorts, the CIA, right in the old ego … it embarrassed them at home but really got them into hot water abroad.
Obama’s mom is of English and Irish descent. If ancestry.com is correct, I am related to them as a ninth cousin.
Swarthmore,
“The only way to “peacefully push” him out of office would be not to vote for him and vote for a republican instead.”
Or you could vote third party.
“Dr. Rumack: what was it we had for dinner tonight?
Elaine Dickinson: Well, we had a choice: steak or fish.
Dr. Rumack: Yes, yes, I remember, I had lasagna.”
Obam’s mom is of English and Irish descent.
AY,
“SL,
Just because St. Patty’s day is coming upon us it is not fair to make everyone Irish is it…You can’t even argue he is a Black Irish…those were of Spanish dissent… Now, if you wanna say that he is of the Bush Clan…. Not to be confused with the Klan….”
Come on, AY – EVERYONE’s Irish on St. Patty’s day! I’m just giving O’Bush a head start 🙂
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Blouise,
“Impeachment is a closet teabagger’s wet dream. Bush got away with it big time … so will Obama.”
Swarthmoremom,
“Torture does not seem to be that important to the voting public, and he knows it.”
Bingo – we have two winners. Even if the GOP were to recapture the Senate and WH, they cannot go after Obama without going after Bush/Cheney first. And we know that’s not going to happen.
Blouise, I hope I am not wrong but maybe the more attention Manning receives in the media the better chance he has.