July 3, 2004
YOU STUPID, STUPID WOMAN (via David Cohen):
U.S. General Says Met Israeli Interrogator in Iraq (Reuters, 7/03/04)
The U.S. general who was in charge of Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison said on Saturday she had met an Israeli interrogator in Iraq, a claim Israel denied but which was likely to irritate many in the Arab world.Posted by Orrin Judd at July 3, 2004 8:32 PMBrigadier-General Janis Karpinski, who was responsible for military police guarding all Iraqi jails at the time prisoners were abused by U.S. troops there, told the BBC she met the Israeli at a Baghdad interrogation center.
"He was clearly from the Middle East and he said: 'Well, I do some of the interrogation here and of course I speak Arabic, but I'm not an Arab. I'm from Israel'," she said.
"My initial reaction was to laugh because I thought maybe he was joking, and I realized he was serious," said Karpinski who has been suspended from her command for failings at Abu Ghraib but has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
A U.S. military spokesman in Washington said he had no information and Israel denied it.
"There is no basis or support in the reports regarding the alleged involvement of Israeli interrogators in interrogating prisoners or captives in Iraq. These reports are firmly denied," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said in a statement.
How did this woman ever reach such a position of authority - doesn't she know it entails some responsibility?
Posted by: jd watson at July 3, 2004 9:17 PMWell, according to Forrest Gump stupid is as stupid does. She's stupid alright. Good call!
Posted by: Tom Wall at July 3, 2004 9:19 PM"I think of a man. And I take away reason and accountability."
Posted by: djs at July 3, 2004 9:44 PMIn perverse way, this makes the upcoming probe of the Abu Ghirab prision abuse problems fascnating, and highly dangerous for the pro-Kerry mainstream media and the Democratic presidential nominee.
Conventional wisdom among the press and Kerry's supporters was that Karpinski was merely a scapegoat for higher ups in the adminstration on the abuuse -- in their fondest hopes all the way up to Rumsfeld and Bush. But with her injection of alleged Israei abuse, they are faced with the conumdrum that if you make her into a sympathetic figure, you now have to also blame the Jews along with Bush and Rumsfeld for the Baghdad prison problems.
For the far left of the party, this is no stretch at all, since they already were blaming Israel for being the co-root of all evil along with GWB. But the Kerry people know hammering Bush with an issue that also indicts Israel is not a really good strategy for holding onto the Jewish vote in November, and the media knows this as well. It ought to make for some fun verbal amd written gymnastich to avoid linking the two over the next couple of months (or the press could simply turn Karpinski into a non-person and ignore her ccmpletely between now and Nov. 2).
Posted by: John at July 4, 2004 3:12 AMAre Janice Karpinski and Joseph Wilson the same person?
Posted by: jim hamlen at July 4, 2004 8:58 AMKarpinski is clearly a prime example of gender selection bias resulting in unqualified leadership. Not a single (non-conservative) media outlet has pointed out this possibility, to my knowledge.
Posted by: Jeff Brokaw at July 4, 2004 9:01 AMCan you imagine how flighty she gets when it's that time of the month? Good heavens, why didn't she stay as a cocktail waitress at that Chicago eatery? Are we truly living in a meritocracy?
Posted by: Brent Anderson at July 4, 2004 10:05 AM