So Gen. Casey knows NOTHING of Pentagon report of shortages for soldiers in Iraq?

[babylonsister]

He's being grilled on CSPAN; he claims he has no knowledge of any shortages of key protective equipment despite the report released by the Pentagon.
How likely is this? And if so, who's wagging this dog?

Report: U.S. Troops Short On Crucial Supplies


http://kutv.com/topstories/topstories_story_030170745.h ...

Hundreds of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced shortages of key protective equipment including armored vehicles, roadside-bomb countermeasures and communications gear, a Pentagon survey released Tuesday shows.

The Defense Department Inspector General's Office polled roughly 1,100 service members and found they weren't always adequately equipped for their missions. The troops were interviewed in Iraq and Afghanistan last May and June.

Those surveyed reported shortcoming with vehicles outfitted with armor; "crew-served weapons," which are weapons it takes more than one person to handle, such as artillery or a large machine gun; electronic countermeasure devices, such as equipment designed to foil roadside bombs by interfering with cell-phone signals that may be used to detonate them; and communications equipment.

The survey found that those not getting needed gear include troops performing untraditional missions such as training, reconstruction, detainee operations and explosive ordnance disposal.

In some cases, they went ahead with the work anyway, used informal means to get what they needed or canceled or put off operations while waiting for equipment, the report summary said.

[fooj]

1. I've been watching this all morning. It's enough to make me puke.

[spanone]

2. I don't think 'grilled' is the right word. They should be screaming at this incompetent fuck.

[Avalux]

3. He's a liar, just like the rest of them.

Anyone - including those in uniform - who would support Bush's neocon bullshit at this point has no credibility or integrity. Casey is clearly only concerned about his own ass.

[babylonsister]

4. His "ignorance" alone should make him ineligible for Army chief of staff. nt

[atreides1]

5. I've said it before and I'll say it again

Casey is a hack, he's a fluff general. His father was a commander, the son is an ass kissing boot licker.

This revelation alone should have the committee voting against him becoming Army Chief of Staff, and when you throw in is abysmal failure as a field commander, they should request that he file his retirement papers by this afternoon.

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Oh, I've got an even BETTER one for you!

If you get the chance, watch the public hearing on the National Guard and Reserves Operations with JCS Peter Pace that aired yesterday. They were asking him about funding for equipment needs and asked him the President has the ability to, essentially, control the purse strings (my term).

His response was, 'As I understand the Law of the Land, in a time of war the President can control funding.' (paraphrased) Key words of 'Law of the Land' and 'time of war' said it all and my jaw dropped. He was answering that his understanding of the Constitution is that Congress DOES NOT have the power of the purse! It certainly did not appear to me that Pace was restricting his comment to military budgets either.

http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/cspan.csp?command=dprogram&record=550526612

[babylonsister]

7. Thanks for that. I believe Feingold's hearings dispute what Pace

'thinks' he knows. And the info shared in that hearing came from congressional scholars.
And BTW, doesn't Congress have to pass something to proclaim that this IS a 'war'? They haven't AFAIK.
So now Pace is a lawyer?

[w8liftinglady]

8. *profanity warning* my rage grows daily.

They fucked with MY KID!They should be put on trial for the murders of every one of those soldiers,for every injury,and for the pain and suffering they have caused these families...including ME.Every one,from George bush down to the pencil pushers who should have spoken out.
My question to the military men here-what commanding officer would allow his troops to be endangered this way?
I won't rest until I see every one of these Godless motherfuckers in Levenworth.

[babylonsister]

10. I'm not in your shoes but I'm pissed off beyond measure, too.

They are such buffoons! And the worst thing is, he'll probably get confirmed, so all the senators who vote for this buffoon are complicit imo.

[SoCalDem]

9. It's the "schultz maneuver". If you claim to "know" nothing, then you cannot be held responsible.

I always wish the follow-up line of questioning would revolve around the fact that someone at such a high level would be so UNknowing of stuff that's been reported about DAILY in the press, and via reports.

How COULD their excuse be that they are "too busy" to know stuff??

[butterfly77]

11. They all seem to be back tracking on everything...

Mc Cain blames everyone, now he's blaming the generals ...

[Jacobin]

12. I don't like scapegoating Casey. Fucking Rumsfeld was in charge

Why are we joining with McCain to make it sound like Iraq would have been all glorious and all if only one general had done a better job?

This is utter bullshit