Bush didn't fix "hole" in law that prevents prosecution of contractors: 'That's How I Work'

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Bush: 'That's How I Work'
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Monday, October 29, 2007

In the wake of last month's shooting of 17 civilians by Blackwater gunmen in Baghdad, the Bush administration is finally acknowledging -- more than four years late -- that private security contractors in Iraq should operate under the law. Last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted to Congress that the State Department had inadequately supervised those contractors. As Karen DeYoung wrote in Friday's Washington Post, "Pressed to express regret for what Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) called "the failures of your department, your failures," Rice said, "I certainly regret that we did not have the kind of oversight that I would have insisted upon."

Rice agreed that "there is a hole" in U.S. law that has prevented prosecution of contractors. But did we really need an apparent massacre to point out this giant loophole and its perils?

As it happens, President Bush has been aware of the hole for some time -- and deserves some of the blame for not fixing it earlier. Confronted about it in public more than a year ago, Bush literally laughed off the question -- and then, tellingly, described his response as a case study in how he does his job. The setting was a question-and-answer session after Bush spoke at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in April of 2006. (LINK TO VIDEO CLIP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD7BDP3XMG0&NR=1)

One student, a first-year in South Asia studies, told the president: "My question is in regards to private military contractors. Uniform Code of Military Justice does not apply to these contractors in Iraq. I asked your Secretary of Defense a couple months ago what law governs their actions."

Bush: "I was going to ask him. Go ahead. (Laughter.) Help. (Laughter.)"

Student: "I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. (Laughter.) Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against -- over our American military contractors. I would submit to you that in this case, this is one case that privatization is not a solution. And, Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law?"

Bush: "I appreciate that very much. I wasn't kidding -- (laughter.) I was going to -- I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, I've got an interesting question. (Laughter.) This is what delegation -- I don't mean to be dodging the question, although it's kind of convenient in this case, but never -- (laughter.) I really will -- I'm going to call the Secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? That's how I work. I'm -- thanks. (Laughter.)"...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/10/29/BL2007102901024.html?nav=hcmodule

[opihimoimoi]

1. A response usually found in Bar room chatter.....He is a Loon in the Oval Office...we supposed to

have LEADERS THERE.....not Loons...

[Rex]

2. George admits to being a warmongering asshole (laughter).

See George read a book on pet goats. See him say mission accomplished (giggle). Watch his drive. Watch him look under the table for WMDs (gafaw).

[lumpy]

3. This is like a bad joke.

And the joke is on the American people to have to put up with this snickering ignoramous.

[Fridays Child]

4. The man's body language is so revealing. It says...

"I have no clue about what's going on and you just busted me." He's not an imbecile. He's worse than an imbecile.

[Blashyrkh]

5. That's the impression I got from the transcripts.

He was asked a college-level question and he responded like a 4 year old.