Fox hosts GOP candidate who assaulted detainee to criticize Obama's handling of bombing suspect
Fox & Friends' Brian Kilmeade hosted Lt. Col. Allen West, a Republican congressional candidate in Florida, to criticize the Obama administration for its handling of Northwest Airlines bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab without noting that West is a Republican candidate. Moreover, despite noting that West's "personal enhanced interrogation tactic" got him "essentially a forced retirement" from the Army, Kilmeade did not report that West's resignation came after he admitted that he "threatened to kill" an Iraqi detainee in his custody, that "four of his soldiers from the 220th Field Artillery Battalion beat the detainee on the head and body," and that, according to military prosecutors, he "followed up on that threat" to kill the detainee by shooting a pistol near his head.
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Fox & Friends hosts West to criticize Obama administration without noting he's a GOP congressional candidate
Kilmeade introduced West as a congressional candidate in Florida, did not note he is a Republican.Introducing West, Kilmeade said that West is "running for Congress in the 22nd congressional district here in Florida." At no point during the segment did Kilmeade note that West is a Republican congressional candidate.
West criticized Obama administration's handling of Christmas Day bombing attempt. During the segment, West said, "When I look at what's going on right now with the Nigerian terrorist, it's almost like a Greek tragedy of epic proportion." West further stated that the Obama administration has "established a very dangerous paradigm with this Mirandizing" of terror suspects, "because now they're going to continue to come with more and more attacks, because we're -- they're coming here, and we're giving them lawyers."
Kilmeade did not note that West reportedly resigned from the Army "after pleading guilty to assaulting an Iraqi detainee during interrogation"
Kilmeade did not note circumstances of West's "forced retirement." Introducing the segment, Kilmeade said of West: "One of the reasons you're such a great guest is because your personal enhanced interrogation tactic got you essentially a forced retirement and saved a lot of lives in Iraq."
West reportedly resigned "after pleading guilty to assaulting an Iraqi detainee during interrogation."According to a December 13, 2003, CNN.com report, West admitted that he "threatened to kill" an Iraqi detainee in his custody, that he watched as "four of his soldiers from the 220th Field Artillery Battalion beat the detainee on the head and body," and that, according to military prosecutors, he "followed up on that threat" to kill the detainee by shooting a pistol near his head. A December 14, 2003, Boston Globe article further noted that a "disciplinary proceeding found that the actions by ... West were serious enough to 'merit a court-martial.' " From the Globe article:
An American officer has been stripped of his command after pleading guilty to assaulting an Iraqi detainee during interrogation, the military announced yesterday. A disciplinary proceeding found that the actions by Lieutenant Colonel Allen West were serious enough to "merit a court-martial." But the military said in a statement that mitigating circumstances -- specifically, the "stressful environment" of combat -- and West's distinguished service record prompted the Army to instead relieve West of his command, fine him $5,000, and order him back to the United States, where he will be allowed to retire.
"Frustration and anger overcame his professional ethics and personal values, and he performed what he knew to be illegal and immoral acts," said the statement issued by the Army's Fourth Infantry Division.
During a closed-door tribunal Friday in the town of Tikrit, West was found guilty of three counts of aggravated assault and a single count of communicating a threat. The ruling was issued after West pleaded guilty to misconduct.
He is the most senior officer to receive disciplinary action since the start of the war. West served as a battalion commander with the Fourth Infantry Division and was in charge of about 800 soldiers operating in one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq. For the past few months, he has been confined to the division's base in Tikrit.
The military said that during an interrogation of an Iraqi police officer Aug. 20 near the village of Taji, north of Baghdad, West fired his pistol near the head of the prisoner, threatened to kill him, and allowed his troops to beat the man. The detainee, Yahya Jhodri Hamoodi, was suspected of having knowledge of a planned attack on US troops in the Sunni Triangle, the region north and west of Baghdad that has been a hotbed of anti-US resistance. Scores of soldiers have been killed or wounded in bomb, rocket, and small-arms ambushes in the area.
West acknowledged last month before a military tribunal that his actions were wrong, but said that at the time of the incident he believed he was protecting the lives of his troops. "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can," West said during the earlier proceeding.
The disciplinary action against West was ordered by General Raymond Odierno, commander of the Fourth Infantry Division.
The military said that through his actions against the detainee, West "disobeyed laws, ignored orders ... and mortgaged future discipline in his unit. Without discipline, there is no trust, no cohesion, and no higher purpose for which we fight."
But the military also stated, "while his crimes merit a court-martial, mitigating factors were considered, including the stressful environment ... and Lieutenant Colonel West's record as an officer and commander."
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The Midnight Review
Yeah, right. This is a guy who should be given a job in Congress. He'll fit right in, I suppose.
"Frustration and anger overcame his professional ethics and personal values, and he performed what he knew to be illegal and immoral acts."
One says he was fired for politically correct reasons. The other says that he was fired for good cause, and barely escaped being court-martialed!
This is the kind of guy that Fox wants to be elected to congress.
That doesn't make sense. West is claiming that someone would be more likely to attempt a suicide attack because he/she would have the right to remain silent, should their terror attempt fail? Can someone explain that?
I would think that any war zone is a stressful environment so that is an incredibly lame excuse for dismissing a court-martial prosecution. West should have been prosecuted and should have received the proper sentencing.
Alleged terrorists can refuse to talk both before and after they're given Miranda warnings. As did Abdulmutallab.
The Lt Col was punished, pretty severely, by being forced to retire. I wouldn't object to him being punished more, but he was punished, including a financial penalty.
Further evidence they're not a legit news organization.
And for them to attempt to further this guy's political career is even worse. That's not the role of the media. They have a responsibility to acknowledge this guy's campaign, just like they need to tell us when someone might have a conflict of interest!
Sorry....was that too harsh? Tough.
The fact that islamic terrorists and their state sponsors hate us and Israel, and have done so since the rightful re-establishment of Israel as a nation, shouldn't be too darn difficult to figure out. Our so-called "friends" among islamic states are, in many cases, playing both sides of the street, and anyone who can't see that is blind. Lt Col West has it very well figured out, and knows EXACTLY...from the issues of Israel's security to energy independence to national security to the war on terror...what the approach of the United States should be to challenges in that region.
The sooner this reality of islamic hatred toward Israel and the US sinks into the heads of liberals...the sooner America can engage nations in that region for ALL the right reasons. And from a position of full energy independence. I am all for diplomatic engagement and humanitarian assistance to islamic nations, to the extent they are willing to accept it. But Israel's security ABSOLUTELY comes first and should never, ever be abandoned. Lt Col West gets it, Barack Obama and his cast of sophmoric ametuers (or worse) don't.
Now....had Obama perhaps proposed some kind of energy independence "Marshall Plan", one that also created domestic "green jobs", which I also am happy to support, instead of that convoluted joke of a healthcare plan he outsourced to connivers like Reid and Pelosi...then he'd only have to fire the stunningly incompetant Eric Holder to reclaim the "centrist, post-partisan" position he fraudulently campaigned on, courtesy of his "finger in the wind" czar, David Axelrod.
But he is now digging in his heels and has clearly shown his hand. Us "evil" Conservatives spotted it two years ago.
As it stands, I will happily and energetically support Lt Col Allen West in his run for Congress, and I live 3000 miles away from his district. In addition to his stellar positions on the above mentioned issues, he is ardently opposed to Roe v Wade and the slaughter of the unborn...now totaling 45 million since 1973. That number is equal to a 911 attack, occuring daily, for 41 years straight. Equal to over 7 times the lives lost in Nazi concentration camps. And WE'RE the extremists??? Unbelievable.
As for Media Matters?
Please enjoy the freedom of the press you have, thanks largely to the sacrifices of men and women like Lt Col Allen West. The mullahs in Teheran and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would offer you nor their own citizens any such freedom.
And by all means, continue your liberal rants and your whining. It will cement the absolute steam-rolling about to take place in November.
Okay liberals....this is my first and last post, so fire at will with your water pistols. Assuming your moderator doesn't mind an opposing view. You know...for fairness & balance? :-)
you didn't, by chance, graduate from regent university did you? that would certainly be the icing on the cake.
while i applaud the col. service....i cannot applaud him threatening to kill a prisoner and then allow his to get beaten to death while the col stand by and watch.
his behavior in that instance is indefensible and unexcusable. you are condoning torture and vigilante justice in its extreme.
i hope you don't have any enemies that would see what you have written because you just gave them a perfect excuse to have you beaten and killed for any reason they want.
idk what country you were raised in......but enhanced interrogation no matter how you slice it, is torture. and it is illegal. try to pass it off, it wont work.
our soldiers die to defend our laws and our constitution. that includes no torture, in any form.
real classy
Sorry....was that too harsh? Tough.
I will amend my wording in the future as I do not specifically recall West making the claim, but I will note the circumstances more accurately.
The FACT is there was no "rightful re-establishment" of Israel as a country. Israel had NEVER existed as a country before 1948 and was established through terrorism and was established against UN resolution. Isreal has illegally occupied Palestinian and Arab lands for over 40 years, again against UN resolutions. What gives Israel the right to have a country and deny the Palestinians the same right? Most of the hatred from the Islamic community comes not from a hate of our way of life, but from the perceived double standard we have established when it comes to Israel and the Arab communities.
Energy policy and Healthcare policy are two different issues and I have no idea why you are trying to compare the two. Eric Holder has not shown any incompetance, but rather has done what the DOJ should do and that is to follow the law and not be the legal advisor to the President. David Axelrod is the political advisor to the President like Karl Rove was to President Bush and is not a "czar"
Your devisive statements is what is wrong with our country today. It was not so long ago when ANY criticism of President Bush was treated as almost being treasonous. You need to get over the fact that the majority of the population rejected your limited world view and "conservatism" and will reject it again.
Who do you think is Al-Qaeda's "state sponsor"? Do you have any evidence this time, or are you so naive as to advocate going to war again without any credible evidence?"
Saudi Arabia. Didn't you know?
There is no Islamic Terrorism, there is Wahabi Terrorism. Until the people of this country learn to say that word we will never advance against terror.
Not all terrorists are Wahabi as pointed out above. The problem we have are with Muslim extremist terrorists. Let's not get into some word parsing nitpicking here.
You are an extremist because the topic of this thread is Allen West's remarks and somehow you end up on an anti-abortion rant (proving Godwin's Law along the way). Obsess much?
Here is the solution. The Arabian countries are so rich from producing and selling oil. They should take some of that money and buy or build land for their brothers. Or they could absorb the Palestinians into their own countries and there would finally be peace. But here is the problem. The Muslim countries do not want peace, they want Israel destroyed and are using the Palestinians as a tool to accomplish this.
Several years ago around Israel there was a very large sea turtle that was washed up on the sand. The Palestinians caught this turtle, then tortured it to get its blood hot and then drank its blood thinking it would make them potent. And these are the people who want to live "peacefully" with the Israelis? Give me a break.
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Lt Col Allen West is an inspiring American hero and exactly the type of leader we need in Congress, and indeed the type of leader we need in the Whitehouse....instead of the naive, noodle-spined, pacifist cowards running this country now. And THAT assumes that they're "only" naive cowards and not arrogant, subversive treasoners. In the wake of the 911 trial process and the idiotic handling of the crotch-bomber, I'm beginning to wonder which is the case.
Sorry....was that too harsh? Tough."
The only thing tough about your msg was the smell of BS.
The cowards were Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, and the rest of the Neo-con cable who got us into a war against a country that was no threat to us.
The blood of 4000+ Americans in Iraq is on their hands. As is the blood of all the Americans who died in Afghanistan who would not have had they finished the job there.
"The fact that islamic terrorists and their state sponsors hate us and Israel,"
Israel has nothing to do with Iraq, that was purely the Neo-con plan for the oil. See Greg Palast's writings.
"The sooner this reality of islamic hatred toward Israel and the US sinks into the heads of liberals...the sooner America can engage nations in that region for ALL the right reasons."
There is no Islamic hatred of the US, there is Wahabi hatred of anything that isn't Wahabi. I would bet the vast majority of Muslims don't give a damn about Israel or the Palestinians. That conflict is played up as a means for Islamic dictators to distract their populations. The Wahabi are the only major Islamic group who really care, and that is because of their hate for anything not Wahabi.
" And from a position of full energy independence. "
It is the republicans, and esp the Neo-cons, who have been sabotaging out attempts for energy independence. Remember, Big Oil, and their hero Dick Cheney, do not want cheap oil, they want expensive oil.
"But Israel's security ABSOLUTELY comes first "
To an American military officer America's security is supposed to come first. We have put spies for Israel in prison for that reason.
"Now....had Obama perhaps proposed some kind of energy independence "Marshall Plan", one that also created domestic "green jobs", which I also am happy to support,"
He has. Pay attention.
"instead of that convoluted joke of a healthcare plan he outsourced to connivers like Reid and Pelosi...
National Health care is a desperate necessity to create jobs and save our economy, and our health care system. Health care is not sucking up 17% of our economy, and is projected to take 20%, that's $1 out of every $5, by 2020. That is a horrendous burden on our economy. How do we compete with countries like Switzerland where the burden is 12%? How do we compete with Japan and Taiwan where the burden is 8%?
...
"But he is now digging in his heels and has clearly shown his hand. Us "evil" Conservatives spotted it two years ago."
Well, you got one thing right, you are evil. However, you are not conservatives, you are far right wingers.
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"Please enjoy the freedom of the press you have, thanks largely to the sacrifices of men and women like Lt Col Allen West."
Please enjoy the freedom of speech you enjoy thanks to every one of us who served, but mostly to men like the Iraq and Afghanistan war vets who are running for congress as democrats.
"The mullahs in Teheran and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would offer you nor their own citizens any such freedom."
Iran is zero threat to the US. And the people of Iran have more freedom, even now, than the people of Iraq or, and especially, Saudi Arabia.
Oh, and the Wahabi, who are the real threat to us, also hate Iran even more than they hate us. Al Qaeda is a Wahabi construct, and they hate Iran also.
Iran was the only Middle Eastern Islamic state to support the US invasion of Afghanistan, and the democratization attempt in Iraq.
Note that, our only supporters among Middle Easter Islamic nations.
"And by all means, continue your liberal rants and your whining. It will cement the absolute steam-rolling about to take place in November."
What a disaster that would be for America.
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i beg you please, try not to be such an idiot.
If you want to see our military become more terroristic operationally, write your congressman.
I worked for a command that investigated alleged abuse of some Iraqi detainees, and if some of our own servicemembers were sanctioned as a result of our part of the process, it isn't a happy occurrence but I an damn proud our military (and by extension the U.S.A.) took the high road and sanctioned those who violated military law.
Also, as anyone who has studied criminal justice learns, Miranda procedures lead to more solid cases because it compels investigators to ensure whatever they do will stand up in court. Interrogations under the auspices of Miranda ensure constitutionality and lessen the chance that any conviction will be thrown out on a technicality. I bet the LTC was read his rights at some point, even though he broke the law.