Sarah Palin Vs. Col. Allen West?

[Ballygrl]

I think we need to see how Allen West does 1st before we start touting him. Personally? I love Sarah but as has been mentioned before, she has been vilified by the media and too many people still think she said "I can see Russia from my house". I would love to see her as head of the RNC though, the Republican Party needs a shake-up. My personal choices right now are Thune and Pawlenty, Romney has flip flopped way too much sadly, also I would love to see DeMint and Pence. I'm not interested in Huckabee and Newt.

[Eupher]

I thought that, at the time of the incident (for which I think he should have been awarded a medal), he commanded an artillery battalion in 4th ID.

Correct - but the Wiki article said that at the time of the incident, he was "in charge of an interrogation of a civilian Iraqi police officer..."

Kinda curious that an arty battalion commander should be interrogating detainees, but that's what the article says....

And I agree with you about the medal. Instead they cashiered him. 

[thundley4]

Correct - but the Wiki article said that at the time of the incident, he was "in charge of an interrogation of a civilian Iraqi police officer..."

Kinda curious that an arty battalion commander should be interrogating detainees, but that's what the article says....

And I agree with you about the medal. Instead they cashiered him. 

I thought that the prisoner was under interrogation by others at the time, but was not talking. West then decided to do the job himself, and told others that he alone was responsible for what happened afterwards. I may be wrong.

[Eupher]

I thought that the prisoner was under interrogation by others at the time, but was not talking. West then decided to do the job himself, and told others that he alone was responsible for what happened afterwards. I may be wrong.

Here's the Wiki article, in part:

Iraq interrogation incident and retirement

While serving in Taji, Iraq on August 20, 2003, West was in charge of an interrogation of a civilian Iraqi police officer who was suspected of having pertinent information regarding attacks on American soldiers in the area. Interrogators had learned that the detainee had information about a planned ambush. When the interrogators were unable to extract the information from the detainee, West was asked to assist with the interrogation. When the detainee continued to withhold information, West was accused of firing his pistol past the detainee's head, frightening the detainee into revealing the requested information. According to West's sworn statement,[9] the detainee informed West that:

“    [The attack] was to occur Friday morning in Saba al Boor vicinity of the police station by positioned snipers supposedly being brought in from Fallujah. [The detainee] was to ID my vehicle and myself for these rooftop firers. We took this information and the following day established flask CPs and used AH-64s overhead. There was no attack and no further attacks have emanated from the town since the apprehension of [the detainee] and his named associates.    â€

At least one man was apprehended as a result of the information obtained through the detainee's interrogation. His home was searched, but no plans for attacks on Americans or weapons were found. West testified that he did not know whether "any corroboration" of a plot was ever found, adding: "At the time I had to base my decision on the intelligence I received. It's possible that I was wrong about [the detainee,] Mr. Hamoodi."[10]

Wiki

[thundley4]

That's pretty close to the WaPo article.

West told investigators he had brought with him three soldiers, who in the first 25 minutes he was there had sporadically hit the Iraqi with punches to the ribs, back and lower body. But the officer said he did not allow it "to get too brutal."

When another punching session did not work, West said, he ordered the Iraqi taken outside and had soldiers put him next to a "clearing barrel" -- one three-quarters full of sand that is used to test weapons. When a pistol is discharged into it, the bullet remains in the sand.

Through an interpreter, West told the beaten Iraqi that "this is where it will end," meaning that West would kill him if he did not talk. When faced with another refusal, West said, he took the Iraqi's head under his arm, pushed it into the barrel and shot twice with his pistol a foot from the Iraqi's ear. He said he pointed away so that the bullets went into the barrel.

West told investigators that after the incident, the "shocked" Iraqi finally offered the information he had sought. West reported his actions to his commanding officer.

This information comes from an Army Criminal Investigation Command document released by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2008. It is one of 2,814 documents from the Defense Department that the ACLU has collected in response to its request and lawsuit on allegations of abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody.

[Eupher]

I'd say the WaPo article was much more detailed, because they clearly wanted to illustrate what kind of animal thug LTC West is. 

I'd say you do what works. You need information and waterboarding doesn't work? Stick the asshole's head in a clearing barrel and pull the trigger.

If that doesn't get him to shit his pants, he's a tough hombre.

[thundley4]

I'd say the WaPo article was much more detailed, because they clearly wanted to illustrate what kind of animal thug LTC West is. 

I'd say you do what works. You need information and waterboarding doesn't work? Stick the asshole's head in a clearing barrel and pull the trigger.

If that doesn't get him to shit his pants, he's a tough hombre.

I think their plan backfired with most people.  Friends that I talked to at the time didn't understand what he done wrong that warranted the military going after him.

[Eupher]

I think their plan backfired with most people.  Friends that I talked to at the time didn't understand what he done wrong that warranted the military going after him.

Well, based on the WaPo story, allowing the soldiers to beat on the asshole with punches etc., makes it look like West is a Cosa Nostra don.

The reaction that most people get to this kind of treatment is purely borne of those who are Monday-morning quarterbacking what these guys do on a daily basis. They're filtering everything through their own sense of "fair play" not understanding that the bastards who are getting waterboarded or punched in the ribs are the same ones drawing a bead on our guys or dialing a cell phone setting off an IED.

War is hell, but the pussies think it's some kind of game.

[JohnnyReb]

War is hell, but the pussies think it's some kind of game.

All they know about war they learned from the movies.