Pentagon denies report Iraq prison photos show rape

[BlueJessamine]

Source: Reuters

- The Pentagon on Thursday denied a British newspaper report that photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse, whose release U.S. President Barack Obama wants to block, include images of apparent rape and sexual abuse.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Daily Telegraph newspaper had shown "an inability to get the facts right".

"That news organization has completely mischaracterized the images," Whitman told reporters. "None of the photos in question depict the images that are described in that article."

Thursday's Telegraph quoted retired U.S. Army Major General Antonio Taguba, who conducted a 2004 investigation into abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, as saying the pictures showed "torture, abuse, rape and every indecency."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSN28341544

---

GIBBS BRIEFING -- ON TORTURE PHOTOS

http://www.politico.com/politico44/

"I think the Pentagon has been very clear...saying that the story's not true," Gibbs says, TRASHING the UK media: "You're not going to find very many of these newspapers and truth within 25 words of each other." (2:09 p.m.)

[sakabatou]

1. I very skeptical of the Pentagon saying that there hasn't been rape

[Old Coot]

13. They didn't say there hadn't been rape, just that those photos don't show it. nt

[movonne]

30. Your are right .... show the pictures....because if this is not true

the rest of the world will think it is...so showing the pictures would will prove them wrong...

[sakabatou]

31. Hmm...

I'm still skeptic about that since no one else has seen them.

[ProudDad]

57. Gen Taguba saw them... (n/t)

[ddiver]

41. What about when the White House says it?

“I want to speak generally about some reports I’ve witnessed over the past few years in the British media. And in some ways, I’m surprised it filtered down,” Gibbs began. “Let’s just say if I wanted to look up — if I wanted to read a writeup today of how Manchester United fared last night in the Champion’s League cup, I might open up a British newspaper. If I was looking for something that bordered on truthful news, I’m not entirely sure it’d be in the first pack of clips I’d pick up.”

“You're not going to find very many of these newspapers and truth within 25 words of each other,” Gibbs continued.

[Fumesucker]

45. I don't think Judith Miller works for the Telegraph.. n/t

[ddiver]

48. Sorry, you lost me. What does Judith Miller have to do with the WH spokesman?

[Fumesucker]

52. The WH spokesman was snarking on British newspapers..

And implying that American newspapers are pillars of truthful rectitude.

Just pointing out that American newspapers are far from truthful sometimes, even ones as august as the NYT.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Well it's easy to prove the Telegraph wrong -

Just publish the pictures. :sarcasm:

[jobycom]

3. If waterboarding isn't torture, I wonder what isn't rape? nt

[tridim]

6. Ding ding.

It's whatever they tell us it is, or isn't.

Maybe the prisoners wanted it? Eh Pentagon?

[Soylent Brice]

28. GREAT question.

[gulfcoastliberal]

4. I consider an official denial as confirmation that the pictures DO show rape.

They are liars.

[11 Bravo]

5. Well, that's good enough for me.

[hedgehog]

7. No photos, just video tapes:

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2004/07/15/hersh/V

[chill_wind]

40. Linky broken...

[KansDem]

8. Prove it! Prove there are no photos of detainee rape!

Just like Saddam's WMDs, we were told to prove he didn't have any. Proving a negative?

Worked for them then, let's see them do it now!

F*cking bastards!!!

[earcandle]

9. so here come the pics, I bet. coming soon. mark my words this is predictable.

Don't piss on the Brits.  They have real reporters and an
authentic press and political process. 
Watch and see.  

[tridim]

12. The Pentagon must feel certain they wont be released.

Because otherwise they will get caught in this lie and will then have to answer why they don't believe shoving a fluorescent tube up someone's ass isn't considered rape. Good luck with that.

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. It's been too many years -

over that time there have undoubtedly been MANY copies made of these pictures - the pentagon does not have control of them all, even if they think they do.

The pictures WILL come out.

[The Hope Mobile]

37. I so hope you're right. nt

[PearliePoo2]

10. So General Taguba is a liar???

Thursday's Telegraph quoted retired U.S. Army Major General Antonio Taguba, who conducted a 2004 investigation into abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, as saying the pictures showed "torture, abuse, rape and every indecency."
This is starting to really piss me off.
Now Gibbs is saying the story is not true.
Is this the "CHANGE" we can believe in?
Pres Obama said the pictures he saw were no worse than what was previously released.
Is he lying too? What the hell is going on?

[Hissyspit]

11. I was just about to post that, too!

Gee... Who should we believe? :sarcasm:

http://www.truthout.org/052809A

[RaleighNCDUer]

24. If even a single picture comes out showing rape, in any form,

Pentagon heads are going to roll.

Either Obama is trying to keep this powderkeg from exploding, OR he has not been shown ALL the pictures. Either way, he is not going to be able to NOT fire someone when the pics come out.

[The Hope Mobile]

38. If its "no worse" than why must they be withheld? I thought it was to protect our soldiers?

The shouldn't be in any greater danger if the pictures only re-confirm what we've already seen. If its worse than previous pics then we have to tell the true story.

[babylonsister]

14. So Taguba's lying? Why would he? nt

[Tempest]

15. It wasn't a newspaper report as the Pentagon wants us to believe

It was from a report by an American general.

A general the Pentagon has now called a liar.

[global1]

16. After The First Batch Of Pics Came Out There Was A Discussion In The Media Of A Second Batch......

as I recall - there were a select group of either Senators or Congressmen that actually saw this second group of pics and agreed that they were worse than the first bunch and that they included 'rape'. Isn't that info public record? It's out there somewhere.

[w4rma]

17. I suppose they should release the photos since that is the only way these rumours will be quashed.

Unfortunately, the rumors are true.

[DCKit]

18. They're parsing the definition.

That the forcible insertion of a penis into a womans mouth and foreign objects into wherever isn't rape would also explain why so few sexual assaults on female service members are prosecuted. The criteria just isn't being met.

Just what is the military definition of rape?

[RaleighNCDUer]

26. Makes sense - if a blow job is not sex, and a teenage girl can have anal

sex and still be a virgin, after all.

[TroglodyteScholar]

49. I think you're right that they're playing semantics...

...but not quite in that way. I think there AREN'T photos of rape. I think there ARE videos of rape.

[DCKit]

54. One of those photos floating around shows a man in a military uniform...

holding his erect penis at the mouth of a young woman.

AFAIC, that's rape. However, I'd settle for an investigation of felony sexual assault.

My feelings on the matter may be strong, but I've got female relatives.

[nichomachus]

19. Are they claiming it was consensual?

Or that the victims asked for it?

Which is the usual defense from those defending rape.

[jberryhill]

20. It Could Well Be That The Stories Are Intentionally More Lurid

I'll settle for accurate verbal descriptions from a non-interested source.

If they come out, I could not look at what has been described thus far.

But I can see where it would be advantageous to pre-release rumors which are more lurid than the photos, in order to blunt the impact.

[earcandle]

34. I couldn't look either, but I want them released so the braver folks can bring justice for all.

[Duer 157099]

36. Here are the actual verbal descriptions, from Taguba's Report

Maybe Gibbs ought to go check it out before he calls it a lie

http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/iraq/tagubarpt.html

I suspect that it's a careful parsing of words, something to the effect of that *those* (rape) photos were not in the batch that was currently under discussion. Not that they don't exist, mind you...

[Zodiak]

21. This is why the pictures should be released

The Pentagon is already trying to serve us bromides about those pictures....trying to paint their own reality. Americans = good guys, forgeiners = bad guys.

As long as we do not see those pictures, this issue can and will be politicized.

Now one must ask oneself, since the Pentagon convinced Obama not to release the pictures and is now ostensibly lying about them, can we say that the pentagon asked Obama not to release those pictures in good faith, or are they just trying to cover their asses and using protecting the troops as an excuse?

Only releasing the pictures will get to the bottom of that particular barrel.

[earcandle]

33. Cool BASS, Rocker!

[fascisthunter]

22. The Old Nazi defense... never admit anything

[MADem]

25. The article points out that TELEGRAPH has gotten picture stories wrong before:

He said the Telegraph also wrongly reported earlier this month that some of the images whose release Obama is trying to block had previously been aired on Australian television.

"I would caution you whenever you see a subsequent story on photos in this particular publication," he told reporters. "They now have, at least on two occasions, demonstrated an inability to get the facts right."

[blueclown]

27. Umm.. there are pictures floating around on websites showing a woman getting raped

by American soldiers.

These motherfucking liars.

[jaysunb]

29. I saw some of the pictures yesterday

and it didn't look like it was consensual to me....:evilfrown:

[Ian David]

32. It's not rape. It's "Enhanced Fornication." n/t

[librechik]

35. maybe a few slipped out that aren't in the Pentagon's clutches

that's how we got the last bunch.

[obxhead]

39. well duh!

They already "lost" all those pictures. All they have left is the "soft torture" pics

:eyes:

[peacebird]

42. perhaps parsing? "Rape" is an action - the photos are still images

hence cannot show "rape". Penetration is not neccesarily "rape"....
:sarcasm:
Sorry - I have no faith in the Pentagons words anymore.... I hope the photos are released - let their evil be seen and dealt with. As long as they try to hide them stories like this will come out. It is better to deal with this openly than to have the questions remain.

[LynnTheDem]

43. Sy Hersh says they do depict rape.

Me, I believe Sy.

[telmerc]

55. Me not so much

Can you give me Mr. Hersh's countdown clock until we invade Iran?? He is gonna get it right one of these days.............. :rofl:

As for General Taguba, he was forced out by the JCS, so he is righteously ANGRY, that does not make what he says true, it does give him a cassus belli to attack the Pentagon. He might be telling the truth, however I will take the word of the spokesman of the President over a General that has an axe to grind. In addition I will take my own counsel concerning the events depicted in the second batch of pictures from anecdotal evidence I possess from being a member of the 321st MI BN before I went active duty. (caveat: I went active duty before the events of AG but most of my friends are or were in the unit during the time of AG) My case is not the strongest case and it is not a case to be used in a court room, but I am ok with it.

[Nihil]

59. "My case is not the strongest case" ... at least you got that part right!

> He might be telling the truth, however I will take the word of the
> spokesman of the President over a General that has an axe to grind.

:patriot:

Have fun while it lasts oh loyal merc!

:rofl:

[LynnTheDem]

60. Have a nice visit!

PS; Bet ya think Iraq did 911 and we found them "wmds", too! :rofl:

My hubby is active duty, has been for 21 years; how come he knows the facts, and you don't?

[Joanne98]

44. The Pentagon has as much credibility as the CIA!

[RamboLiberal]

46. Flashback: Torture photos depict ‘rape and murder,’ Sen. L. Graham said in 2004

In spite of the White House and Pentagon’s synchronized rebuttal to an explosive story by the Daily Telegraph alleging the White House is suppressing images of prisoners’ sexual abuse, almost nothing about the paper’s Thursday morning report was new, least of all the charges of rape.

“The American public needs to understand, we’re talking about rape and murder here,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), telling reporters in 2004 why the Abu Ghraib photos should not be released as former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld faced calls for his resignation. “We’re not just talking about giving people a humiliating experience. We’re talking about rape and murder and some very serious charges.”

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/28/flashback-torture-photos/

So Pentagon was Repub Graham lying? And will Graham lie now?

[NoodleyAppendage]

47. PROVE IT! Otherwise, you Pentagon f'ers are lying sacks of sh*t. Prove it COWARDS! n/t

J

[ProgressIn2008]

50. The Pentagon and White House are lying sacks of shit, then. And lying about torture and rape. nt

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[telmerc]

58. ummmm

The AP, Boston Herald and others have cited those pics as fake, or am I high again?

Edit: Since I feel the need to defend my fellow soldiers from outright slanderous attacks...........

A. The pictures show a camouflauge pattern on one of the soldiers that is not and has never been US standard.

B. All the men have grease paint on, granted it is something that soldiers use, but not in the woodland pattern in the pictures

C. The note at the top of the article is a dead give away.............Apparently EVIL Jewish pornagraphers and depraved US soldiers are working together to sell Iraqi pornography..........

:patriot:

I do salute your attempt at disruption however.

[EFerrari]

53. Bryan Whitman, you're on the list. n/t

[ProudDad]

56. Hmm. Doesn't he have that back-asswards?

"You're not going to find very many of these newspapers and truth within 25 words of each other."

That aptly describes most USAmerican media...