Kerry Attacked for Criticizing Abuse in Iraq!

Once again we have Senator Kerry receiving the brunt of a organized smear campaign by the right-wing wackos.

In 2004, it was reported by the International Red Cross:

The report cites abuses -- some "tantamount to torture" -- including brutality, hooding, humiliation and threats of "imminent execution."

"These methods of physical and psychological coercion were used by the military intelligence in a systematic way to gain confessions and extract information and other forms of cooperation from person who had been arrested in connection with suspected security offenses or deemed to have an 'intelligence value."'

The agency said arrests allegedly tended to follow a pattern.

"Arresting authorities entered houses usually after dark, breaking down doors, waking up residents roughly, yelling orders, forcing family members into one room under military guard while searching the rest of the house and further breaking doors, cabinets and other property," the report said.

"Sometimes they arrested all adult males present in a house, including elderly, handicapped or sick people," it said. "Treatment often included pushing people around, insulting, taking aim with rifles, punching and kicking and striking with rifles."

It said some coalition military intelligence officers estimated "between 70 percent and 90 percent of the persons deprived of their liberty in Iraq had been arrested by mistake. They also attributed the brutality of some arrests to the lack of proper supervision of battle group units."

And this is what Senator Kerry said on Meet the Press:

"You've got to begin to transfer authority to the Iraqis. And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the-of-the historical customs, religious customs."

Senator Kerry was merely pointing out that American soldiers have been involved in night-time activity that does inflict fear upon civilian Iraqis. That is violent, and often against the elderly and children.

He didn't make this stuff up.

He just said American shouldn't be doing this. That if there is a need for nighttime raids on civilian homes, let the Iraqis do the raids.

Senator Kerry, please continue your leadership in this arena. Our President and his Administration have lied to us repeatedly about the war. Have condoned torture and outed a CIA agent. They have manufactured news for both domestic and Iraqi use. They have had phony reporters in the White House Press pool. They torture and practice rendition. They have secret prisons in other countries and they fail to follow the Geneva Conventions. They do not allow interviews with detainees. And they hold them indefinitely without charges.

America deserves better! And YOU are part of the solution. We got your back John!

Bob