Mark Benjamin reports:
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley has resigned his post in wake of his too-candid assessment of the incarceration conditions of suspected Wikileaker Private First Class Bradley Manning.
Last Thursday, Crowley told a panel at MIT that the Pentagon’s treatment of Manning at the Marine bring at Quantico, Va., was “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.”
The very next day, President Obama told reporters that he felt Manning’s confinement conditions were “appropriate.” His answer telegraphed a problem for Crowley. “I’ve actually asked the Pentagon whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of his confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards,” Obama said, suggesting some of those procedures were to protect Manning’s safety. “They have assured me that they are.”
Manning is currently being held alone in his cell 23 hours a day, and was reportedly being stripped naked at night before being given a tear-proof smock for sleeping. Free speech advocates are shocked, and, as I wrote last week on TIME.com, concerned over Obama’s record as the most aggressive prosecutor of suspected government leakers in U.S. history.
Those advocates have wondered whether the penchant for secrecy in the Obama administration comes from the President, or those around him. Obama’s statement on Manning, followed by Crowley’s resignation, seem to suggest some of this comes from the President himself.
9/11 was staged by the US military and was a big “Golpe de Estado”. The US is a FACIST state now. A rogue state, a failed state. Obama is just a puppet pretending to be the “people’s” representative…
Should we expect anything else from the “O”? He only utters what the plutocracy heads tell him. Sadly, this man will go into the history books as the only P.O.T.U.S. that kowtowed to the Financial interests in his quest to win another 4 years in which he’ll just give the Country more of the status quo, finishing off the middle class, then he’ll get thrown to the wolfs.
Things are beginning to change. The President and his administration along with the real menace corporate America are at last under attack.
Dennis Kucinich’s speech last night in wisconsin — absolutely inspiring. Here’s one link:
http://current.com/news/93069641_rep-kucinich-fires-up-madison-workers-rights-rally.htm-
Check Chris Hedges article in Truthdig.com
Chris Hedges’ Column
“Power Concedes Nothing Without a Demand”
BillVZ,
Got to see the speech on YouTube. Inspiring indeed!!!!!
Prossecute the warmongers! HAGUE now for the Bush administration’s War Criminals! Hague now for Obama administration’s War Criminals! Arrest R. Gates!