US State Dept. spokesperson forced to resign after calling military’s treatment of Manning “ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid.” Obama responds
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U.S. State Department Spokeman PJ Crowley resigned over his criticisms of the administration’s treatment of Bradley Manning
President Obama discussed the treatment of PFC Bradley Manning in the MCB Quantico for the first time , in response to a question about a statement made by a spokesperson for Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
ABC News Senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper asked the President in a press conference what he thought about statements made by P.J. Crowley at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Thursday regarding Bradley Manning’s treatment at the Quantico brig. Obama responded that he had spoken to the Pentagon and that the procedures taken with regard to Manning “are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards.”
The President reiterated the statement that he could not go into details about the Pentagon’s “concerns” but that they have to do with Bradley Manning’s “safety.”
As first reported by BBC News correspondent Philippa Thomas March 10th, assistant secretary of state for public affairs P.J. Crowley, made “an extraordinary remark” at an event hosted by MIT’s Center for New Media. Crowley was discussing how new media relates to foreign policy, and was asked by a participant what he thought about Wikileaks and the fact that the US is, in the questioner’s words, “torturing a prisoner in a military brig?”According to Thomas:
Crowley didn’t stop to think. What’s being done to Bradley Manning by my colleagues at the Department of Defense “is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.”
Another participant at the event, Addison-Wesley senior acquisitions editor Chuck Toporek, corroborated Thomas’ statements with one on his own blog. Toporek stated that “people in the room applauded” when Crowley made his statement. Both bloggers confirmed that when asked if his statement was “for the record,” Crowley replied in the affirmative.
Tapper followed up by asking the President if he agreed with Crowley’s statement. Tapper wrote that President Obama “sidestepped the issue” by responding that he had already responded to the substantive issue in Tapper’s question.
Yet another attendant, Ethan Zuckerman, posted a transcript of the entire Crowley conversation on his blog today.
We add another name to the Obama wall of shame – those forced to leave the administration for telling the truth.
So, speaking the truth costs you your governmental job. There will be no one left in Government soon……
Its not the called the war on terrorism anymore, its now called the war on truth. Crowley, Manning, Assange, McGovern, Ellsberg, – this is the price of telling truths, of believing in freedom of speech, in hoping to make this world a better place, shame on you (not), you are heros.
Yes, this IS a war on truth. Please join the truth revolution. RevolutionTruth is a global campaign in defense of WL, JA and our fundamental freedoms. We demand access to accurate information and critical truths that profoundly affect our lives. We defend legitimate democratic governance. We stand for consent of the governed.
RT is a campaign, a website, a short film with Michael Moore, and a future, citizen-driven full scale documentary on this momentous, historic occasion. It is a rapidly growing, populist and very democratic endeavor. We need writers, bloggers, researchers, field producers, composers, fact-finders, and translators. Message me, Tangerine Bolen, on FB if you are interested in being part of the RT team. We launch our second trailer in about 10 days.
Enough is enough already. This is our time, and people of all parties and diverse backgrounds will NOT just stand by while this madness occurs. It it is up to us to change our world – and we WILL. Join us.
There have been 200.000 cheering for Obama when he spoke over here in Berlin after election. Not much of this hype is left. To me it was clear from the start that he’s a mere puppy.
PJ Crowley, Manning, Dan Ellsberg doing the right thing…..
The lies turned into the weapons of mass destruction!
Torture is wrong whether it was done in Iraq or done to Manning!
FREE BRADLEY MANNING!
I have initiated a signature campaign in germany. Hey, please keep it up in the US! Any smash into the face of truth can only lead to more truth. Keep it up … keep it up … keep it up … truth *is* making her way definitely during these times. We just have to decide on which side we stand.
Since when exposing criminality is a crime?
Free Bradley Manning.
Mr President you have disappointed me greatly.
Has Potomac river water changed you? It is a shame.
I had great hopes in you.
no more lies, no more lies, no more lies, no more lies, no more lies.
Obama you exposed the system, we believed in you, now you are lying. Where is habeas corpus, why is guantanamo still open, why do you support monsanto, why are we still at war?
Easy.
MONEY. IT ALL MAKES MONEY TO SOME GREEDY GROUP.
The system is COMPLETELY BROKEN. You all need to step down. NOW. WE DON’T NEED YOU. We have EACH OTHER ANE WE CAN DO BETTER.
We stop buying ANYTHING the is remotely TAINTED, stupid, greedy, unfait, and harmful. greedy corporations, dangerous politicians, sold out scientists: NO MORE. NO MORE LIES. WE WONT FEED YOU ANYMORE. WE ARE DONE.
Thanks for mentioning my blog post in your story.
“They must find it difficult… Those who have taken authority as the truth, Rather than truth as the authority.” – G. Massey, Egyptologist
Bradley Manning performed his primary duty. He took an Oath to preserve, defend and protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and especially the most dangerous kind to America and Americans, DOMESTIC criminals who employ torture and commit war crimes in gross violation of the Constitution and the Nuremburg Principles. As a signatory to the Nuremburg Principles, American government is constitutionally bound to it through the Supremacy Clause. The Eighth Amendment to the federal Constitution strictly prohibits torture. Torture is NOT a form of prevention of alleged self harm, it is what it is, TORTURE and a crime against humanity, a crime against the Constitution and a crime against LIBERTY.
Free Bradley Manning NOW! Bradley Manning is an American HERO and and an enemy to DOMESTIC criminals who commit war crime atrocities.
I’m totally happy to see so many of you speaking out for the truth here. In Europe one could easily get the impression that there is no real opposition in the US, but now it seems to me that it’s the two-party-system which makes the opposition remain unseen. Have a real pluralist democracy instead of the choice between crap and crap, and the true opposition will have a chance to be more widely accepted. Not that we have any real progressive government over here. But they are very much under pressure because they have to defend their ground against upcoming competitors.
Obama is a dickhead and a liar. That simple