I just left from a talk given by legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh at the University of Oregon campus. And damn, was that an experience. I think there are at least five different headlines that by all rights should come out of this story.
I met at least one person that got video, so it will get out. Unless some chickenshit decides the UO can't afford having Hersh breaking news from campus, it should be posted at http://media.uoregon.edu/ before long. But for now, some highlights from memory below the fold.
- Torture has not ended. In some ways, it's gotten worse, since soldiers have 72 hours to turn over captured people to proper military custody — so they make the most of that time.
- Not only is the Afghanistan plan doomed to failure, everyone knows it.
- Racism exists at the highest levels of the military. One source used the words “scared little colored boy surrounded by real men.”
- There is a deal on the table that would make peace with the Taliban, but the U.S. can't take it because of the backlash from dealing with them.
- Obama means well, but is utterly unable to work against the residual neoconservatism from the stay-behinds in the Pentagon.
- Something maybe positive: He said he withholds information all the time on methods that are working. For instance, there's something “kinda cute” they're trying with the captured Taliban guy that he doubts will work, but he's keeping it to himself. (So the fact that he's not saying any more about that guy may be a good sign.)
- The ratio of innocent people to genuine enemies killed by Predator strikes is astounding.
- A Mossad agent he knows, who had himself tortured Arabs before, was incensed by the Abu Ghraib story. The one thing you don't do to an Arab is humiliate him sexually. (Side note: The Pashtun concept of revenge is very long-term. Decades from now, some American is going to be executed out of nowhere for the murder of someone else's grandfather.)*
- The best hope to change the dynamics underlying American atrocities is the Internet.
There was a bunch of other stuff, but it's starting to fade. Was any other Kossack there who could fill in the blanks?
At any rate, it was devastating. Truly evil things continue to be done in our name and Obama has so far been powerless to stop it. Once the video is up (and I'll get it from that lady and put it up my damn self if I have to), you'll be as pissed off as I am. This shit has to end. It has to.
Finally, keep this in mind: Sy Hersh is one damn solid journalist. Every time people think he's gone off the kook end, he's vindicated. Mi Lai, Abu Ghraib, the Cheney death squads. This man knows the truth.
* Update: See
Shpilk for better info on this item. The hazards of recalling details from a 90-minute talk from the top of your head …