SINthysist
Rural Racist Homophobe
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2001
- Posts
- 11,940
Thursday, March 28, 2002
Bring Speicher Home
[commentary by John LeBoutillier]
Reuters News Service is now reporting that Baghdad has yet again asked the US Government to send an official delegation to discuss the ongoing case of Lt. Commander Michael Scott Speicher - the F-18 Navy pilot shot down in 1991 on the first day of the Gulf War.
While new reports are being 'leaked' in Washington and London of recent sightings of Speicher, the US Government is resisting the call to send an official delegation - accompanied by US press - to Baghdad.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says, "I don't believe very much what the regime of Saddam Hussein puts out. They're masters of propaganda." White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, at his daily briefing, said that the administration didn't have enough information to evaluate the Iraqi statement.
The Bush Administration clearly does not want to negotiate with Baghdad - about Speicher - or anything else. They are afraid of getting caught up in haggling over details as the Clinton Administration did over the UN Arms Inspectors. Baghdad looks like they are cooperating as long as they are holding talks; Washington wants the world to see that Baghdad is not cooperating.
The problem is simple: Scott Speicher is most likely alive in captivity in Baghdad.
The mistake the first Bush Administration - then-Defense Secretary Cheney in particular - made in 1991 was declaring him dead the very day he was shot down. How could they possibly have known he was dead - before a search and rescue team had even gone to the crash site?
And when, years later, a careful search was made of the site, what did they find? A secret 'E&E' code - a specific and unique Escape and Evade signal given individually to each pilot. Such a signal could only mean one thing: Speicher had indeed survived his shootdown in good enough shape to scratch the E&E code into the surrounding terrain.
Thus, all subsequent live-sightings of "an American pilot" must be given credence. And there have been many beginning with an Iraqi defector who claimed to have driven an American pilot to Baghdad. Later, when shown 'mug shots' he was able to pick Speicher's photo out of a collection of similar looking men.
Then came credible intelligence reports from foreign governments of Scott Speicher being held in an underground detention facility - either directly under Iraqi Intelligence Headquarters - or in the area of Salman Park where all sorts of military and covert training have been observed.
Then, just before the Clinton Administration went out of office in January 2001, they received new evidence that Speicher was alive. Clinton even said so publicly. And they then changed his status from Killed-in-Action (KIA) to Missing-in-Action(MIA).
Now the Pentagon admits they are considering yet another status change to Prisoner-of-War (POW).
Yet, despite this flurry of activity and amid indications that Speicher is alive, the Bush Administration chooses to play word games with the Iraqi Government. Secretary Rumsfeld claims the offer to send a team to Baghdad was not an "official" request. So then Baghdad issues yet another invitation and our government again tries to ignore or dismiss it.
The fate of now-Commander Scott Speicher is of the utmost importance. The Bush Administration should do everything - including going to Baghdad - to bring that hero pilot home.
If the Bush Team is worried about eroding their argument for a war against Saddam, they shouldn't worry too much. The American people are overwhelmingly in favor of such a war. That will not change; the American people have felt that way since Bush I failed to finish the job in 1991.
Right now with the Mid-East in total turmoil and our Arab so-called allies not in favor of a war against Saddam anyway, our government should go over there and solve - once and for all - the case of Scott Speicher.
America is not America as long as we leave one of our people behind.
http://leboutillier.blogspot.com/
Bring Speicher Home
[commentary by John LeBoutillier]
Reuters News Service is now reporting that Baghdad has yet again asked the US Government to send an official delegation to discuss the ongoing case of Lt. Commander Michael Scott Speicher - the F-18 Navy pilot shot down in 1991 on the first day of the Gulf War.
While new reports are being 'leaked' in Washington and London of recent sightings of Speicher, the US Government is resisting the call to send an official delegation - accompanied by US press - to Baghdad.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says, "I don't believe very much what the regime of Saddam Hussein puts out. They're masters of propaganda." White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, at his daily briefing, said that the administration didn't have enough information to evaluate the Iraqi statement.
The Bush Administration clearly does not want to negotiate with Baghdad - about Speicher - or anything else. They are afraid of getting caught up in haggling over details as the Clinton Administration did over the UN Arms Inspectors. Baghdad looks like they are cooperating as long as they are holding talks; Washington wants the world to see that Baghdad is not cooperating.
The problem is simple: Scott Speicher is most likely alive in captivity in Baghdad.
The mistake the first Bush Administration - then-Defense Secretary Cheney in particular - made in 1991 was declaring him dead the very day he was shot down. How could they possibly have known he was dead - before a search and rescue team had even gone to the crash site?
And when, years later, a careful search was made of the site, what did they find? A secret 'E&E' code - a specific and unique Escape and Evade signal given individually to each pilot. Such a signal could only mean one thing: Speicher had indeed survived his shootdown in good enough shape to scratch the E&E code into the surrounding terrain.
Thus, all subsequent live-sightings of "an American pilot" must be given credence. And there have been many beginning with an Iraqi defector who claimed to have driven an American pilot to Baghdad. Later, when shown 'mug shots' he was able to pick Speicher's photo out of a collection of similar looking men.
Then came credible intelligence reports from foreign governments of Scott Speicher being held in an underground detention facility - either directly under Iraqi Intelligence Headquarters - or in the area of Salman Park where all sorts of military and covert training have been observed.
Then, just before the Clinton Administration went out of office in January 2001, they received new evidence that Speicher was alive. Clinton even said so publicly. And they then changed his status from Killed-in-Action (KIA) to Missing-in-Action(MIA).
Now the Pentagon admits they are considering yet another status change to Prisoner-of-War (POW).
Yet, despite this flurry of activity and amid indications that Speicher is alive, the Bush Administration chooses to play word games with the Iraqi Government. Secretary Rumsfeld claims the offer to send a team to Baghdad was not an "official" request. So then Baghdad issues yet another invitation and our government again tries to ignore or dismiss it.
The fate of now-Commander Scott Speicher is of the utmost importance. The Bush Administration should do everything - including going to Baghdad - to bring that hero pilot home.
If the Bush Team is worried about eroding their argument for a war against Saddam, they shouldn't worry too much. The American people are overwhelmingly in favor of such a war. That will not change; the American people have felt that way since Bush I failed to finish the job in 1991.
Right now with the Mid-East in total turmoil and our Arab so-called allies not in favor of a war against Saddam anyway, our government should go over there and solve - once and for all - the case of Scott Speicher.
America is not America as long as we leave one of our people behind.
http://leboutillier.blogspot.com/
