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Wolfowitz Story Appears False

by TChris

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a horrifying story in 2003 -- the story of Jumana Hanna, a victim of cruel and abusive treatment (including electric shocks and rape) while imprisoned under Saddam Hussein's regime. Now, it seems, the story is untrue.

A writer who was helping Hanna develop a book proposal tried to verify her claims, and learned that the evidence just isn't there.

In August of last year, as Ms. Solovitch began to try to verify details about Ms. Hanna's experiences, inconsistencies began to appear. An Iraqi doctor who examined her at the request of American authorities discounted her story of rape and abuse, Ms. Solovitch reported. A National Guardsman who was assigned to investigate Ms. Hanna's claims of a mass grave in the yard of the police academy in Baghdad turned up some cow bones but nothing else. All nine of the men who had been arrested on Ms. Hanna's word had been released for lack of evidence, the Esquire article reported, with some of them being compensated for wrongful imprisonment.

Hanna also claimed that her husband was executed in the prison where she was tortured, but her in-laws say he's still alive.

The Washington Post, duped into reporting Hanna's allegations as fact, is now "trying to determine how Ms. Hanna got refugee status and gained entry into the United States."

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    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#1)
    by Repack Rider on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 07:35:11 AM EST
    The Washington Post, duped into reporting Hanna's allegations as fact, is now "trying to determine how Ms. Hanna got refugee status and gained entry into the United States." Simple. She told the story the "right" people wanted to hear. Not much different from the girl who testified to Congress before GW I about Iraqi soldiers killing babies, who turned out to be an actress.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 08:04:42 AM EST
    Once again, the WaPo has the wool pulled over its' eyes. Didn't they learn anything from Janet Cooke's non-existant 10 year old heroin junkie (she got a Pulitzer, the mayor turned Washington inside out looking for the kid, and Cooke finally had to admit it was all a lie) or the daughter of the Kuwaiti Ambassador lying about Kuwaiti babies being dragged from incubators by Iraqi troops during the Gulf War? Suck-uhs! I'd love to sell the WaPo a bridge I have up in Brooklyn; cash please, no checks, and all sales are final.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 08:18:28 AM EST
    Let's see...mainstream media voice reports a story that was improperly investigated and based on lies... Either someone at the Post gets fired or we invade Iraq...oh, wait....

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#4)
    by desertswine on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 08:21:20 AM EST
    Wolfowitz Story Appears False So, what's new? And what was Wolfowitz doing in Indonesia anyway? Surely he was not surveying tsunami damage as the papers reported.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#5)
    by Darryl Pearce on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 08:42:10 AM EST
    Ah, the Great Trickster strikes again. I shall refrain from uttering any colloquial clichés...

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 09:19:24 AM EST
    Achmed Chalabai and Ms. Hanna guess who is come to dinar.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 09:22:09 AM EST
    Wapoo duped? Self-duping. They have used the same reporter who reserched the swiftboat liars. No wonder the broadcast media is quoting the Washington Times more frequently. At least it's a clear bias (think the meanest rightwing journalist Liz Trotta) and not gross incompetence mixed with unwarrented arrogance

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 09:41:00 AM EST
    Has the right promised Wolfowitz instant conversion so he can be taken up in the Rapture? Guess Wolfy would do anything for that privilege!

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 11:22:18 AM EST
    How many times did we hear W and others talk about Saddam's "rape rooms?" Is that all just another lie?

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 12:14:14 PM EST
    George was a couple decades off "2004". What laws this administrations will NOT trample is probably a shorter listing.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 12:42:47 PM EST
    So Dan Rather and crew not checking the facts is worthy of mass firings and ongoing ridicule, even though the gist of the story (that GWB was not the Guardsman hero he purported to be)was true. Wolfowitz fudging his fatcs gets a big yawn. I have resigned myself to the fact that the American people (at least those who put these criminals back in office) do not care if this administration lies. I shrug it all off and wait for my country to wake up.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#12)
    by Jlvngstn on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 12:53:59 PM EST
    I called for Rathers resignation and I hereby call for Wolfowitz to do the same. I am certain that he has at his fingertips far more resources to verify the veracity of the story and it was still run. Do the right thing. Also, where are the 300,000 buried in mass graves. Thus far, only 3500 corpses have been discovered in "mass graves" most of which have been attributed to the uprising following the war with Kuwait. I have been waiting over a year for the count since Bush said that there were 300,000 in mass graves and thus far 3500 have been unearthed. We have far too short of an attention span.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#13)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 01:02:12 PM EST
    But those cow bones were taken out of their incubators and thrown on the cold floor!

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#14)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 03:34:48 PM EST
    I am shocked...shocked I tell you... Sorry for the cliche, couldn't resist. Now having seen what happens to the biggest liars and slimeballs in this administration...expect Wolfie to get a promotion.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 04:00:49 PM EST
    "Not much different from the girl who testified to Congress before GW I about Iraqi soldiers killing babies, who turned out to be an actress." That was not an actress; that was the DAUGHTER of the Kuwaiti embassador to the US (who did not correctly identify herself in her testimony to the Congress). "Also, where are the 300,000 buried in mass graves. Thus far, only 3500 corpses have been discovered in "mass graves" most of which have been attributed to the uprising following the war with Kuwait" The US National Archive contains 18 TONS of Ba'ath party government files, which incudes beaucoup evidence of Hussein's genocide against the Kurds, including shoot-to-kill orders, lists of villages depopulated, and (reportedly) various schemes to hide the bodies. "A different insecticide for each kind of bug." --Chemical Ali, Hussein's butcher. It is doubtful much of this evidence will come to light under the Liar Bush and his clique of illegally-installed fascists. After all, their names are all over the receipts in those files, and they probably have some AEI moles going through the papers to destroy what they can.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 07:04:23 PM EST
    This is just the tip of the tip of the iceberg, people.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#17)
    by wishful on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 10:06:34 PM EST
    The real stunner would be: Wolfowitz Story Appears True

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 22, 2005 at 06:12:44 AM EST
    et al - We get numerous posts of alleged mistreatment by the US and never, never do I see any of you pointing out that the facts may not be accurate.. One story that alleges otherwise and you're piling on like a frat boy prisoner stack. I'm LOL.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 22, 2005 at 06:28:47 AM EST
    PPJ: We do it because it feels good; we do it because it's fun.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 22, 2005 at 10:16:23 AM EST
    Still lying. The Esquire article (which has been out for weeks) said that Ms. Hanna claimed to have a degree in accounting from Oxford University. Thats an easy thing to verify but the Washington Post reporter never tried. She doesn't have any kind of a degree from Oxford (which might not even do accounting degrees).

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 22, 2005 at 11:19:07 AM EST
    Lavocat - No surprise in that.

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 22, 2005 at 10:21:36 PM EST
    The "facts" as reported in the media, by suspects, alleged victims, alleged abusers are likely not accurate. The facts are the facts. The reports can be framed. Facts can be left out, context is often difficult to discern. But Jim, facts are facts. They can't be accurate or inaccurate, they are just facts. Selection, reporting, context, stretching can make facts seem like different facts. For instance - some of the treatment of detainees has probably occurred on the level of harassment that a person might experience in a frat hazing (why did I never join a frat? let me think?). I think that is a fact. Some of the level of treatment of detainnes was on the level of murder. Premeditated, physical beating until death occurred. Suffocating people in physical restraints. I think that's a fact. So Ms. Hanna says there were mass graves, but when they dig up the yard, it appears the beings buried in the mass graves were of the boneless or bovine variety. I think these are the facts. There are lots and lots of facts for us to all sort out, try to understand, put in context that helps us understand the world. They aren't accurate or inaccurate. If they aren't true, they aren't facts. FACT: 1 : a thing done: as a obsolete : FEAT b : CRIME c archaic : ACTION 2 archaic : PERFORMANCE, DOING 3 : the quality of being actual : ACTUALITY 4 a : something that has actual existence b : an actual occurrence

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:35:29 PM EST
    No, I disagree Ernesto. Wolfie is due the Medal of Freedom. He is just as good as Gen. Frank, Paul Bremer and (Code name) crossover. shhhhhhhhhhhh

    Re: Wolfowitz Story Appears False (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 07:59:51 PM EST
    We know don't we, that the military was in to torture in Vietnam. Often, they would turn over a prisoner, man or woman, and watched as the Arvin hung them by there knees over a metal pipe and tied them there. Then they would beat the truth out of them. So, really this is an accepted way of conduct in an insurgency conflict. You remember the stories of Eagle Flight, take a suspect up in a Huey and hang some other poor captive out the side and threaten to drop him if he or she would not talk. If necessary drop the prop, just to show the important prison you mean business. Problem is that you get dead rebels and dead information. It is the scale of the denial, coming out of the White House, that gets me, the cut outs, the fall guys, the privates and sgt's they sacrifice that makes my blood boil.