Rumsfeld’s Private Death Squads

Back on January 9, I wondered what Rumsfeld was up to with all of the money Congress was giving him, but he didn’t seem to be spending. Many people guessed death squads and the new information that Steve Bates posts on the Strategic Support Branch tells me that this is the new and improved Pentagon euphemism for death squads.

Steve links to the Barton Gellman article in the Washington Post, explaining what has been leaked to him, probably by the annoyed CIA guys who are trying to stay alive in a very dangerous part of the world.

This mess has “Jerry Crusader for Christ” Boykin written all over it, as the cut-off for “plausible deniability”. General Boykin of “Delta Force” to the rescue, just like Somalia, the Iran hostage rescue, Waco – well I guess we aren’t allowed to hear about the successes. “Bonkers” was brought on board to lead the hunt for Osama “what’s his name”, who can’t be found because “he’s hiding”. I wonder if he’s tried broadcasting “alley, alley, in free” along the Pakistani-Afghani border yet?

There are several major and important differences between the military and the CIA. The military has a Code of Conduct, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, rules and regulations, and other restrictions on what a member of the military may do. The CIA doesn’t, but it’s supposed to let the President know before it does something egregiously stupid that might cause a war. The military is designed and trained to oppose other military forces and to minimize the effects on civilians. The CIA is supposed to let the President know before it does something egregiously stupid that might cause a war. The military is supposed to act in an honorable and ethical fashion, even towards the enemy. The CIA is supposed to let the President know before it does something egregiously stupid that might cause a war.

Feldmarschall Rumsfeld is apparently intent on creating a modern version of the Waffen SS under command of Generalleutnant Wilhelm Boykin. If someone would like to show me another historical parallel, I might relent, but no other comes to mind.

There is no justification for this action. This is designed to avoid Congressional oversight.