McChrystal Takes Responsibility on Pat Tillman

Here's my quick response to the hearing:

Why is McChrystal being confirmed when he can't even properly tell a cover-up
story that stays consistent over time?

McChrystal says while he was in Qatar on the ??th of April (missed date), he told General Abizaid of potential fratricide and a 15-6 investigation. Well, Abizaid told Congress and the DoD IG that McChrystal only told him about Tillman's death in Qatar (death, no mention of friendly fire). Abizaid confirmed that testimony in a letter to Congressman Waxman. Who's lying to Congress here?

Secretary of the Army Geren cleared McChrystal of wrongdoing in awarding a Silver Star because he just “signed off on it” and had no reason to question the reccomendation of the officers beneath him. But in his response today, McChrystal actually says he sat down with the other senior Regiment officers and talked out things on a whiteboard! Sounds like he did more than sign his name on a paper put in front of him!

And then McChrystal said the citiation wasn't well written and he didn't catch that it could imply Tillman didn't die from friendly fire. What? Anyone reading the narrative or citiation would assume Tillman died from enemy fire. There was no implication! Further, the Regiment XO or CO testified they purposedly edited the narrative to leave out mention of enemy fire

Finally, McChrystal says he sent out his P4 memo to warn his superiors that it could be fratricide. He's never asked why he sent the P4 on the 29th when, even according to his own testimony, he knew of that possibility on the 23rd? How is waiting six days “timely”? And he waited until after he sent the Silver Star recommendation up the chain to be approved before he sent his P4?

And that's a moot point. McChrystal was told of confirmed fratricide on the 24th, just two days after Tillman's death! (testimony from LTC Bailey, the 15-6 investigator gave verbal confirmation “I'm certain, I'm sure). LTC Bailey told COL Nixon. Next in the chain is McChrystal. And he didn't know? McChrystal says he has to wait for outcome of investigation to tell anyone?

It's just a show for the cameras. The Army just keep piling on the lies, and Congress has been covering for them.
.

That's not really taking responsibility — look at the wriggly language.

General McChrystal should not be confirmed as a four star general. First, he's got to learn how to lie better. The first rule of lying is to stick to your story. Don't change it, keep it simple.

I've simply taken the time to look at the written record of the past investigations. McChrystal's testimony yesterday at the Senate hearing just dug a deeper hole. Lies that should “hoist him by his own petard”:

1.) McChrystal said that he first learned of suspected fratricide and told of the 15-6 investigation after returning back to Afghanistan from a meeting in Qatar with General Abizaid (CENTCOM) on about April 23rd. But, a comparision of testimony shows that McChrystal, Nixon, and/or Abiziad lied about when they learned about fratricide:

During the 2004 Jones 15-6 McChrystal said that he “was in Qatar when I was told, about a day or two after the incident …”. [OK, that matches the 23rd].

But, the DoD IG Chronology (Appendix B) states that after COL Nixon was told of possible fratricide and the 15-6 on the 23rd, Nixon only told McChrystal only of the “death” [no fratricide] of Tillman and then McChrystal told Abizaid only of Tillman's “death”.

General Abizaid told Congress on 8-01-07 that “on about the 23rd, Gen McChrystal called me and told me that CPL Tillman had been killed in combat and that the circumstances his death were heroic.” Further, during his DoD IG interview that “Gen McChrystal informed him of CPL Tillman's death while they were in Qatar in a meeting …. he received no details and did not know friendly fire was suspected.” [So which is it? heroic or no details?] So we're to believe McChrystal didn't tell Abizaid about fratricide that same day while they were together in Qatar!

Someone was lying during their interviews with the DoD Inspector General. Either Nixon lied if he said that he only passed “death” to McChrystal or McChrystal lied to the IG by saying he was only told of death on the 23rd! Abzaid or McChrystal lied; how can McChrystal learn of fratricide on the 23rd and only tell Abizaid of “death” the same day?

2.) McChrystal testified that he waited for the outcome of the investigation before making conclusions, he “wanted some level of truth” before he sent the information on:

There was never anything “potential” or “suspected” about Tillman’s friendly fire death. Many of the Rangers on the ground knew immediately what had happened (they saw the other Rangers shooting at them!). On the 23rd word was passed up “70% sure” to by the CSM to COL Nixon. And on the 24th, the initial investigating officer CPT Scott passed on verbal confirmation (“I’m certain, I’m sure”) to LTC Bailey, who then called COL Nixon (McChrystal was next in the chain of command). Are we believe Nixon never told McChrystal of confirmation during the following days they were working together on the Silver Star? The Army knew of confirmed FF two days after Tillman’s death!

3.) General Kensinger was blamed for failing to notify the family because he supposedly had the “administrative” responsibility to do so.

Yet, if you look at “Appendix D: Casualty Reporting & Next of Kin Notification Process” in the IG report, the flowchart clearly shows that McChrystal had that responsibility (and it’s noted both he and his Chief of Staff failed to make that notification despite knowing about fratricide NLT April 25th.

4.) General Wallace cleared McChrystal of wrongdoing because he only signed off on the Silver Star and had no reasonable basis to question recomendations send up from the field:

But, during Tuesday's hearing, McChrystal said he sat down with the Ranger officers (Nixon, Kauzerlich, Hodne, Bailey) and went over Tillman's actions on a whiteboard to satisfy himself that Tillman's actions merited a Silver Star! McChrystal wasn't just signing a piece of paper that dropped on his desk!

5.) McChrystal said that the Silver Star cititation wasn't well written and that he didn't read it close enough to catch that it could “imply” Tillman wasn't killed by friendly fire:

Absolute bull. I encourage anyone to look at the IG report and check out the Appendices. The IG concluded that anyone reading the citation would assume Tillman was killed by enemey fire. In fact, Maj Hodne even said that he edited the narrrative to ensure it didn't mention friendly fire! And the damning fact that the witness statements were altered by “someone in the approval chain” to remove references to friendly fire (ie Nixon, McChrystal, Kauzerlich). The IG never bothered to really try to determine who did that.

6.) McChrystal was praised by the Secretary of the Army for acting “reasonably and quickly” by sending his “timely” P4 memo to alert his superiors on the 29th:

There was nothing quick about it. Even McChrystal said he learned of suspected fratricide on the 23rd. Yet he didn’t send out his P4 until the 29th? How is waiting four to six days “timely”? [and as I pointed out, he actually have verbal confirmation of fratricide on the 24th!] Of course, in reality McChrystal told Abizaid on the 23rd, and then it was passed onward to the Secretary of Defense and White House.

Tuesday's Senate hearing was just the final layer of fertilizer upon the high mound of Army and Congressional “investigations” of Tillman's death. It's a travesty of justice that Pat Tillman's family were handed a tarnished Silver Star, while General McChrystal will be confirmed, promoted to the highest rank in the Army, and handed his fourth star.

[...] Ackerman, here, here, here, here, here and here. And [...]

This really answered my problem, thank you!