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Stanley McChrystal, cashiered by the President for his staff’s unfortunate remarks about the chain of command in Rolling Stone magazine ten months ago, was appointed to lead the new White House initiative designed to assist military families. Mary Tillman, who knows something about Stanley McChrystal’s treatment of military families, does not think he is fit to serve in this role.
Pat Tillman became one of the most high profile military enlistees after he left a professional football career to become an Army Ranger. He was killed by friendly fire seven years ago, but the family says the military misrepresented the circumstances of his death in an effort to create pro-war propaganda.
“[McChrystal] deliberately helped cover up Pat’s death and he has never adequately apologized to us for doing that,” Mary Tillman told ABC News. “I’ve come to learn through this journey that there are many other families that have been lied to by the military about their sons and daughters,’” she said. “And so we feel that what happened to Pat pertains to other people, not just us. I think it’s a slap in the face to all soldiers to appoint this man to be on this committee.”
Once before, Mary Tillman cautioned President Obama about Stanley McChrystal against his earlier appointment to lead US troops in Afghanistan, to no avail:
Mary explained, “I wrote the book, came out in 2008, and I indicate that McChrystal was involved in orchestrating the cover-up. He falsified the Silver Star. He was very aware that Pat was killed by friendlies. And then, when he was going to be promoted to the head commander in Afghanistan, I had contacted President Obama, I e-mailed him and written a letter and contacted members of Congress, just trying to remind them that this man needed to be scrutinized very carefully. And in the end, it turned out that he was pretty much meant for that position. He was a shoo-in. Of course, he was promoted. And, that is part of the foreword.”
Mary Tillman’s experience as a military family member is even more applicable to the case of McChrystal’s new appointment, don’t you agree? Please let the White House know you agree with Mary Tillman. Contact the White House here, or call 202-456-1111 and tell President Obama to rescind this misguided appointment.
49 Comments
Mary Tillman knows a thing or two about how McChrystal treats military families: he lies to them about how their loved ones died in war.
Thanks, Teddy. I’ve been burning up McChrystal’s new operation on Twitter, @JoiningForces, asking them why they have a war criminal in charge.
F*ck O’bummer…
What Stanley McChrystal Did to Pat Tillman’s Family
*gah*
Wow, every once in a while, Jake Tapper gets up on his hind legs like the WH press corps used to do. This is really quite remarkable, CT, thanks for adding it to this discussion.
No problemo, Teddy…! Mahalo for the excellent post…!
The Tillman affair has been a pet peeve of mine for a very long time…!
I’m still looking for answers as to why he had 3 shots to the forehead…! 8-(
In her foreword to her paperback edition of “Boots on the Ground by Dusk” (at blurb.com) Mary Tillman wrote:
“McChrystal’s actions should have been grounds for firing. That is why it was so disturbing to us when President Obama instead promoted McChrystal to the position of top commander in Afghanistan last year. I had sent the President an email and a letter reminding him of McChrystal’s involvement in the cover-up of Pat’s death.”
“I also contacted the staffs of Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator James Webb and expressed my concerns. I had several conversations with members of the staffs of both senators, but it was clear that neither senator wanted to get involved.” … [Senator]McCain was already publicly endorsing the McChrystal appointment before the hearing even began. … Sadly, McChrystal’s promotion had been sanctioned long before the hearing. None of the congressmen pressed McChrysal about Pat’s case … or detainee abuse and torture at Camp Nama …”
“Over the last five years, the Pentagon and Congress have had numerous opportunities to hold accountable those responsible for the cover-up of Pat’s death. Each time they’ve failed. … The Tillman Story illustrates the corruption, deception, and indifference that is systemic in our government. … The cover-up of Pat’s death was orchestrated at the very highest levels of the Pentagon, and elsewhere in our government … the government didn’t just lie to us; it lied to a nation.”
Here are some excerpts from interviews with Amir Bar-Lev, the director of the documentary “The Tillman Story”:
“General McChrystal is just one of several high-ranking figures who’s never been called to account for his role, and the story continues to this very moment. He gets up there at his swearing-in [Senate confirmation hearing June 2, 2009] and basically says what has been said all along, which is, “I know what it looks like. I know that it looks like we deliberately covered it up, but believe us that it was this Rube Goldberg-esque chain of mistakes, blunders, and errors that look like a cover-up.”
“The only f—-ing idiots who buy that, the only fools who believe that, are the mainstream press. It’s just so clear to everyone else, and it’s the equivalent of saying, “Honey, I know that it looks like I’m f—-ing your sister, but actually I dropped my wallet, and then my belt fell down, and she happened to be there.” That’s what the military has done in the Pat Tillman case.”
“The public perception is that (the Tillmans) have been apologized to over and over again … it’s ludicrous,” Bar-Lev said. “The idea there was a mistake is itself a lie. It’s a Rube Goldberg explanation. They (the military officials) say there was never any deliberate attempt to deceive anybody.” … “How somebody can get away with a lie that’s worse than ‘the dog ate my homework’ and that he would be put in charge of the war effort is ridiculous.”
”Listen, it’s not a complicated answer. No one in the government has ever admitted that there was a cover-up, and to watch the contortions that these public figures go to in order to publicly flagellate themselves without admitting what’s pretty obvious to everybody — that they tried to cover up Pat Tillman’s death — is absurd.”
For links to interviews and more extensive excerpts, see http://www.feralfirefighter.blogspot.com
Just a couple weeks before the 7th anniversary of Pat Tillman’s friendly-fire death on April 22, 2004, I’d guess the Tillman family isn’t happy with yet another slap in their face by President Obama’s appointment of Gen. Stanley McChrystal as advisor of the new program “Joining Forces.”
Mary Tillman was critical of President Obama’s 2009 nomination of Gen. McChrystal and the bipartisan Congressional failure to hold him accountable for his central role in the Army’s cover-up of Pat Tillman’s friendly fire death.
In May 2004, Gen. McChrystal supervised the writing of Pat Tillman’s fraudulent Silver Star and the cover-up of his friendly-fire death by the Ranger RGT officers.
Over the next five years, the ensuing Army & Congressional “investigations” were part of the bi-partisan whitewash which “exonerated” Gen. McChrystal and others involved of wrong-doing.
Besides the Bush Administration, some of the more prominent figures involved in the whitewash include: Senator McCain, Senator Webb, Senator Levin, Congressman Waxman, President Obama, NYT reporter Thom Shanker, Washington Post’s Bob Woodward and CNAS’s Andrew Exum.
And, Jon Krakauer has whitewashed the Democratic Congress’s role, but I’m not finished writing up that story yet.
To learn more, I’d suggest Mary Tillman’s book “Boots on the Ground by Dusk” (revised paperback edition with a new forward at blurb.com), Jon Krakauer’s paperback edition “Where Men Win Glory” (although a flawed bio, it has details on McChrystal’s role in the Army’s cover-up), the fine documentary “The Tillman Story,” and my Feral Firefighter blog at http://www.feralfirefighter.blogspot.com
Last June, I posted “The Emperor’s General” which discussed President Obama’s role in the whitewash of Gen. McChrystal. Last August, I posted “The [Untold] Tillman Story” which discussed how a bi-partisan Congressional effort shielded McChrystal from accountability (and also the role of NYT reporter Thom Shanker and CNAS’s Andrew Exum).
Ironically, although Center for a New American Security (CNAS) will run the “Joining Forces” program, their Fellow Andrew Exum contributed to McChrystal’s whitewash with his biased book review of Jon Krakauer’s book for the Washington Post (he failed to fully disclose his professional and personal conflicts of interests with McChrystal).
And here’s an excerpt from his June 2, 2009 post “Confirm Him” blogging as Abu Mugawama (cnas.org): “The bottom line is, nothing is ever going to heal the wounds inflicted on the Tillman Family … And while I have nothing but respect for the Tillman Family…, their personal grief should not be a veto on the nomination of the man [Gen. Stanley McChrystal] … These are serious questions and are more important than either the death of Pat Tillman or the alleged abuse of detainees.”
Considering their past betrayal of the Tillman family, it appears that Gen. McChrystal and CNAS are a poor choice to run the “Joining Forces” program to take care of our military veterans and their families.
Note: This comment was written yesterday, before Mary Tillman spoke to ABC News.
Andrew Exum blogs as Abu Muqawama…! I’ve followed his Neoliberal screechs for quite some time…! He’s been one of the leading cheerleaders for the grand COIN strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan…! *gah*
Here’s Jake Tapper’s video interview with Mary Tillman.
I like Jake Tapper. He tries.
Yup, part of the Democrats Think Tank, CNAS
I added my question to yours, in Twitter.
Thanks, Jim!
And the American Public says, “Please lie to us. We can’t handle the truth. We need a sock-puppet, sophistry spouting, bull-shitter to put a façade of representative government to the ugly machinations of the MIC that does what it wants and sucks the life out of this country. Lies, murder, torture, extortion, war, that’s all part of the deal we made with the devil to keep the Empire whole. Don’t bother us with the details.”
So, in spite of mcchrystal’s dissing of obama and the civilian leadership of the army, being fired for that, and his deliberate mishandling of the Tillman death, he is now appointed by obama to the position of comforting and helping families that have lost loved ones in the wars? This is beyond tone deaf on obama’s part. What are the serious questions that are more important than the death of Tillman or the abuse of prisoners that guymontag points to as cnas tries to dance around the appointment?
UPDATE: Versailles media decides this is worth covering:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/pat-tillmans-mother-calls-for-mcchrystals-removal-from-white-house-post/2011/04/14/AFrNrAdD_blog.html
The MSM’s reporting, even when “critical”, continues to serve the establishment.
It is no longer just Mr. Tillman’s family saying that the US misrepresented the facts of their son’s death. It has been objectively established that the Pentagon’s top brass and the White House were informed within hours of its happening that his death was probably due to “friendly fire”. They continued to misrepresent his death for their own purposes.
The reporting sticking to that construction should do a tad more homework.
I appreciate the info about Andrew Exum. I remember his review of Krakauer’s bioi of Pat Tillman, and the review rubbed me the wrong way.
My hat is off to Mary Tillman
Yep. How very true. Speaking of which: Missing pretty white girl alert. Because everybody knows that missing pretty white girls are national news to be blared on every headline. It sucks ass that she’s apparently been kidnapped and I hope it all ends well but I’m sick of the whole missing pretty white blond girl media circus we are subjected to over and over. Other people go missing every day, yet those never seem to be as important as the attractive white girl.
Huge props to the Tillmans and godspeed to their efforts to keep this cheap narcissistic punk from being Colin Powellized. Obama has again disgraced himself (but that’s his default setting).
Disgraceful.
This is the best guy O could find for the position?
What will it take to get Democrats to understand Obama cares only that Dems remember, come voting day, we fear Republicans more than we hate him? That’s it, period. Until that day he couldn’t care how you feel about “rule of law”, Bradley Manning, Stanley McChrystal, his $2 trillion+ handouts to the banks, the extension of the Bush tax cuts, and his lies about “hope” and “change you can believe in”.
Feel his disdain folks, it’s the realest thing we’re going to get from “Clarence Thomas” Obama.
I just twittered on @JoiningForces too regarding the war criminal.
And I just got my FDL card. Way cool.
Yet more proof that “support the troops” is just a petty and trite slogan.
Troops are almost always in history nothing more than cannon fodder. Possible exception of post-WWII U.S. programs.
Btw, I sent a message to the WH. However, I expect the chances of anything changing to be in the realm of a giant sack of money falling in my lap.
I so loved the Tillman movie and the efforts of that dedicated family. McC, like Rummy, is a sociopathic liar. How the President can take this step to rehabilitate the sleazy McC is really beyond me. Tone deaf is trite, but fitting, and yet not quite strong enough.
Which is why I never seriously considered signing up.
In a 2 inch circle and who??? stopped the autopsy ???
Instead of whitewash this is blackwater wash and it’s dirty.
“Tone deaf is trite, but fitting, and yet not quite strong enough.”
How about “power-hungry, approval-seeking, immoral asshole?”
“McC, like Rummy, is a sociopathic liar. How the President can take this step to rehabilitate the sleazy McC is really beyond me”
Uh-oh. A thought just occurred to me. What if Obama himself is…
Also want to add that the Tillmans in general and Mary Tillman in particular, are genuinely admirable human beings.
Sorry, totally inappropriate.
Today, newspapers around the country are headlining with the “moral” speech given by the President yesterday. I wonder if MSM journalists ever have moments of epiphany in regards to the President as I’m sure those who voted for Obama for the “Nobel Peace Prize” have since had.
How? Because Zero’s a sociopathic liar also.
‘Friendly Fire’ just doesn’t cut it, eh…? 8-(
I think this took a particular kind of special courage on Mary Tillman’s part, after being ignored about McChrystal’s earlier promotion and then seeing how very well that worked out for Obama. At a certain point, it’s human nature to say, “Well, I tried to tell you, but you will not listen.”
Clearly she has not reached that point, for which I admire her tremendously.
This also speaks a great deal about the “characters” of Michelle Obama and Jill Biden that they support this.
Mary Tillman needs to wise up. Obama chose McChrystal to assist military families BECAUSE he has no scruples about lying to them.
Besides that, it’s the Washington way. McChrystal made a big mistake, so he was due for a reward of some kind.
Mr. Obama’s modus operandi is to find people who are the best guys for what he wants them to do, not the best guys for the position.
I served 20 years with Uncle Sam, and this whole sordid affair makes me absolutely livid, similarly, with PFC Manning’s outright torture…! *gah*
Another piece of outrage is that McChrys. transgressions are far worse than anything Manning may have done. So why are the “let by gones” approach for McDeceit? This selection was gratuitously mean and wrong.
Mary Tillman has incredible integrity and a real commitment to telling the truth. She is easily the bravest woman to face down these corrupt generals simply because she just keeps telling the truth.
So the rehabilitation of General McChrystal has begun. Of course, he lost his previous job because in a warped nation drifting far beyond the boundaries of sanity, even the highly disciplined elite bureaucrats of Death, Inc. are sometimes bound to lose focus and stumble over their own droppings.
Even in the most nightmarish asylum there is a price to be paid for certain transgressions. Childish impudence and schoolyard wisecracks directed toward the blood-drenched despot at the top of the imperial food chain are among those sins which remain punishable, at least temporarily. Until the Emperor determines you may once again be useful. Lying to the grieving family of a man betrayed and discarded like a sack of garbage? Bah. Shock and outrage are reserved for serious crimes.
If the good General had simply limited himself to benign and uncontroversial remarks such as…
“We have shot an amazing number of people, but to my knowledge, none has ever proven to be a threat”
…he’d still be in Afghanistan, the compassionate face of “counterinsurgency” by day and master of abduction, terrorism, and murder by night.
Reckless slaughter of countless innocents? Conspiring to conceal the truth regarding the death of a “brother in arms”? No shame, no stigma, no scandal, no story. But to disparage the powerful architect of an immoral policy is another matter entirely. That demanded a slap on the wrist before your disregard for common human decency and your talent for telling lies were recognized as virtues and you were declared “fit for duty” again. And in the surrealist slaughterhouse that is modern America, you are both slapped and made whole by the Man in Charge as he stands knee-deep in a lake of blood.
There was no friendly fire in Pat Tillman case, just assassination.
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck then why do we believe it’s a turkey ?
No kidding..but not surprising.
He must be “useful”.
Three shots to the forehead.
From the tv profile, on (60 minutes… ?) McCrystal makes a point of being an over achieving hard bitten stoic, who only eats one meal a day and does ten thousand push-ups, Not any fuzzy, feelly, sympathetic… nurturing type him. But a quintescential hard guy, wiry take no prisoners, (literally )… ( scots irish prototype american warrior. ) Like Geo Patton.
That’s a error in judgement to place Mac in such a woose role, but for reasons, that must be totally cynical. Where are those “rabbit ears” when it’s about others? Remmember the quick response to criticism, they put the breaks on that, but hey you can’t take the rabbit outta the…
Obama doesn’t know from what’s going on, I don’t think. People need to stop projecting any normal… frame of reference, or level of experience in manageament, on the puppet. He just probably thinks, ie: take a familiar, prominent, military name who’s freed up, (retired) and place him, no further thoughts. He hasn’t shown any ability to place personel, that is among his most glaring faults, unless you like foxes watching chicken houses, and in a way, they do have a strong sense of purpose, short term. Animal farm today.
Usually you want more distance or deniability in your cabinet and “csar” people, so they can quietly sell out, over time, with a veneer of continuity of the good feelings that gov is there protecting all the fine law abiding traditions, now they don’t even try, just stick the crooks in and everybody can go to hell, what cha gonna do about, go call Ghost Bustahs.!!