corrente

What did Bush know, and when did he know it? Bush is sure some CEO president, if, as his handlers claim, the first he knew of this is when he saw the pictures on TV:

The military had prepared a detailed 11-page plan nearly three weeks ago to address the fallout that officials expected once the photographs of Iraqi prisoners began circulating. Nevertheless the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House had difficulty explaining why they had not acted earlier and more aggressively to deal with the abuse.

Even as the White House emphasized the president's revulsion and his anger about what had happened, it appeared intent on insulating him from political fallout. Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, told reporters with Mr. Bush on a campaign trip in Ohio that the president had only become aware of the photographs and the Pentagon's main internal report about the incidents from news reports last week.

White House officials said the Pentagon had not informed them about its efforts to persuade CBS to delay broadcasting its report last week about the abuse, or kept them up to date about the explosive nature of the abuse. In an interview, Mr. Bartlett said he had only learned about the pictures when they were broadcast by CBS on "60 Minutes II."

Military officials said Tuesday that when they learned three weeks ago that CBS News had obtained the photographs of Iraqi inmates, they began planning an extensive campaign to blunt the impact. The plan included three dozen questions and answers anticipated from reporters.

At the request of Gen. John P. Abizaid, the top American commander in the Middle East, General Myers asked CBS to postpone the broadcast. CBS delayed the broadcast for two weeks.

Once the photographs were shown, the strategy was to have senior officials in Baghdad emphasize that an American soldier had brought the abuses to the attention of his superiors, that military commanders had quickly begun criminal and administrative inquiries, that criminal charges had been brought against six soldiers and that a new commander had been assigned to revamp detention facilities and practices in Iraq.

But the revelation of details of the abuses and the photographs shocked Pentagon officials.

"The actual firestorm was more overwhelming than anyone could have imagined," said one military official. "How do you get in front of something like that?"
(via NY Times)

Come on. The Pentagon didn't check with Unka Karl or KaWen? They may be fools about some things, but certainly not about that.