But a German intelligence officer who was in charge of the handling of "Curveball," the Iraqi defector on whose information Powell's claim was based, told the L.A. Times: "We were shocked. Mein Gott! We had always told them it was not proven.... It was not hard intelligence."
On the duration of the Iraq War Donald Rumsfeld said in November of 2002: "Five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that."
"The Tillman Story" has unleashed waves of emotion across the country, as audiences learn of the NFL star's unusual character and integrity in a nation now accustomed to cynical politics. The 19-year-old soldier who was next to Tillman when he was killed recounts how Tillman saved his life, by endangering his own, and moving out from "pretty good cover." The soldier, Spf. Bryan O'Neal, said:
"I was watching them as they were shooting at me...and I was watching the rounds when they were -- and Pat could look around -- and I was noticing that most of their fire seemed to be directed towards me. And he moved out from behind his cover to throw some smoke....All I remember was him telling me, 'Hey, don't worry, I've got something that can help us.' And he popped a smoke [grenade], I guess, and that's when he got shot -- one of the few times he got shot."
Fighting back tears O'Neal said "The only reason I am standing here is because Pat Tillman saved my life."
After Tillman's death, President George Bush addressed Tillman's mourning fans on the Arizona Cardinals Jumbotron, saying he had made the "ultimate sacrifice" in the "war on terror."
As McCord , Stieber, and Corcales continue to speak out publicly , I have contacted at least four members of the House of Representatives and Senator John Kerry's office about their testimony, and asked them to commence an investigation on now-Col. Ralph Kauzlarich on the order for "360 rotational fire." I have asked them to grant immunity to lower ranking soldiers who testify and to invoke the Yamashita Standard , which holds a commander alone responsible for the actions of his men. We do not want scapegoats. The time has come to prosecute those who give the illegal orders, not just those, often far too young, who carry them out.
To date none of these congressional offices have responded. Stieber and McCord are the authors of an Open Letter of Reconciliation to the Iraqi People, in which they bear responsibility for their role in carrying out U.S. policy, saying:
Let congress bear its the responsibility to the oath of their office half as well as these young men have borne their responsibility to the law, to their nation's prestige, and to humanity."We did unto you what we would not want done to us. More and more Americans are taking responsibility for what was done in our name. Though we have acted with cold hearts far too many times, we have not forgotten our actions towards you. Our heavy hearts still hold hope that we can restore inside our country the acknowledgment of your humanity, that we were taught to deny...."
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