In an interview with Medill, Herch kicks back. With the casualness of a journalist, and the arrogance or someone who deserves to be arrogant, Herch rolls up his sleeves.
A pen jabs out of his pocket, a reminder of the only weapon in his subtle arsenal.
“You hear all these stories about (the) ‘ferocious reporter.’ All I did was just deal with him like a human being for a long time. No pen, no pencil, ‘let’s just talk about it.’"
Herch is referring to experience with General Antonio M. Taguba.
The internal U.S. Army report “The Taguba Report,” detailed information on abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
In the report, General Taguba told of “Numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees . . . systemic and illegal abuse. “
Herch wanted a closer look.
After a series of interviews earlier that year Herch reported the notorious events of the internal affair.
General Antonio M. Taguba met with Rumsfeld in his pentagon conference room on the eve of Rumsfelds undoing. The 24 hours that followed their tryst would result in televised hearings before the Senate and the House Armed Services Committees about abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Taguba’s arrival at the Pentagon met with a hollow greeting from his old friend Lieutenant General Bantz Craddock.
The iron curtain surrounding Abu Ghrab was shattering. Photographic evidence of abused prisoners were surfacing.
“If there was a redeeming aspect to the affair, it was in the thoroughness and the passion of the Army’s initial investigation” said Hersh.
Taguba told Hatch understood that such an inquiry would damage, if not destroy his career. “ If I lie, I lose. And, if I tell the truth, I lose.”
Upon Taguba’s entrance Rumsfeld sarcastically roared. “Here . . . comes . . . that famous General Taguba—of the Taguba report!” The fun was just beginning.
In a conference several years ago Hersh told of the time commitment to a story of this magnitude.
“About a year and a half ago, I ran into somebody that knew him (Taguba) and finally he agreed to have a cup of coffee, and we spent a year talking.”
Taguba had successfully avoided press for many months after his initial repot was leaked. Eventually he decided it was a story that needed telling, and Hersh would be the man to put pen to paper.
“I talk to people on the inside who are concerned” said Hersh to John Stewart on the Daily Show, referring to General Taguba.
“They took over the country, like a coo, they over ran the press, the bureaucracy, the press and we all fell down so easily” said Hersh of the Bush Administration, speaking out after his investigation.
Seymour Hersh went on to write a book called “Chain of command; From 9/11 to Abu Ghraib” Before the book was published the white house put out a statement in reference to many of the accusations in Hersh’s book. The statement sardonically mentioned how many of Hersh’s sources remained anonymous and that White House investigators would be more than happy to talk with anyone with information.
“After my stories came out in may one kid came forward and said he knew more, and they immediately came out and changed him for not coming forward sooner.“ said Hersh in reference to the White House statement.
“These people came, this group of zealots, unchecked by the press, and changed the way people see us . . . When we learn everything there is to learn about those prisons we are going to be mightily ashamed”
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