NPR DIANE RHEM SHOW: NEWS ROUNDUP - HOUR 2

Friday, May 15, 2009 - 11:06 a.m. 11 a.m. (ET) News Roundup - Hour 2

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The Friday News Roundup. The top American general in Afghanistan is replaced, a U-S soldier
is charged with killing five fellow servicemen in Iraq and North Korea sets a trial date for two
American journalists accused of „hostile acts‟. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of
the week's top international news stories.

Guests:
Demetri Sevastopulo, Pentagon and intelligence correspondent, "Financial Times"

Barbara Slavin, journalist and author; former assistant managing editor for world and national
security at "The Washington Times."

Jonathan Landay, National security and intelligence correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers.

...

On May 15th 2009, I managed to (once again) call into the NPR Diane Rhem radio show during
her Friday News Round-up program. General McChrystal‟s recent nomination was a topic of
conversation for her guest panelists [33:45 – 34:57]:

“Good morning Diane, I‟d like to raise the following question for your guests: has
Congress been protecting General McChrystal from hard scrutiny into his central role in
the Army‟s cover up of Pat Tillman‟s friendly fire death?
Senators Levin and McCain don‟t foresee any problem with General McChrystal‟s
confirmation as the new commander of the Afghanistan War. But, in her book, Mary
Tillman strongly criticized McChrystal: “Not only is he lying about the circumstances
surrounding Pat‟s death, … he is proposing false language for the Silver Star narrative.
… His statement indicates that no one had any intention of telling us, or the public, that
Pat was killed by fratricide unless forced to do so.”
Last May, McChrystal‟s role in the handling of Tillman‟s fratricide was reviewed by the
Senate Armed Services Committee. Shortly afterward, about a year ago, I spoke to
Senator Jim Webb here on The Diane Rhem Show: Webb said, “… the Army knew that
this was a friendly fire incident fairly quickly, [but] they did not tell the family, … I‟m
 not sure where responsibility for that decision really lies, in terms of the chain of
command … You cannot help but still feel angry about how his death was used.
”I share Senator Webb‟s anger. But, I don‟t understand why Webb was unable to
determine “where responsibility … really lies.”
[Note: unfortunately, Diane Rhem cut me off here, the following comment was not on the air]

“General McChrystal was the central figure in the Tillman cover up and made the
decision to withhold knowledge of Tillman‟s fratricide from his family. And I don‟t
understand why Congressman Henry Waxman allowed McChrystal to refuse to testify at
the House Oversight Committee‟s 2007 Tillman Fratricide Hearing.
Five years ago, Pat Tillman was awarded a tarnished Silver Star. I believe it will be a
travesty if McChrystal is confirmed by the Senate, awarded his fourth star, and promoted
to the Army‟s highest-rank.”

...

After my comment, the guests didn‟t address my question if Congress had been protecting
McChrystal. Barbara said the Silver Star narrative and P4 memo was “troubling.” Diane Rhem
said we need to “clear up” when the Silver Star is awarded.

At the end of the program, Diane Rhem said they had received a lot of emails on fact that “Silver
Star is an award for valor, but it does not require that the recipient be receiving enemy fire.”