Politics – The Bush administration repeatedly ignored corruption at the highest levels within the Iraqi government and kept secret potentially embarrassing information so as not to undermine its relationship with Baghdad, according to two former State Department employees.
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FTA:
Arthur Brennan, who briefly served in Baghdad as head of the department's Office of Accountability and Transparency last year, and James Mattil, who worked as the chief of staff, told Senate Democrats on Monday that their office was understaffed and its warnings and recommendations ignored.
Brennan also alleges the State Department prevented a congressional staffer visiting Baghdad from talking with staffers by insisting they were too busy. In reality, Brennan said, the staffers were watching movies at the embassy and on their computers. The staffers' workload had been cut dramatically because of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's "evisceration" of Iraq's top anti-corruption office, he said.
The 1st paragraph hit me right between the eyes!
----Quote----
"The Bush administration repeatedly ignored corruption at the highest levels within the Iraqi government and kept secret potentially embarrassing information so as not to undermine its relationship with Baghdad, according to two former State Department employees."
---Unquote---
There it is again ... '..kept secret potentially embarrassing information.."
Darn if that dont distill down the entire essence of the Bush 2 Administration.
They have doggedly pursued an ideeologically based tenure that equates to spending as much money as possible in Iraq, sending out operatives to gleefully throw greenbacks into Defense Contractors offices ... and EVERYTHING else ... its ... 'You dont need to know how badly we are screwing this pooch'.
The audacity of their disdain for open goverment can be defined by their efforts to make themselves completely unnaccountable for their dismantling the Constitution.
From DAY 1 - this administration has pulled a blanket of secrecy over their administration that - to this day - DEFINES their style of leadership.
Why?
When my son was adamant about bein secretive - I knew he needed supervision because HE knew he was playin fast and loose with rules.
Its no different here. The Neo-Conservative philosophy that this administration has chosen to embrace is COMPLETELY at odds with the historical values of our nation.
They are RE-WRITING our national values ... and they KNOW they look bad ... and THATS why they are obsessed with secrecy.
THAT is the reason.
They want to clear out as much impediment to their craaazie Neo-Con infrastructure ... then it wont matter if they leave office as not bein popular. They dont care bout popularity.
THEY ONLY CARE BOUT SETTIN UP THE NEO-CON INFRASTRUCTURE INSIDE GOVERMENT!
They know they are lying and cheating to do it.
It dont matter to them!
Here - check out this video from that tiem when Dick Cheney said he dint have to answer to Congress cause he was part of the Executive Office.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APxJyuEXjW4&feat...
See?
The entire point of this administration is UN-ACCOUNTABILITY.
They are doin their best to make the office of presdient a kind of Ruler by Decree.
You are correct Goppy. It's going to be a tough fight getting our Constitution back in service again after what those career criminals have been doing to it.
Eggsactly.
America simply does not understand how completely DANGEROUS this administration is to our democracy.
As the journalist points out in the youtube video ... this administration is RE-INTERPRETING 200 years of Constitutional understanding.
HOW can they do that?
The ONLY way this can be done is by a REVOLUTION. And thats what Neo-Conservatism is. Its a Revolutionary philosophy ... not unliek Marxism, Communism, or Socialism.
Its essentially a modified Militant Fascist amalgam.
Here, check out their STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES.
http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofpr...
If you read carefully, you get a sense that this philosophy is in favor of a new American Century view of what the Germans sought prior to WW2 ... a kind of freedom to have sharp elbows.
Neo-Cons want to be un-fettered to freely use force in an age without the Soviets.
They want ... UN-ACCOUNTABILITY.
Goppy said:
America simply does not understand how completely DANGEROUS this administration is to our democracy.
Conservative voters do not care, as long as they can keep one of their own in the WH, and preferably a majority in congress, they don't care what they do. It's all about winning for them. It's more or less became a game of chance for them, not concern for the nation, constitution, their kids or grandkids.
I hope and pray ... that if ANYTHING good can come from this administration ... it is that it opened the eyes of the American poeple that you can't vote along party lines.
You cant say ... 'I won't vote for him cause he's a Democrat (Republican).'
Goerge W. Bush is a Republican ... but his political philosophy is COMPLETELY UN-REPUBLICAN. And yet, Republicans on Propeller still claim and support him. Not recognizing that he is unliek any previous Republican.
Look at his personal history. He was the epitome of Ideologically Driven Mediocrity. What did anyone expect of this fellow?
I simply can't tell if this smirking chimp is clanging his cymbals on his own or at the bidding of the Neo-Con 'purists'.
It's why I say The Dumbing of America is Nearly Complete!
Nearly complete, maybe, PBT, but there is a chance, up in November, to seriously slow, if not to halt altogether, this alarming trend.
I fervently hope the electorate will seize it -- there may not be many more afterwards.
I hope you're right.
And it's why I facillate between extreme anger at the whole Bush Crime Family and its supporters, and extreme frustration with the Bushbots that blindly continue to support and thereby perpetuate this horrendous breakdown of our constitution and way of life! There is guilt across the board, because even those Repubs and Dems who KNOW better are either too cowardly or too apathetic to get off their ass es and DO something!!
Here's what the first Bush did in Iraq.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ljXnV4Ibpk
A "New World Order". In this video Bush Sr. speaks about this, but what does he mean?
"The term New World Order (NWO) has been used by numerous politicians through the ages, and is a generic term used to refer to a worldwide conspiracy being orchestrated by an extremely powerful and influential group of genetically-related individuals (at least at the highest echelons) which include many of the world's wealthiest people, top political leaders, and corporate elite, as well as members of the so-called Black Nobility of Europe (dominated by the British Crown) whose goal is to create a One World (fascist) Government, stripped of nationalistic and regional boundaries, that is obedient to their agenda."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc7i0wCFf8g
Here ... this recent book outlines how David Addingham has edited HUNDREDs of Signing Statements to legislation ... all calculated to inculcate the Congress that this Presdient is superior to their legislation.
What he, David Addingham is saying ... BLATANTLY ... is that THIS presdient is ABOVE THE LAW.
The link above BLATANTLY points out that Vice President Cheney is COMPLETELY unaccountable to ANYONE or ANY OFFICE.
Here ... check out the this link
http://wwwfreespeechbeneathushs.blogspot.com/20...
Hey Goppy, Have Ya seen this?
Rice Repudiates State Dept. Orders Not to Cooperate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy_wO1LXLe8&feat...
LOL
You know that the faithful adherents to the House of Liberalism will always say that all Republicans lie.
It is a creed to them.
Speak of the Bushbots and one will appear!
Tell us endo,that bushboy and his cadre hasn't lied,come on tell us.
They have also been lying to conservatives.
That's one of the saddest things about this scenario, the cons are in the same mess with us, but defend their party to put us in this mess, deny that it's happening, and then they curse the Democrats for trying to save us from it.
True Conservatives oppose Bush and his minions as well. The Republican party has been hijacked by the Neocons. There is a division in the Republican party between true Conservatives and Neocons and it is growing. Sad to say however the Neocons lable anyone who disagrees with them, be it Democrat or Republican a nut, crackpot or a Liberal.
True words. I'm about as conservative as they come, in the traditional definition of the word. Today's republican party has lost its way and should be ashamed of itself. many of those labeled liberal here are probably much closer to conservatism than their accusers. Supporters of the current administration cannot claim to be supporting a conservative administration because it isn't. They are supporting power hungry liberalism.
Endo, what Rice said in this video was not a lie, it was simply meaningless double talk.
Not all. But a whole heck of a lot of them.
Definitely Bush and Cheney both have lied until their pants caught fire!
(*ahem - you largely forgot to write in dialect...*)
"From DAY 1 - this administration has pulled a blanket of secrecy over their administration that - to this day - DEFINES their style of leadership."
It defines the republican style of power management. That's why I say ABOLISH the gop!
...they are a terrorist organization in America, should be declared so, and banned!
The PNAC-saturated Neo-Cons seem to have thoroughly infiltrated and commandeered the GOP. In the fullness of time, the party may return to its more traditional base -- but it may be too late?
A sweeping Democrat victory in November may enable the necessary far-reaching reforms to take place within the GOP, but until the architects of the current administration's policies are entirely discreditted (and held accountable for the debacle) not a great deal of optimism is possible.
(I can only bring myself to view a photo of VP Cheney by superimposing imaginary prison bars in front of his face!)
I love to picture him being waterboarded! Bush, too.
Iraq has it's own gov't not in violation of international treaties and laws -- unlike under Saddam. Not much we can do about it.
On the one hand, libs whine about Iraq, saying we have no business being there. Now you whine saying Bush isn't doing anything to stop corruption. Corruption is pretty much a way of life in some of those nations. Get over it.
Hell, no one seemed to mind Clinton's and Gore's blatant corruption. Now all of a sudden you libs are worried about Iraq. Hilarious! lol
hilarious,
So, it doesn't matter to you that 4K dead and 20K wounded in order to bring "democracy to the Middle East" is a price willing to be paid by Americans for a corrupt and ineffective Iraqi government?
You're so full of BS!
He needs to wipe his mouth, he still has some B/S around it.
...the BS is in his brain!
Your assuming he has one!
I think it has been pretty well established by this point that individuals like libsR, Dropkick, aniokly, and a double handful of others on this board are nothing but apologists for the current administration and are completely lacking in the ability to think for themselves.
It's ultra-partisanship, whereby gut-loyalty to party trumps clear-headed reasoning every time.
over 40,ooo wounded US with at least 600,000 Iraqis from reliable sources. Then add that our own Pentagon mandated no tests for Traumatic Brain Injuries for 2 years and sent over 43,000 nondeployable for mental conditions... and you get a real feel what the Repugs really think about our soldiers and those killed for Repug greed!
In five posts it went from 20,000 wounded to 40,000. Nobody else finds this odd?
So 20,000 is acceptable? When research is done, statistics and data changes. Why is this so hard to grasp?
Another one who thinks that millions dead is just the price to pay so we can just pull out. Happened in Viet nNam and Cambodia, 2,500,000 dead and hundreds of thousands in camps.
And you want to repeat it here.
The party of compassion in both cases. Such compassion boggles the mind.
Whoa there fella, where'd you get that idiotic idea? I was against invading Iraq so if we hadn't invaded Iraq, many lives would not have been lost. Your hero Bush and his cronies are at fault. They are responsible for those deaths you speak of. They are responsible for the mess we are in, not me or others who were against this despicable war. And you have no credibility talking about compassion. Your party and your administration has no compassion at all.
yu use THAT lame idea as an excuse to continue the U.S.-provided gravy train to the do-nothing Iraqi "leadership"?
NO!!!!! the Iraqi's, after five-plus years need to get off of the U.S. tax-payer and U.S. soldier teat.
Endo, the war in Vietnam (with the bombing and excursions into Cambodia) helped destabilize the Cambodian Government so the Khymer Rouge could topple it. Nixon and his cohorts had no intention of going into Cambodia to topple the Khymer Rouge. It was the last thing on their mind. It was the Vietnamese regime that went into Cambodia in 1995 to stop the bloodbath. If the U.S. had gotten out sooner they might have been able to go in sooner too. Or, maybe the Khymer Rouge would never have come to power at all.
Try actually reading some history instead of parroting right wing talking points.
Um...if people like you hadn't supported Bush blindly, this war wouldn't have happened. So please don't blame people who are trying to end this stupid occupation. Blame the people who started it in the first place.
endo,
It was a mistake to wage war in Vietnam and so it is the same in Iraq.
Vietnam turned out bad for many reasons. The question for you is, do you think it'll be any better in Iraq seeing how screwed up we have made it there?
As I said before, the John Wayne days of WWII are on the silver screen not in real 21st century reality.
If you want to honor the troops when they come back, throw them a 5th Avenue Parade ticker tape and all. But forget a WWII type of victory euphoria. Many in this nation have no idea how Americans of that era suffered and sacrificed before, during, and after the war.
Charlson, I did not say any deaths were acceptable. My point was that the same folks who were pos-ing the 20,000 post turned around and then pos'd the 40,000 one and that this was odd. It is apparent from these two posts that none of you have any idea what the nmber is and that any large number will satisfy you.
tang,
Splitting hairs, are we?
It's not the number, it's the fact that the number exists. Even one injured soldier is one too many.
It would seem that you believe you need some threshold to satisfy the argument you pose - that the mission is more important than the price being paid.
There's no "winning" in Iraq. It's a matter of individual and national survival because the cause isn't just or moral anymore, if it ever was.
What if the number was 1? It's still a number.
Just or moral is a matter of opinion.
I apologize if I misconstrued your intent. But large numbers of fatalities do not satisfy me! And you seemed to have missed my point, also. Statistics change when new data is collected. Or maybe different sources are responsible for the difference in the data.