Comments for Ex-State officials allege corruption in Iraq »
Posted By not2needy 1 year, 6 months ago in NewsThe 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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not2needy1 year, 6 months ago
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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.
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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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.
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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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!
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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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.
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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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.
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not2needy1 year, 6 months ago
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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.
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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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'.
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cushi1 year, 6 months ago
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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!!
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jovial1 year, 6 months ago
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Here's what the first Bush did in Iraq.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ljXnV4Ibpk
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jovial1 year, 6 months ago
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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
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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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...
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spkguy1 year, 6 months ago
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Hey Goppy, Have Ya seen this?
Rice Repudiates State Dept. Orders Not to Cooperate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy_wO1LXLe8&feat...
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not2needy1 year, 6 months ago
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Xaos1 year, 6 months ago
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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.
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wtagg1 year, 6 months ago
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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.
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ProudBlueTexan1 year, 6 months ago
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"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!
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blinkers1 year, 6 months ago
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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!)
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libsRfunnyComment removed: Hard Banned29 Replies
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jordan111 year, 6 months ago
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Of course they ignored it. They ignored the warnings pre 9/11. They ignored those who said the evidence for war wasn't there. They ignored billions in cash gone missing. They ignored Blackwaters actions. They've ignored generals in the field. They have ignored virtually EVERY THING that has transpired. They have a choice. They're either stupid beyond belief, or they're complicit.
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Will13131 year, 6 months ago
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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Yes ... the article points out that the waste of money is awful.
The additional example of striving to keep all the malfeasance shrouded in secrecy is far more exemplative of the danger to the health of our society.
This is a crazy, ideologically driven administration.
They DONT have our interests in the forefront of their agenda.
What is in the forefront of their agenda is getting their Neo-Conservative aparatchicks deeper and deeper into the bowels of our national bureaucracy.
THATS why ROVE went on that rampage to ELIMINATE Attorneys General ... to ensconce pro-craazie Neo-Cons wherever he could.
This administration is unprecedented because NEO-CONSERVATISM is unprecedented.
Its a recent invention and this is the FIRST administration that was made up ENTIRELY of its adherents.
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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I dont have an argument with that n2n.
Karl Rove is driven by ideological purity.
As the 'architect' who came up with the strategy of pandering strictly to the Christian Fundamentalist base in America, you have to wonder, ... who exactly was working for who?
How depraved does one have to be to 'as an atheist, embark on a cynical strategy of counting up the Christian Fundamentalists and going after them to achieve other goals.
It would be one thing if the administration actually had, as part of their desire to serve, a desire to promote 'Faith Based Initiatives'.
I would not have agreed with that ... but they would have been true to their word.
Instead, as disenchanted White House insider, David Kuo, pointed out in his book; 'Tempting Faith' - the White House openly ridiculed the Religious Right as 'nutcases'.
This administration is a MASSIVE FRAUD from beginning to end.
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ProudBlueTexan1 year, 6 months ago
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Send the URL of this story and thread to CNN with a comment about their duty as journalists in a democracy:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form.sound.of...
God bless ya
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donald511 year, 6 months ago
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Don't count Paul Wolfowitz out! He got preemptive war in the early 1990s Defense Planning Guidance, was the primary force in fighting for a Sadam invasion, and tried his darndest to corrupt the World bank too..... and still works for Dumya!
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Endoscopy1 year, 6 months ago
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A couple of people say that something is bad. The State department refutes it, but of course the far left faithful have to say that all Republicans are liars and corrupt. The party of compassion and hate crime laws spew hate from the far left. Anything conservative is hateful and not worth discussing.
Just keep the blinders on as the country leaves you in the dust.
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vor1 year, 6 months ago
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At least you are correct in referring to the Far Left. Let Cindy Sheehan run in Pelosi's district and see how many votes she gets - maybe 2-3% and that in the wackiest liberal district in the nation. Yet Republicans HAVE proven themselves as liars, and as corrupt, for the last seven years. Hiding under a rock and pretending this fact is not true doesn't the reality.
But what is truly ignorant is going into the Middle East with so little idea of their history and culture. Bribery and corruption? These are the wheels that grease Middle Eastern transactions. They are quite normal. Yet we act shocked that this occurs.
And come on Endo, who is really wearing the blinders? Take them off and maybe you will see what is going on around you...
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wtagg1 year, 6 months ago
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Perhaps you could discuss how the policies and actions of the current administrations are conservative. I'd love to discuss this with you.
Can you show us where the state department has been truthful? You can start in a number of places. Pat Tillman, Abu Ghraib, WMD, any intel provided in the last 6 years, etc....
So, why should anyone believe what the state department states? They are a propaganda machine for the *good* of the people.
The state department should at least say they are going to vigorously investigate the allegations.
There is nothing conservative in pouring money into a corrupt government, though we seem to be doing that for many years now.
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quackpot1 year, 6 months ago
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A few people? I though you were smart enough who appreciate who these "few people" are.....Alas.
Also, Endo, if you listen with both of those listening ears open, you will realize that Ms Rice does NOT refute it, she just talks around it.
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Goppy1 year, 6 months ago
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Dionys1 year, 6 months ago
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"I find it extremely telling that nearly EVERY SINGLE employee departing this administration spills their guts about how pathetic and incompetent - and what LIARS are the administration."
It's even more telling that they're doing it before the administration's even out of office.
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donald511 year, 6 months ago
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..its like all the long term Repug Congressmen that said they are no longer running... disgusted by the behavior of their own 109th Do Nothing Repug Congress and now having to face a Dem semi-majority (we have got to break the repug ability to back a Bush/Repug veto).
Funny thing, in Alabama all you hear are Repug commercials that say Pelosi is responsible for all our maladies and that more of the same Bush like promises will save us! Alabama is really dumbed down with all the local news stations backing it up!
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Endoscopy1 year, 6 months ago
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What an absolute crock. "nearly EVERY SINGLE employee departing this administration spills their guts "
Some people tell what they think is going on and you make it into "nearly EVERY SINGLE". That is hilarious. You ignore those who tell a different story because you don't want to believe it and you write them off a liars.
Which ones are lying. Those who say what you want to hear ot those who say the opposite.
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vor1 year, 6 months ago
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Listen to Douglas Feith describe "our success" in Iraq if you won't to hear a positive story fron the neocons. The man is actually further out of touch than Cheney. Of course he was one of the chief "doctors" of information in the runup to invasion.
To watch him is to watch an enigma. Here is a man who has absolutely damaged his country, sitting up proud and recounting his glory. All the while US troops continue to die in Iraq, 23 in the last 2 weeks. He won't admit error in his decision making and continues to believe he was doing the right thing. He will likely die under this delusion.
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donald511 year, 6 months ago
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...and Feith chewed Shinsheki's tail for telling Congress we needed at least 300,000 to invade and occupy!
Feith the Rummy appointed head of the new intel gathering, special assess program in the Pentagon to route back already CIA debunked intel to Cheney as still valid!
A man who with Wolfowitz, Condi, Cheney and W should all be rotting in a foreign prison guilty of war crimes.
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donald511 year, 6 months ago
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The treasury scretary (O/Neil) said W loses his span of attention in 15 minutes and Cheney takes over. Kou said W uses faith as a facade. Brownie trashed W. Ashcroft said while in office that "history would not look kindly". Powell says the worst day in his life was when he told those lies to the UN. Just to name a few off the top of my head.
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Tcaros1 year, 6 months ago
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War profiteering is not new to the Bush's. The treasury is being drained, the dollar devalued, gas prices high, and people are losing their homes. Yet, somehow people don't see Bush for what he really represents. It's like looking at a freight train and yelling at people to get off the tracks.
One only needs to examine the Bush family history of war profiteering. The fortunes were made while people died in concentration camps.
"Harriman Bank was the main Wall Street partner for several German companies and the varied U.S. financial interests of Fritz Thyssen. Thyssen had been an early financial backer of the Nazi party."
There are two easy ways to make big money; wars and by the setting things up to fail. How do you make money off failures? Look at recent scandals like Enron.
You can bet that Wall Street will make a fortune off the foreclosures, oil executives rich off the gas prices, and more money for payoffs to Fox and the media to keep quiet.
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Tcaros1 year, 6 months ago
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No, just get rid of Republicans. Pick them off one at a time during each re-election bid.
Also, we need to reign in our intelligence agencies. They are the arm of the Republicans and President.
We have a better chance with Democrats.
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Natureboy1 year, 6 months ago
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Have we forgotten that aggression against Iraq has been a bipartisan affair from the beginning? Have we forgotten that the Killer Klinton continued low scale warfare against Iraq, with sanctions that killed a half-million kids, throughout his administration? Have we forgotten all of the Dems in congress that gave Der Bush the green light to attack Iraq?
Wake the fsck up. This evil goes deeper than repug v dimocrat
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Endoscopy1 year, 6 months ago
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I love it. Aggression against Iraq is what we are doing now. We should pull out and let the terrorists take it over and kill millions doing it.
Sanctions against Iraq that killed children in Iraq. The UN sanctions allowed food for oil. But the UN and others involved and turned it into extremely large scale corruption. Of course that was America's fault somehow. What a twisted person you are. Saddam Husein does it and we are at fault.
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Natureboy1 year, 6 months ago
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The Iraqis should police themselves.And the US should P!SS OFF and mind their own affairs.
As for the Iraqis being on the US taxpayer's teat, I don't know that the Iraqis are getting fat and happy. I think the big bucks are going to US contractors in Iraq, and THEY are getting fat on the US taxpayers teat.
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Ratskii1 year, 6 months ago
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You actually have one point right. The sanctions against Iraq did kill thousands of Iraqi children. Clinton and his administration do have that on their conscience. As for the food for oil, consider that far more U.S. money has disappeared or been lost to corruption (and it isn't just the Iraqis) than went to Saddam in the Oil for food scandal.
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quackpot1 year, 6 months ago
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Endo,
you must realize that your use of the term "the terrorists" is far to vague to be a valid platform on which to develop public policy.
If defined too broadly, all but Endo will be dead.
But then, Endo will be the ultimate terrorist and must die too.
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Tcaros1 year, 6 months ago
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Google Prescott Bush (Bush's grandfather). He once had his assets frozen for helping the Nazi's. He was proven to be a war profiteer in dealing with the money laundering through the infamous Dulles brothers, John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles (wall street bankers).
War profiteering is the way that people without imagination or American ingenuity become rich. They become rich off the death and trajedy of others.
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not2needy1 year, 6 months ago
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And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Big Daddy Bush didn't have the smarts to put it into action, neither did Georgie Boy, but between the two of them, they figured out that they needed people like Cheney/Rove/Rummy and Condi (among others) to make it all come together for them.
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taciturnman1 year, 6 months ago
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Of course they ignored it. They ignored the warnings pre 9/11. They ignored those who said the evidence for war wasn't there. They ignored billions in cash gone missing. http://www.youtube.com/user/KidsBedroomFurniture They ignored Blackwaters actions. They've ignored generals in the field. They have ignored virtually EVERY THING that has transpired. They have a choice. They're either stupid beyond belief, or they're complicit.
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