9/11 had just happened and faster than a HT could put a cigarette in his mouth following the start of his weekly Halaqah, the Western media was already pointing the finger of blame towards Usama bin Laden, Muslims... Islaam. "Muslims" like me, who'd spent the majority of their life thinking Islaam was praying 5 times a day (whilst not doing so), boasting about how many times you have read the Qur'aan cover to cover whilst understanding not a word of it, spending late nights on the streets competing in narrating the most horrifying exaggerated jinn stories and using the excuse "it's haraam to fight" when someone tougher comes rude to you during ramadhaan yet if he's a wuss he'd receive the beating of his life alongside plenty of swearing and insults, Muslims like me were increasingly desiring to open our eyes to what the deen of Islaam truly is. The reason for this was the sensing of the sentiments of the people around us, i.e. how the non-Muslims around us had reacted to 9/11 and began to notice us, fear us, recognise us (as Muslims even with our cleanly shaven faces and trendy hair styles) and how the media was beginning to say thing's we thought we'd never hear them saying in Britain about Islaam and Muslims... An interest in Usama bin Laden but more so Islaam was sparked inside of many.From the depths of the hardened gangs to the taps of the nerds keyboards to the thick-book section of the library where the coconut brothers dwelled, everybody was talking about 9/11. Brothers like me where still trying to comprehend what WTC means and how come the two towers were worth even "attacking". Unlike some of my peers however I decided to take a more serious approach in finding answers to the questions everybody seemed to have an opinion for. I spent day and night crawling the web in search for knowledge, understanding and guidence. Praise be to Allaah, an interest for Islaam was sparked inside me.
And it was during these early post-9/11 days that a shaab of the HT stood and announced in the college cafeteria that on the evening of the coming Friday there will be a public talk on the topic of "9/11, what it means and how Muslims should react". I was the only one from my college who attended, except for the shaab who made the announcement. That talk had many local brothers in attendance, good old friends of mine some of them, who were attracted to the talk by it's title and topic; the talk itself was given, to my utter surprise, by a clean shaven 20-something bro who must have thought it’s clever to use street slang at the rate of two-three words per sentence as if somehow it would connect with the audience better. I couldn't help but flinch in disgust on numerous occasions at the arrogant manner in which I felt the speech was given, but I stayed till the end. The end of a HT talk like this is the most precious moment for them, it's when all the normal looking members of the audience --looking all the more normal with their designer clothes, trendy beards and stench of cigarette smoke-- emerge from amidst the chaos to eagle-eye the most vulnerable of youth to approach and discuss with, starting by asking "so what did you think about the talk" and ending with "oh my god you're such a clever, intelligent brother with your wicked views and opinions you DON, give me your mobile phone number so we can meet up during the week and continue talking whilst eating a kebab and taking a long ride in my expensive car, I’ll pay for everything". The first bespectacled 30-something brother that approached me with that request following our short discussion made the hair on my back stand on ends, I can still picture his thick moustache; clearly a brother stuck in admiration of the popular 70s Western culture. Funny how later he became one of the 5 who pursued me though.
Later I was gang-discussed on by a bunch of HTs from every side I turned my neck. That evening I left clutching a bag of books, magazines and leaflets... walking home thinking "what the hell is a Khilafah? and how come I am even more confused about 911".
Hi-jacked by the Hizb
For the next 3 months of my life I was the target of 5 Hizbi brothers who were systematically turn-by-turn victimising me with their da'wah, regarding me as the key that would "open" my hometown to the Hizb and cause many more to join up, if only I would first. Some of the styles and means used to attract me where emotionally charging me up with stories of the Sahaba followed by comments such as "and that is why we need Khilafah". I was honestly interested, inspired and attracted to the HT; they seemed "perfect" especially when portrayed through 5 different angles and perspectives subconsciously helping me to have the all-round impression that this group is "kaining it", "it" being their da'wah of reviving Islaam and "kaining" being the word made famous by the lips of every HT-bot up and down this country. I felt convinced about many things, but looked at myself realistically through a brutally honest analytical eye and concluded that I am a weak Muslim, not praying, not educated, whilst being sinful and neglectful. I felt that I needed to grasp some kind of foundation or achieve a level of conviction or sense of spirituality before being even remotely qualified to be working or associated with a party that is working for something as great and amazing as the return of the Khilafah.
In fact, the very day I was walking to the masjid with the main bro who was trying to get me to join up, I was emptying out my heart to him saying "I just feel so Islaamically weak, I don't know where to start with fixing myself up, I lack in knowledge... etc..." and I distinctly remember how he was really quiet during the whole walk and actually seemed somewhat nervous, which was weird (this is the same guy who made the announcement in college). We arrive at the masjid and suddenly I feel like I am one of those famous-yet-nobodys- heard-of- me celebrity on an episode of THIS IS YOUR LIFE as to my utter surprise, for the first time in 3 months I am presented by all 5 HTs plus one shaab as a bonus at the same place at the same time! Hugs and salaams all round as my smiley dazed face stumbled in to the masjid and performed the most distracted salaat-ul-asr I have ever done, wondering WTF IS GOING ON?
After the salaah we gather in the corner of the masjid. One brother starts the proceedings: "You have a good understanding of what we're about, our aims, our thoughts, our methods" I picture the pile of untouched HT books and freebies collecting dust on my shelf. "So we call you to work alongside us and work to try and re-establish the Khilafah". I smile and kindly reject the offer explaining the same things I explained to the bro who walked me to the masjid. Magically though it somehow seemed like everybody had an answer for my SPECIFIC issue, as if some incredible way they had read my mind, I wonder how?!?!?! *cough* shaab reporting my every word to superiors *cough*
After intense persuasion and pressure from 5 brothers and literally guaranteeing that my Islaam “would be DON” once I am working with the party I went silent and said to myself "I have to be sincere, if I join today my Islaam is SORTED".
I agreed to join the party... immediately following my agreement to the offer one would not be blameworthy for thinking Pakistan had just won the Cricket World Cup upon witnessing the high-fives and joyous faces of these guys following my wavery acceptance, even though one brother was a Bengali. It seems all that mattered is that I said "OK I'll work with the party" rather than the multitude of flaws and cracks in my character that without a doubt would ultimately render me useless to their cause or to become hypocritical as an individual unless immediately given attention and care.
Life as a Hizbi
It wasn't long before I adopted the mentality of my peers and superiors of the HT and realised that everything pales in comparison to striving for the re-emergence of the Khilafah according to the “irrefutable” methodology of Hizb ut-Tahrir, "which is derived from the Seerah of RasoolAllaah (saw) by our mystery scholars so thus it’s irrefutable". Quickly ensued argumentation with each family member, "trigger-happy" da'wah to all my friends and the rushed, ill understood adoption of "Islaamic" opinions derived from the rationalist mind of their king, the hero of HT, the main man, the don, the founder, the father... TAQI'UDDIN AN-NABHANI. I began to spend more time reading articles on "Kcom", HT books, articles and listening to their lectures than anything else (i.e. reading Quraan, sunnah/nafl salaah, etc). If you wanted to discuss the current political situation of the Middle-East then I'd give you answers you'd find credible to questions I am not even able to properly answer. When snookered in a debate with a Salafi brother I'd wrangle myself out by fiercely questioning "BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO BRING THE KHILAFAH BACK HUH??" Only now in retrospect do I understand that the silence met by that question was not due to me "kaining the discussion" but more so due to his likely sympathy towards me for my sorry state.
I was travelling up and down the country to cities I’d never been to before to attend HT lectures I’d heard a hundred times already. This was helping me become well grounded in the HT rhetoric, styles of da’wah alongside proper inspiration to “solidify my concepts”. Not to mention those intense “culturing” car rides to and fro each long off destination which served the purpose of eradicating any alien, false Islaamic ideas that may have crept in to my head during my da’wah to the ummah. GOD FORBID!
Da’wah
I was striving hard in the path of discussion and intellectual talk for the sake of Khilafah. I helped out in organising events, tag-teaming on “contacts”, making leaflets and using my skills to make websites and other calling-to rationalist- Islaam propaganda.
However, my first biggest challenge was to distribute leaflets outside my local masjid. My HT superiors didn’t throw this challenge at me prematurely, wisely waiting to get me feeling cultured enough to not have the audacity to reject this proposal: “After the jama’ah for Jummah is over skip the sunnah salaah run outside to distribute these leaflets”. This act was looked at like a PROOVE YOU’RE DON exercise. I had heard many war stories from the distro battle fields out of the mouths of fellow HTs, such as: “This wahabi came up to me and slapped the leaflets outta my hands and they all fell on the floor, and I go to him YOU C*NT THERE ARE QURAAN SENTANCES ON THEM and he goes REALLY? Then he bent over to pick one up and saw the truth in my words, then he started picking up all the leaflets off the floor!!! HAHAHA” and another one I distinctly remember: “The imam came out and was like STOP DISTRIBUTING AT OUR MASJID and I said IM STANDING ON THE ROAD OUTSIDE YOUR MOSQUE AINT I?!!!! SO YOU CANT TELL ME TO STOP”.
Public distributions lead people in my community to start asking me questions, I was forced in to calling them my “contacts”. After updating my nokia’s address book with their latest mobile phone numbers I embarked on missions of calling them to a local fast food joint to start giving da’wah. I will reserve giving my experiences and stories at another time inshaaAllaah.
HTs love to tell you something they say Nabhani said: “If your not making a mistake in your da’wah then your not doing da’wah”. It’s funny how you can listen to that a thousand times as a HT and think “OMG THAT’S PROPER DEEP” and feel amazed but the moment your mentality is not limited by the HT box and true Islaamic knowledge comes inside you, you realise this is not a principle one should actually apply. But once equipped with this weapon you quickly become confident in the scraps of knowledge gained here and there, to convey these words to a contact fast become routine and robotic. It reaches the stage where your friend who you’d once refer to as Khan is now referred to as “my contact”.
Don’t forget the guy with the biggest contact list is a don but the guy who’s brought the most people in to the HT is the PROPER DON!!!! IT’S ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS BABY!
First time I saw the HTs smoke
The concepts were solidifying, da’wah opportunities were rife and even I myself could see my character superficially moulding to an improved, Islaamic version -- a stubly Craig David beard, no more socialising with girls, no more rap music glorifying women’s body parts, lots and lots of socialising with HTs. Yep, I did feel more Islaamic. At this stage I was beginning to notice an emptiness inside me that was neglected. From the first day of my first Halaqah I failed not once to bring up the topic of “the existence of Allaah” because this was one rational concept which constantly failed to settle properly in my head. And since I was being told to believe that without rationally understanding this first I won’t be convinced of Allaah’s existence you can imagine how important this topic was to me, but no matter how much I discussed this issue no answer satisfied my intellect. So further and further the neglect of this core issue and the time, devotion and energy being given to da’wah, reading HT literature (“O MUSLIMS!”) and spending all my spare time travelling or being at HT lectures led me to have a huge gaping emptiness and when I would be alone by myself laying in my bed looking at the ceiling, whilst delaying the time of Isha to the point of Tahajjud, I would hate myself and feel like the world’s biggest hypocrite. None of my act’s of worship, be it da’wah or salaah, were done for the right reasons, the knowledge of these issues was never given to me in any way, shape or form through the party -- even my understanding of the importance of intention was completely wrong. This party I was a slave for had neglected to help me on an individual level and officially told me that to learn these issues is my own responsibility and that the HT is only there to work to bring the Khilafah back. This Hizb was expecting to bring the Khilafah back by recruiting knowledgeless, weak in emaan brothers and teaching them the finest details of their opinions of how to apply Shariah laws in the Khilafah but paid no attention to rectifying the Islaamic character and fundamental knowledge of the actual individuals that comprise this group… if only I had asked where in the Sunnah this ingenious idea was derived from.
Often I had wondered why there was a strong smell of smoke coming from the HTs around me. I never gave it much thought. Then... One Saturday, approximately 3 months in to my HT career, we sat parked in a car, the four of us HTs all proud after a tiring session of da’wah in the City Centre stall. I guess too many hours had passed by, or perhaps the tension and temptation was too strong, the craving must have outweighed the intellect in the 3 of them following the intense da’wah. Whatever the reasons may be, this was the first time I realised that my peers/superiors in the party were also suffering from having traits of hypocrisy. The front two first both put a ciggy in their gobs and lit up moaning in ecstasy as they slouched in their seats drifting in to aloofness. “WHAT??!? YOU GUYS SMOKE??” was my instant reaction. I look at the smiling bespectacled 30-something brother perched on the seat next to me in the back of the car, he reached in to his inside pocket only to withdraw his hand offering me a SilkCut Extra Light “YOU SMOKE AS WELL!!!!?!!! !” I said before refusing one.
WAllaahee the icing on the cake was when a well known salafee brother walked past the car and the three of them lowered their ciggy holding hands to hide from him. After he’d walked past one of the HTs sitting in the front said “SH*T, the smoke was rising up and he saw it”.
After this day I soon learned that practically EVERY single HT I know or have met is a smoker, and if not cigarettes then at least sheesha. It wasn’t long until my mushriff changed and I now had a chain-smoker explaining the paragraph I just read out of the book. 2 hours of culturing with the bonus of going home smelling like I just came from a club.
Movies, music and sheesha
I know there are some members/shabaab of the HT who will refuse to believe this, and if they believe it they’ll reassure themselves and one another by saying something like “this cell was poorly cultured” or “this is a glitch in our matrix” (lol) or something else similar. But I have to come clean about the inner-HT culture, the life away from the mushriff’s prying eyes when it’s just the shabaab sitting together with a computer, a pile of DVDs and audio CDs and a fat-ass sheesha with the widest assortment of tobacco flavours. What ensues? Many hours of music, watching movies and idle talk accompanied by the smoking of sheesha. ALL THIS IS CONSIDERED REWARDABLE, because “I am socialising with Muslims”, a concept every HT holds dear in his heart, or shall I say mind.
Because HT has a rationalist ideology (note: NOT AN ISLAAMIC ONE) it is not hard to make something haraam in to halaal and vice versa. All you need to do is re-evaluate a particular action with the HT formula – which is to have minimal knowledge on the issue but the arrogance of an Israeli soldier when it comes to “figuring out” whether something is permissible or not and believing your HT-halaqah-conditioned brain is capable of this. That is why we watched movies and justified it thinking “I am learning life experiences from it, my intention to watch this is not to admire the beauty of the actress or witness some entertaining action”. That is why we listened to music and justified it by saying “although for a normal human these lyrics would put pornographic imagery in the head, it doesn’t for me because I work to bring back Khilafah and thus my Islaam is NEXT LEVEL, instead I listen to this and ridicule Western Culture”. And when it comes to Islaamic rap we’d say and believe “ISLAAMIC RAP IS THE BEST FORM OF DA’WAH FOR THE YOUTH”... yeah, I can really see Muslims kids in their thousands throwing away the thing that attracts them to rap music in the first place (thug, street, crime, gang culture) for HT-INTELLECTUAL-CULTURE, which is being a teenager surrounded by men 10-20 years older, feeling gangster rolling around in a car with a Taji –Shaykh Faisal wannabe- Mustapha lecture playing loud and looking at non-HT Muslims as sell-outs and clueless people while being proud to be a HT gang member. Yeah, it’s really gonna happen. Let’s be brutally honest: HT’s attempt to use rap music was more of a way of making their shabaab listen to “less haraam music” than try to lure Muslim youth in to being better Muslims.
A lot of people may wonder, especially those that have had the privilege of never being a part of the Hizb, about the hardcore extreme obsession and addiction that members and shaabab have with smoking cigarettes and sheesha. Let’s put aside the fact that Nabhani was himself a chain-smoker; this isn’t the reason why to this day HTites blacken their lungs in the current day and age. The SIMPLE reason is that the permissibility of smoking has been rationalised and evaluated as MAKROOH by the anonymous, unknown HT scholars – so according to the HT opinion it’s an action Allaah swt dislikes but since its “not haraam” its okay to smoke. It is worth mentioning the rationale behind this HT fatwa, allow me to paraphrase it – if you want to hear the long winded version go and approach your nearest HT-bot: “If you consume too many dairy products for you it will harm your body, so too many dairy products are haraam. So are you going to tell me drinking too much milk is haraam? NO because drinking a little milk won’t harm you. Just like smoking a little bit wont either.”
To quote a 40-something HT who thought it was “with it” to say this after making an intellectual point in his discussion: “NUFF SAID!!!”.
Marriage obsessions & “potentials” enquiring at events
Once you join the inner-circle of the local HT boys and become considered “one of us” either because you’re a REALLY close contact or you’re on the verge of becoming their shaab or because you already are going through the weekly 2 hour secret-location-take-battery-outta-the-phone halaqah it will at that stage feel as if a veil has been lifted. Fast disappears the intellectual thought provoking ramblings about military coups, da’wah to army generals and how the Khilafah will emerge “this year” and suddenly you are presented with sex-obsessed, die-hard-marriage-wanting brothers disguised in out-line beards and no longer talking with a few poorly pronounced Arabic words per-sentence.
An average HT bro will boast about 10 marriage potentials enquiring about him per year. What is it about every single HT bro thinking that any pretty Islaamic girl who he’s been staring at so hard at an event will fall head-over-heels in love with him, as if he is some kind of ultra-top-“don”-Islaamic guy?? Why do HT bro’s think they will automatically make the PERFECT husband just because his mushriff regularly commends his tricky halaqah questions by starting his reply with “good question...”???
Here’s a fun activity for you, go and approach your local HT Khilafah preacher, listen to him for about 3 minutes without interrupting. He will think he is convincing you of everything and his mind is already thinking of the best way to ask for your mobile phone number. Smile at him and sincerely ask him “wow, you seem to know so much, I bet you get loads of marriage proposals! Do you??” Now enjoy the rainbow of self-admiration facial expressions that will shower his face and if you needed to borrow a large sum of money from a bro now would be a good time to ask and end up getting more than you wanted.
Every HT guy thinks he knows Islaam properly. If there is a lack in his knowledge he’ll think all that is required is progression through the series of books used in the party’s halaqah’s. Thus a lack of Islaamic knowledge is referred to as “lack of understanding the concepts”. Regarding the feeling of KNOWING Islaam in such a great way; this proud, self-admiring characteristic automatically makes each HT bro think that he’s being checked out that at every event where sisters are invited to, as if his imaginary “intellectual deepness” is a characteristic that makes him physically more attractive.
Leaving the HT
I didn’t ever consider leaving the HT until a month before I actually did so. Even when I left I thought I’d one day rejoin after reforming myself Islaamically. The cracks, misunderstandings, confusions, hypocrisy, dead feeling inside... all of these had been continually brushed under the carpet for too long. The sad thing is had you met me during these days my outward appearance, behaviour and impression to you would have been of a brother firmly convinced in the deen, well grounded in the da’wah while having a nice, strong level of imaan and piety. LOL. It wasn’t after I left that two brothers also left and when we talked about it we all seemed to have these exact same problems. A HT is cultured in to thinking everything is about society, society, society -- the emphasis is abnormal and damages the balance of a person not knowledgeable on the deen or following the middle-way away from the extremes. This naturally results in neglect of individual elements that need continuous attention. The hizbi culture helps one nurture a kind of self-invisible arrogance that helps one either: overlook this issue as if it’s not true OR brush it under the carpet for as long as possible OR leave the HT and follow proper Islaam. I went through those 3 stages, as did the 2 brothers who left after me.
I sent an email explaining my decision to leave to all the guys in my cell. One brother called me up the next morning and sympathised with me and found the courage to later leave as well. Another brother tried his best to convince me to stay and is still to this very day with the HT. I stayed strong on my decision and didn’t regret it for even one second. I truly sensed a taste of “liberation”, or what I should call the mercy of Allaah swt, alhamdulilaah.
A few personal thoughts...
During my first week as a HT I met a local salafi brother whom I had long admired for the Islaamic strength in his character and his knowledge and wisdom. I met him outside the masjid after salaat-ul-ishaa and said to him with a smile “I’m with the HT now, I bet you hate that haha” and he replied: “No, they are my brothers I don’t hate the HT. You’ll realise that Islaam is like an ocean, an ocean of knowledge. The deeper you swim the deeper the knowledge gets. I’m glad you’re with the HT when instead you could be with a gang of boys taking drugs and chasing girls.” I think back to his words and feel the hikmah in what he said. It is easy for ex-HT brothers to make fun and ridicule the HT, in most cases rightly so, but it would be an injustice to just make fun and highlight their flaws and just leave it hanging as if this is all that is worth doing. The task is left incomplete like this.
We need to give da’wah to the HT brothers and explain that Islaam is not about emphasising the return of the Khilafah and making this the “mother of all obligations”. The HT needs to realise how shallow, weak and utterly incomplete their ijtihad on the method of establishing the Khilafah is – it’s based more on making the idea sound good than having firm, strong and deeply understood evidences from the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Muslims have to adopt the whole of Islaam and everything that is comprises, putting everything in its correct place. This is a process that takes time, one has to spend time, effort and energy to learn, gain knowledge and be patient. Some can learn fast, some are slow but the HT express halaqah route to trigger-happy-da’wah is not the method of “knowing everything about Islaam” as it falsely makes them feel. Real Islaamic knowledge is not by articulating a thought in a deep way – rather it is found in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. The HT brothers have to be honest with themselves and realise they have a superiority-complex and feel as if they are correct and everybody else is misguided. They look at the Salafees (who they call “wahhaabi” even though they know the term originated by the conspiring kuffaar!) and the Talibaan for example as primitive, back-ward Muslims. There is no humility in the HT culture. You are not humble just by saying or doing things that would make somebody else think you are humble. Genuine humility comes from the inside and is initially towards Allaah swt and through that flows out of you and is apparent as such.
Baring in mind so many flaws in the HT and the brothers who follow them blindly, we have to realise the HT is a group comprising of brothers and sisters who deep down must have an inkling, at the very least, of sincerity or love for Islaam – even if it’s expressed in the desire of wanting to rule the earth by Khilafah! We must give them da’wah and present proper Islaam compared to their rationalised Islaam. Allaah willing we can be able to guide them and bring forth to the ummah da’wah that will alienate the Hizb to the point of extinction inshaaAllaah.
The HTs always say and teach to one another “don’t attack the surface level concept, attack the root concept”. In similar fashion, that is exactly the medicine needed to cure the HT disease; their current root needs to be replaced with a purely Islaamic one. We need to break the box in which the HT’s think inside of, liberate them from the shackles of uncontrolled rationalism. Bring them to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. Allaah willing.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Israeli military aid to Burmese regime
The Burmese junta currently shooting unarmed protestors received a cynical plea for restraint from the Israel government on Sept. 29. According to the Israeli paper Ha'aretz, the Israeli foreign ministry announced "Israel is concerned by the situation in Myanmar, and urges the government to demonstrate restraint and refrain from harming demonstrators." The article ended by pointing out that "Israel denies selling weapons to Burma or Myanmar." (Ha'aretz, Sept. 29)
Not true, according to a March 1, 2000 report in the authoritative British publication Jane's Intelligence Review by William Ashton. The article, titled "Myanmar and Israel develop military pact," details how Israeli companies and the Israeli government have been supplying and developing weapons for the Burmese regime, and sharing intelligence:
In August 1997 it was revealed that the Israeli defence manufacturing company Elbit had won a contract to upgrade Myanmar's (then) three squadrons of Chinese-built F-7 fighters and FT-7 trainers. The F-7 is a derivative of the Mikoyan MiG-21 'Fishbed' jet fighter. The FT-7 is the export version of the GAIC JJ-7, itself a copy of the MiG-21 'Mongol-B' trainer. Since they began to be delivered by China in 1991, the Myanmar Air Force has progressively acquired about 54 (or four squadrons) of these aircraft, the latest arriving at Hmawbi air base only last year. In related sales, the air force has also acquired about 350 PL-2A air-to-air missiles (AAM) from China and at least one shipment of the more sophisticated PL-5 AAMs.
Since their delivery to Myanmar, these new aircraft have caused the air force considerable problems. Several aircraft (and pilots) have already been lost through accidents, raising questions about the reliability of the Chinese technology. There have also been reliable reports that the F-7s were delivered without the computer software to permit the AAMs to be fired in flight. Also, the air force has complained that the F-7s are difficult to maintain, in part reflecting major differences between the structure and underlying philosophy of the Myanmar and Chinese logistics systems. Spare parts have been in very short supply. In addition, the air force seems to have experienced difficulties in using the F-7 (designed primarily for air defence) in a ground attack role. These, and other problems, seem to have prompted the air force to turn to Israel for assistance.
According to sources in the international arms market, 36 of Myanmar's F-7 fighters are to be retro-fitted with the Elta EL/M- 2032 air-to-air radar, Rafael Python 3 infrared, short range AAMs, and Litening laser designator pods. The same equipment will also be installed on the two-seater FT-7 fighter trainers. In a related deal, Israel will also sell Myanmar at least one consignment of laser-guided bombs. Since the Elbit contract was won in 1997, the air force has acquired at least one more squadron of F-7 and FT-7 aircraft from China, but it is not known whether the Israeli-backed upgrade programme will now be extended to include the additional aircraft. Myanmar's critical shortage of foreign exchange will be a major factor in the SPDC's decision.
The army has also benefited from Myanmar's new closeness to Israel.
As part of the regime's massive military modernisation and expansion programme, considerable effort has been put into upgrading the army's artillery capabilities. In keeping with its practice of never abandoning any equipment of value, the army clearly still aims, as far as possible, to keep older weapons operational. (Pakistan, for example, has recently provided Myanmar with ammunition for its vintage 25 pounder field guns). The older UK, US and Yugoslav guns in the Tatmadaw's [Myanmar Armed Forces] inventory have been supplemented over the past 10 years with a range of new towed and self-propelled artillery pieces. Purchased mainly from China, they include 122mm howitzers, anti-tank guns, 57mm Type 80 anti-aircraft guns, 37mm Type 74 anti-aircraft guns and 107mm Type 63 multiple rocket launchers. In a barter deal brokered by China last year, the SPDC has also managed to acquire about 16 130mm artillery pieces from North Korea. Despite all this new firepower, however, the army has still looked to Israel to help equip its new artillery battalions.
Around 1998 Myanmar negotiated the purchase of 16 155mm Soltam towed howitzers, possibly through a third party like Singapore. These guns are believed to be second-hand pieces no longer required by the Israel Defence Force. Last year, ammunition for these guns (including high explosive and white phosphorous rounds) was ordered from Pakistan's government ordnance factories. Before the purchase of these new Chinese and North Korean weapons, Myanmar's largest artillery pieces were 105mm medium guns, provided by the USA almost 40 years ago. Acquiring the Israeli weapons thus marks a major capability leap for Myanmar's army gunners. It is possible that either Israel or Pakistan has provided instructors to help the army learn to use and maintain these new weapons.
Nor has the Myanmar Navy missed out on Israeli assistance. There have been several reports that Israel is playing a crucial role in the construction and fitting out of three new warships, currently being built in Yangon.
Myanmar's military leaders have long wanted to acquire two or three frigates to replace the country's obsolete PCE-827 and Admirable- class corvettes, decommissioned in 1994, and its two 1960s-vintage Nawarat-class corvettes, which have been gradually phased out since 1989. As military ties with China rapidly grew during the 1990s, the SLORC hoped to buy two or three Jiangnan- or even Jianghu-class frigates, but it could not afford even the special 'friendship' prices being asked by Beijing. As a compromise, the SPDC has now purchased three Chinese hulls, and is currently fitting them out as corvettes in Yangon's Sinmalaik shipyard.
According to reliable reports, the three vessels will each be about 75m long and displace about 1,200 tons. Despite a European Community embargo against arms sales to Myanmar, the ships' main guns are being imported (apparently through a third party) from Italy. Based on the information currently available, they are likely to be 76mm OTO Melara Compact guns, weapons which (perhaps coincidentally) have been extensively combat-tested by the Israeli Navy on its Reshef- class fast attack missile patrol boats. The corvettes will probably also be fitted with anti-submarine weapons, but it is not known what, if any, surface-to-surface and SAMs the ships will carry.
Israel's main role in fitting out the three corvettes is apparently to provide their electronics suites. Details of the full contract are not known, but it is expected that each package will include at least a surface-search radar, a fire-control radar, a navigation radar and a hull-mounted sonar.
The first of these warships will probably be commissioned and commence sea trials later this year.
Only sales or a strategic imperative?
While Myanmar remains a pariah state, subject to comprehensive sanctions by the USA and European Community, it is unlikely that Israel will ever admit publicly to having military links with the Tatmadaw. Until it does, the reasons for Israel's secret partnership with the Yangon regime will remain unclear. A number of factors, however, have probably played a part in influencing policy decisions in Tel Aviv.
There is clearly a strong commercial imperative behind some of these ventures. From a regional base in Singapore, with which it shares a very close relationship, Israel has already managed to penetrate the lucrative Chinese arms market. It is now aggressively seeking new targets for sales of weapons and military equipment in the Asia- Pacific. These sales are sometimes supported by offers of technology transfers and specialised advice. This approach has led to fears among some countries that Israel will introduce new military capabilities into the region which could encourage a mini arms race, as others attempt to catch up. The weapon systems being provided to the Myanmar armed forces are not that new, and the Asian economic crisis has dramatically reduced the purchasing power of many regional countries, but Israel's current activities in Myanmar will add to those concerns.
Given the nature of some of these sales, and other probable forms of military assistance to Myanmar, these initiatives would appear to enjoy the strong support of the Israeli government. In addition to the ever-present trade imperative, one reason for this support could be a calculation by senior Israeli officials that closer ties to Myanmar could reap diplomatic and intelligence dividends. For example, Myanmar is now a full member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) which, despite the economic crisis, is still a major force in a part of the world which has received much closer attention from strategic analysts since the end of the Cold War. Israel's regional base will remain Singapore, but it is possible that Tel Aviv believes Myanmar can provide another avenue for influence in ASEAN, and a useful vantage point from which to monitor critical strategic developments in places like China and India.
In particular, Israel is interested in the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and the transfer of technologies related to the development of ballistic and other missiles. Myanmar has close military relations with China and Pakistan, both of which have been accused of transferring sensitive weapons technologies to rogue Islamic states, such as Iran. Myanmar is also a neighbour of India, another nuclear power that has resisted international pressure to curb its proliferation activities. Yangon could thus be seen by Israel as a useful listening post from which to monitor and report on these countries.
Also, despite accusations over the years that Myanmar has developed chemical and biological weapons, and more convincing arguments that Israel has a sizeable nuclear arsenal of its own, both countries share an interest in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Myanmar's support for anti-proliferation initiatives, in multilateral forums like the UN General Assembly and the Committee on Disarmament, would seem to be worth a modest investment by the Israeli government in bilateral relations with the SPDC. In addition to training Myanmar agriculturalists in Israel, assisting the Tatmadaw to upgrade its military capabilities seems a sure way of getting close to the Yangon regime.
Israel's repeated denial of any military links with Myanmar are not unexpected. Israel has never liked advertising such ties, particularly with countries like Myanmar, South Africa and China, which have been condemned by the international community for gross abuses of human rights. Even Israel's very close military ties with Singapore are routinely denied by both sides. Yet there seems little room for doubt that, after the 1988 takeover, Israel did start to develop close links with the SLORC, which are continuing to grow under the SPDC. In these circumstances, it would be surprising if Israel was not still looking for opportunities to restore the kind of mutually beneficial bilateral relationship that was first established when both countries became independent modern states in 1948.
It is noteworthy that Elbit Systems is one of the Israeli companies involved in Myanmar. Elbit supplies electronics used in the separation wall that Israel is building illegally in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, enclosing up to 10% of Palestinian land on the "Israeli" side. It is ironic that Israel expresses concern about protestors being killed by the Burmese military it supplies, when Israel itself has killed ten Palestinians protesting the annexation of large sections of their farmland, and injured hundreds of others, including Israeli and international demonstators, who have been beaten, arrested and expelled by the Israeli military. (JPost, Sept. 5) Just today in the village of Bil'in in the West Bank, the Israeli military injured nine non-violent protestors, according to the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC, Sept. 29)
That the Burmese military has fired into crowds recalls that a month into the second Palestinian intifada, before any armed attacks or shooting came from the Palestinian side, Israeli forces had fired 1.3 million bullets at Palestinians, according to Yitzhak Laor, an Israeli columnist who often writes for Ha'aretz:
A month after the Intifada began, four years ago, Major General Amos Malka, by then No. 3 in the military hierarchy, and until 2001 the head of Israeli military Intelligence (MI), asked one of his officers (Major Kuperwasser) how many 5.56 bullets the Central Command had fired during that month (that is, only in the West Bank). Three years later Malka talked about these horrific figures. This is what he said to Ha'aretz's diplomatic commentator, Akiva Eldar about the first month of the Intifada, 30 days of unrest, no terrorist attacks yet, no Palestinian shooting:
Kuperwasser got back to me with the number, 850,000 bullets. My figure was 1.3 million bullets in the West Bank and Gaza. This is a strategic figure that says that our soldiers are shooting and shooting and shooting. I asked: "Is this what you intended in your preparations?" and he replied in the negative. I said: "Then the significance is that we are determining the height of the flames." (Ha'aretz, 11.6.2004).
It was a bullet for every Palestinian child, said one of the officers in that meeting, or at least this is what the Israeli daily Maariv revealed two years ago, when the horrible figures were first leaked. It didn't much change "public opinion", neither here nor in the West, neither two years ago nor 4 months ago when Malka finally opened his mouth. It read as if it had happened somewhere else, or a long time ago, or as if it was just one version, a voice in a polyphony, hiding behind the principle theme: we, the Israelis are right, and they are wrong. (Counterpunch, Oct. 20, 2004)
Not true, according to a March 1, 2000 report in the authoritative British publication Jane's Intelligence Review by William Ashton. The article, titled "Myanmar and Israel develop military pact," details how Israeli companies and the Israeli government have been supplying and developing weapons for the Burmese regime, and sharing intelligence:
In August 1997 it was revealed that the Israeli defence manufacturing company Elbit had won a contract to upgrade Myanmar's (then) three squadrons of Chinese-built F-7 fighters and FT-7 trainers. The F-7 is a derivative of the Mikoyan MiG-21 'Fishbed' jet fighter. The FT-7 is the export version of the GAIC JJ-7, itself a copy of the MiG-21 'Mongol-B' trainer. Since they began to be delivered by China in 1991, the Myanmar Air Force has progressively acquired about 54 (or four squadrons) of these aircraft, the latest arriving at Hmawbi air base only last year. In related sales, the air force has also acquired about 350 PL-2A air-to-air missiles (AAM) from China and at least one shipment of the more sophisticated PL-5 AAMs.
Since their delivery to Myanmar, these new aircraft have caused the air force considerable problems. Several aircraft (and pilots) have already been lost through accidents, raising questions about the reliability of the Chinese technology. There have also been reliable reports that the F-7s were delivered without the computer software to permit the AAMs to be fired in flight. Also, the air force has complained that the F-7s are difficult to maintain, in part reflecting major differences between the structure and underlying philosophy of the Myanmar and Chinese logistics systems. Spare parts have been in very short supply. In addition, the air force seems to have experienced difficulties in using the F-7 (designed primarily for air defence) in a ground attack role. These, and other problems, seem to have prompted the air force to turn to Israel for assistance.
According to sources in the international arms market, 36 of Myanmar's F-7 fighters are to be retro-fitted with the Elta EL/M- 2032 air-to-air radar, Rafael Python 3 infrared, short range AAMs, and Litening laser designator pods. The same equipment will also be installed on the two-seater FT-7 fighter trainers. In a related deal, Israel will also sell Myanmar at least one consignment of laser-guided bombs. Since the Elbit contract was won in 1997, the air force has acquired at least one more squadron of F-7 and FT-7 aircraft from China, but it is not known whether the Israeli-backed upgrade programme will now be extended to include the additional aircraft. Myanmar's critical shortage of foreign exchange will be a major factor in the SPDC's decision.
The army has also benefited from Myanmar's new closeness to Israel.
As part of the regime's massive military modernisation and expansion programme, considerable effort has been put into upgrading the army's artillery capabilities. In keeping with its practice of never abandoning any equipment of value, the army clearly still aims, as far as possible, to keep older weapons operational. (Pakistan, for example, has recently provided Myanmar with ammunition for its vintage 25 pounder field guns). The older UK, US and Yugoslav guns in the Tatmadaw's [Myanmar Armed Forces] inventory have been supplemented over the past 10 years with a range of new towed and self-propelled artillery pieces. Purchased mainly from China, they include 122mm howitzers, anti-tank guns, 57mm Type 80 anti-aircraft guns, 37mm Type 74 anti-aircraft guns and 107mm Type 63 multiple rocket launchers. In a barter deal brokered by China last year, the SPDC has also managed to acquire about 16 130mm artillery pieces from North Korea. Despite all this new firepower, however, the army has still looked to Israel to help equip its new artillery battalions.
Around 1998 Myanmar negotiated the purchase of 16 155mm Soltam towed howitzers, possibly through a third party like Singapore. These guns are believed to be second-hand pieces no longer required by the Israel Defence Force. Last year, ammunition for these guns (including high explosive and white phosphorous rounds) was ordered from Pakistan's government ordnance factories. Before the purchase of these new Chinese and North Korean weapons, Myanmar's largest artillery pieces were 105mm medium guns, provided by the USA almost 40 years ago. Acquiring the Israeli weapons thus marks a major capability leap for Myanmar's army gunners. It is possible that either Israel or Pakistan has provided instructors to help the army learn to use and maintain these new weapons.
Nor has the Myanmar Navy missed out on Israeli assistance. There have been several reports that Israel is playing a crucial role in the construction and fitting out of three new warships, currently being built in Yangon.
Myanmar's military leaders have long wanted to acquire two or three frigates to replace the country's obsolete PCE-827 and Admirable- class corvettes, decommissioned in 1994, and its two 1960s-vintage Nawarat-class corvettes, which have been gradually phased out since 1989. As military ties with China rapidly grew during the 1990s, the SLORC hoped to buy two or three Jiangnan- or even Jianghu-class frigates, but it could not afford even the special 'friendship' prices being asked by Beijing. As a compromise, the SPDC has now purchased three Chinese hulls, and is currently fitting them out as corvettes in Yangon's Sinmalaik shipyard.
According to reliable reports, the three vessels will each be about 75m long and displace about 1,200 tons. Despite a European Community embargo against arms sales to Myanmar, the ships' main guns are being imported (apparently through a third party) from Italy. Based on the information currently available, they are likely to be 76mm OTO Melara Compact guns, weapons which (perhaps coincidentally) have been extensively combat-tested by the Israeli Navy on its Reshef- class fast attack missile patrol boats. The corvettes will probably also be fitted with anti-submarine weapons, but it is not known what, if any, surface-to-surface and SAMs the ships will carry.
Israel's main role in fitting out the three corvettes is apparently to provide their electronics suites. Details of the full contract are not known, but it is expected that each package will include at least a surface-search radar, a fire-control radar, a navigation radar and a hull-mounted sonar.
The first of these warships will probably be commissioned and commence sea trials later this year.
Only sales or a strategic imperative?
While Myanmar remains a pariah state, subject to comprehensive sanctions by the USA and European Community, it is unlikely that Israel will ever admit publicly to having military links with the Tatmadaw. Until it does, the reasons for Israel's secret partnership with the Yangon regime will remain unclear. A number of factors, however, have probably played a part in influencing policy decisions in Tel Aviv.
There is clearly a strong commercial imperative behind some of these ventures. From a regional base in Singapore, with which it shares a very close relationship, Israel has already managed to penetrate the lucrative Chinese arms market. It is now aggressively seeking new targets for sales of weapons and military equipment in the Asia- Pacific. These sales are sometimes supported by offers of technology transfers and specialised advice. This approach has led to fears among some countries that Israel will introduce new military capabilities into the region which could encourage a mini arms race, as others attempt to catch up. The weapon systems being provided to the Myanmar armed forces are not that new, and the Asian economic crisis has dramatically reduced the purchasing power of many regional countries, but Israel's current activities in Myanmar will add to those concerns.
Given the nature of some of these sales, and other probable forms of military assistance to Myanmar, these initiatives would appear to enjoy the strong support of the Israeli government. In addition to the ever-present trade imperative, one reason for this support could be a calculation by senior Israeli officials that closer ties to Myanmar could reap diplomatic and intelligence dividends. For example, Myanmar is now a full member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) which, despite the economic crisis, is still a major force in a part of the world which has received much closer attention from strategic analysts since the end of the Cold War. Israel's regional base will remain Singapore, but it is possible that Tel Aviv believes Myanmar can provide another avenue for influence in ASEAN, and a useful vantage point from which to monitor critical strategic developments in places like China and India.
In particular, Israel is interested in the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and the transfer of technologies related to the development of ballistic and other missiles. Myanmar has close military relations with China and Pakistan, both of which have been accused of transferring sensitive weapons technologies to rogue Islamic states, such as Iran. Myanmar is also a neighbour of India, another nuclear power that has resisted international pressure to curb its proliferation activities. Yangon could thus be seen by Israel as a useful listening post from which to monitor and report on these countries.
Also, despite accusations over the years that Myanmar has developed chemical and biological weapons, and more convincing arguments that Israel has a sizeable nuclear arsenal of its own, both countries share an interest in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Myanmar's support for anti-proliferation initiatives, in multilateral forums like the UN General Assembly and the Committee on Disarmament, would seem to be worth a modest investment by the Israeli government in bilateral relations with the SPDC. In addition to training Myanmar agriculturalists in Israel, assisting the Tatmadaw to upgrade its military capabilities seems a sure way of getting close to the Yangon regime.
Israel's repeated denial of any military links with Myanmar are not unexpected. Israel has never liked advertising such ties, particularly with countries like Myanmar, South Africa and China, which have been condemned by the international community for gross abuses of human rights. Even Israel's very close military ties with Singapore are routinely denied by both sides. Yet there seems little room for doubt that, after the 1988 takeover, Israel did start to develop close links with the SLORC, which are continuing to grow under the SPDC. In these circumstances, it would be surprising if Israel was not still looking for opportunities to restore the kind of mutually beneficial bilateral relationship that was first established when both countries became independent modern states in 1948.
It is noteworthy that Elbit Systems is one of the Israeli companies involved in Myanmar. Elbit supplies electronics used in the separation wall that Israel is building illegally in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, enclosing up to 10% of Palestinian land on the "Israeli" side. It is ironic that Israel expresses concern about protestors being killed by the Burmese military it supplies, when Israel itself has killed ten Palestinians protesting the annexation of large sections of their farmland, and injured hundreds of others, including Israeli and international demonstators, who have been beaten, arrested and expelled by the Israeli military. (JPost, Sept. 5) Just today in the village of Bil'in in the West Bank, the Israeli military injured nine non-violent protestors, according to the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC, Sept. 29)
That the Burmese military has fired into crowds recalls that a month into the second Palestinian intifada, before any armed attacks or shooting came from the Palestinian side, Israeli forces had fired 1.3 million bullets at Palestinians, according to Yitzhak Laor, an Israeli columnist who often writes for Ha'aretz:
A month after the Intifada began, four years ago, Major General Amos Malka, by then No. 3 in the military hierarchy, and until 2001 the head of Israeli military Intelligence (MI), asked one of his officers (Major Kuperwasser) how many 5.56 bullets the Central Command had fired during that month (that is, only in the West Bank). Three years later Malka talked about these horrific figures. This is what he said to Ha'aretz's diplomatic commentator, Akiva Eldar about the first month of the Intifada, 30 days of unrest, no terrorist attacks yet, no Palestinian shooting:
Kuperwasser got back to me with the number, 850,000 bullets. My figure was 1.3 million bullets in the West Bank and Gaza. This is a strategic figure that says that our soldiers are shooting and shooting and shooting. I asked: "Is this what you intended in your preparations?" and he replied in the negative. I said: "Then the significance is that we are determining the height of the flames." (Ha'aretz, 11.6.2004).
It was a bullet for every Palestinian child, said one of the officers in that meeting, or at least this is what the Israeli daily Maariv revealed two years ago, when the horrible figures were first leaked. It didn't much change "public opinion", neither here nor in the West, neither two years ago nor 4 months ago when Malka finally opened his mouth. It read as if it had happened somewhere else, or a long time ago, or as if it was just one version, a voice in a polyphony, hiding behind the principle theme: we, the Israelis are right, and they are wrong. (Counterpunch, Oct. 20, 2004)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Muslims in the West
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
The Gospel of Saint Luke 6:27
Satan wants you to hate Muslims.After the incomprehensible atrocities of September 11, there were spontaneous street parties in towns in the West Bank territories and Lebanon. The followers of Yassir Arafat overflowed with such obvious and overwhelming delight at the death of so many innocents, that even the intimidation apparatus of a gangster state could not prevent images of their revelry escaping to the West.
Yassir Arafat himself, before his death, was someone whose humanity was dead, more a bloodthirsty beast than a man. He was a communist trained by the KGB; a reputed pervert; the individual singly most responsible for the Lebanese Civil War and all its misery and mortality; a known psychopath; and the world’s foremost terrorist, responsible for the deaths of more innocents than Osama Bin Laden himself, including probably hundreds killed by his own hand. And yet this depraved being was held up by Muslim nations as a statesman and a symbol of all they held to be fine. And his sick followers presented to the world, by the Autocrats of the Muslim world and the Leftist elites of the West, as noble victims and fine examples of Mohammedism (pbuh)
Satan is so skilled. How could anyone short of Christ himself feel love for such a people?
Terrorists next door
In Australia, Lebanese Muslim gangs — young men whose uncles, fathers and grandparents might have fought in militias alongside Yassir Arafat’s followers — have for several years subjected our largest city to a terror campaign of mass rape, murder, extortion, intimidation and drug dealing, along with constant violent harassment, disorderly behavior and street thuggery. Just like terrorists, these criminals have made themselves enemies of Australian society.
Consequently, many Australians are asking themselves whether their Muslim neighbors, even decent law abiding, hardworking Muslim families, can ever be properly integrated here. People wonder whether there is something in the Muslim character that is incompatible with our great culture and its fine British traditions of freedom, responsibility and morality. This apprehension is understandable, but misplaced.
The Hebrews in Egypt
And it came to pass in process of time, which the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Exodus 2:23-24
All the high immigration nations of the West — Australia, America, Canada, Britain, France — have sizeable Muslim populations. This, combined with the huge number of terrorist atrocities committed by Muslims, and the widespread criminality in some Muslim communities, makes many inhabitants of these countries nervous. Some commentators have even taken to referring to a Muslim invasion, a continuation of the Jihad of the 7th Century. But the Muslims of today are not an invasion force. They are not a hostile army like the Moors, halted on the fields of Poi tiers in France in AD.888 by Charles Martel ‘The Hammer’. They are not the swift Saracen hordes or the disciplined Ottoman war machine.
The Muslims living in the West today are the Hebrews in Egypt. They are a devout, simple, but backward tribe invited by their sophisticated and worldly neighbors to dwell in a rich land in exchange for their labour (or, in Australia during the 1980s and early 1990s, in exchange for voting for Labor, although that act of corrupt political cynicism is hardly the fault of those who were invited). Now they find themselves in a strange land, far from home, invited yet unwelcome — and oppressed by Pharaoh.
A thousand Pharaohs
The Muslims of the West have no Moses, but they have a thousand Pharaohs.
Pharaoh is a product of the West, but he is not ruler in the nations of the West. Pharaoh is not Prime Minister Howard or President Bush.
Pharaoh is the one who keeps the slaves in bondage. Pharaoh is the one who whispers to them that their mainstream neighbors are racists who hate them. Pharaoh is the one who seeks to isolate these communities who have never been exposed to freedom of speech, the better to convert them into Left wing vote blocs. Pharaoh is the one who, unasked on their behalf, attacks the Christian traditions of their mainstream neighbors. This serves two purposes — Pharaoh hates Christianity anyway, but it also angers ordinary citizens, and increases paranoia in the Muslim community. Pharaoh is the one who manipulates the welfare system so as to turn a proud and moral people into a dependant class. Pharaoh is a corrupted news media, which long ago gave up reporting facts, and instead seeks to manipulate society, or simply to stir up trouble for its entertainment value.
Pharaoh is the one who teaches that pornography, prostitution and immorality are the true nature of the Christian West, and that the Muslims’ only defence is to form enclaves. Pharaoh is the one who tempts the vulnerable young men on the economic and social margins into lives of crime, by making sure for that for them crime does pay. Pharaoh makes sure that there will be no meaningful sanction for bad behavior by these youths until it is far too late. And, as if the general temptation to lawlessness in the West were not enough, Pharaoh makes sure that Muslim youths are treated even more leniently in the courts than the lost youth of society in general, because Pharaoh’s master, Satan, is above all a tempter.
Pharaoh is similar to Osama Bin Laden. Pharaoh is the One Eyed Sheikh, and thousands of other power hungry local religious and civic bosses, most of whom owe their positions to financial support from criminal dictatorships in the Arab world.
Pharaoh is a product of the West, but not of some mythical greed for oil, or of a non-existent desire to exploit the world’s weak and poor. Pharaoh is the Totalitarian philosophies — Communism, Marxism, Fascism, Socialism and National Socialism — that spread their poison to the Arab world just as they did to every other continent, and that underpin the ideologies of Osama Bin Laden, Hamas and the other terrorists (once you scrape off the thin veneer of Islamic symbolism and Koranic verses) and are secretly supported by the autocrats of the Persian Gulf.
Pharaoh’s propaganda skills are so subtle and clever the slaves don’t even see him. And we don’t see Pharaoh either. On the whole, Western Christians have fallen squarely for the propaganda tricks of the Leftist media and political classes. We don’t see that Muslims — as a devout, moral people, who draw their beliefs from God’s covenant with Abraham — instead of being allies of a Godless Pharaoh, could be our greatest allies against his corruption and oppression.
God’s promises last forever
Like the Christian Emperor Constantine, Mohammed (pbuh) was a military man at a time when war was always extremely brutal. Like Constantine or Saul of Tarsus, he had innocent blood on his hands. It doesn’t invalidate Christianity that it was supported and articulated by a brutal military man such as Constantine. Mohammed (pbuh) was a noble man, and a highly respected individual, but like Constantine he didn’t invent his message, he championed it. And like St Paul amongst the Romans, for all his sins, he brought enlightenment to a people suffering under polytheism and immorality. The tenets of the Islamic religion are extremely ancient. They derive from before Christ and Moses, back to God’s promise and revelation to Abraham, incorporating other elements of Jewish and Christian belief.
As modern Christians you understand that God does not take back a promise once given. For example, most Christians today love the Jews, and after centuries of tragic ignorance on the part of Christians, we now accept that even though the Jews have not accepted the saving Grace of Jesus Christ, they are still followers of the true God. It is similar with Islam. Whether or not you accept Mohammed (pbuh) as the greatest and final prophet of God (and of course Christians do not) the basis of Islamic belief does derive from an authentic source. This was an early promise to an ancient and simple tribal people, but God’s promises last forever.
Muslims as allies
The real enemies of Faith in this world are the ideologies of evil and unbelief — totalitarianism, Communism, Fascism, militant atheism, materialism. Christians ought to seek out Muslims as allies on the moral issues that concern us both — like pornography, prostitution, crime, and abortion. Closer relations like this would benefit Muslims hugely, since many of those who are hostile to the ways of the West are good people simply making bad decisions on the basis of decades of totalitarian propaganda.
This doesn’t mean we should support the elimination of Israel, the abandonment of Iraq, the removal of Christianity from the public sphere, or other fashionable grievances supposedly held by Muslims. Let the Left sympathise with these fraudulent political causes of their own invention.
The propaganda picture of the the extreme and irrational Islamic moral fundamentalist, brutally enslaving his womenfolk is no more true than the equally absurd stereotype of the Christian zealot in a long black coat half crazed with fire and brimstone. Our positions on public and private morality are not identical, but we have a lot in common with our Muslim brothers and sisters. None of us want to raise our children in a society overrun with sleaze, vice and lawlessness. Every citizen in a democratic state has a right to influence the society they live in. But when it comes to public morality, an undeclared alliance of extreme Leftists and extreme libertarians are trying to deny that to us.
The isolation of and insulation of communities is not natural for Muslims. It is largely a reaction to the presence of so much immorality. Christians have been surrounded by it for so long that, like the Pharisee walking past the dying Samaritan, we have just accepted that this is the way things are. We could learn from the moral outrage of the Muslims. Sleaze and vice are not just free choices that people make, they are paths of destruction down which the young are tempted.
By understanding this, you can help our Muslim brothers and sisters to assimilate — in other words to feel at home in their adopted countries — and gain some valuable and loyal allies.
Peace
The Muslims of the Arab world have had a very troubled history since time of the Ottoman Empire (the Ottomans were horrific tyrants, not unlike the depraved Roman Empire), but underneath it all they are very much like us.
They are not natural Fascists and they don’t like to fight. Like Hitler and Mussolini, Nasser of Egypt was a hybrid of Socialism and Nationalism who indoctrinated and militarised his country. He had billions of dollars of advanced Soviet military equipment, and a large professional army. He was beloved and admired by his people and throughout the Arab world, the archetypical messianic dictator. But would they fight and die for him? Not willingly. His officers lacked aggressive spirit, and his army was one of the best equipped but most poorly motivated of the 20th Century. When the battle got fierce, they turned around and walked home. If only every dictator had troops with such good sense!
The Muslims are a peace-loving, philosophical people who greet each other with ‘Peace’, and when speaking of future events remind themselves that things will only happen ‘if God wills it’. Like the Protestant world, they have a history of being merchants and traders. The Muslims even love and adore Jesus — they regard him as one of the greatest of their prophets.
Like the Hebrews in Egypt, the Muslims are yoked, but not broken. Too often as Christians, we see their bondage and think it is their nature. We see them as terrorists when the terrorists themselves are a Totalitarian creation. The deceiver is using the same ideological tools and tricks he used to turn the 20th Century in history’s worst horror, and despite a century of bitter experience, God’s gift of multiple victories, and the wisdom that should have brought us, we are acting in the face of our old adversary like we haven’t learnt anything.
Muslims have suffered under dictators for centuries, but in their history and in their consciousness is the fond memory of cosmopolitan and enlightened rule. Look at the wonderful people of Iraq, brave, peaceful, and determined.
That is the Muslim character released from bondage.
These are your fellow citizens, your friends and spiritual cousins.
The Gospel of Saint Luke 6:27
Satan wants you to hate Muslims.After the incomprehensible atrocities of September 11, there were spontaneous street parties in towns in the West Bank territories and Lebanon. The followers of Yassir Arafat overflowed with such obvious and overwhelming delight at the death of so many innocents, that even the intimidation apparatus of a gangster state could not prevent images of their revelry escaping to the West.
Yassir Arafat himself, before his death, was someone whose humanity was dead, more a bloodthirsty beast than a man. He was a communist trained by the KGB; a reputed pervert; the individual singly most responsible for the Lebanese Civil War and all its misery and mortality; a known psychopath; and the world’s foremost terrorist, responsible for the deaths of more innocents than Osama Bin Laden himself, including probably hundreds killed by his own hand. And yet this depraved being was held up by Muslim nations as a statesman and a symbol of all they held to be fine. And his sick followers presented to the world, by the Autocrats of the Muslim world and the Leftist elites of the West, as noble victims and fine examples of Mohammedism (pbuh)
Satan is so skilled. How could anyone short of Christ himself feel love for such a people?
Terrorists next door
In Australia, Lebanese Muslim gangs — young men whose uncles, fathers and grandparents might have fought in militias alongside Yassir Arafat’s followers — have for several years subjected our largest city to a terror campaign of mass rape, murder, extortion, intimidation and drug dealing, along with constant violent harassment, disorderly behavior and street thuggery. Just like terrorists, these criminals have made themselves enemies of Australian society.
Consequently, many Australians are asking themselves whether their Muslim neighbors, even decent law abiding, hardworking Muslim families, can ever be properly integrated here. People wonder whether there is something in the Muslim character that is incompatible with our great culture and its fine British traditions of freedom, responsibility and morality. This apprehension is understandable, but misplaced.
The Hebrews in Egypt
And it came to pass in process of time, which the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Exodus 2:23-24
All the high immigration nations of the West — Australia, America, Canada, Britain, France — have sizeable Muslim populations. This, combined with the huge number of terrorist atrocities committed by Muslims, and the widespread criminality in some Muslim communities, makes many inhabitants of these countries nervous. Some commentators have even taken to referring to a Muslim invasion, a continuation of the Jihad of the 7th Century. But the Muslims of today are not an invasion force. They are not a hostile army like the Moors, halted on the fields of Poi tiers in France in AD.888 by Charles Martel ‘The Hammer’. They are not the swift Saracen hordes or the disciplined Ottoman war machine.
The Muslims living in the West today are the Hebrews in Egypt. They are a devout, simple, but backward tribe invited by their sophisticated and worldly neighbors to dwell in a rich land in exchange for their labour (or, in Australia during the 1980s and early 1990s, in exchange for voting for Labor, although that act of corrupt political cynicism is hardly the fault of those who were invited). Now they find themselves in a strange land, far from home, invited yet unwelcome — and oppressed by Pharaoh.
A thousand Pharaohs
The Muslims of the West have no Moses, but they have a thousand Pharaohs.
Pharaoh is a product of the West, but he is not ruler in the nations of the West. Pharaoh is not Prime Minister Howard or President Bush.
Pharaoh is the one who keeps the slaves in bondage. Pharaoh is the one who whispers to them that their mainstream neighbors are racists who hate them. Pharaoh is the one who seeks to isolate these communities who have never been exposed to freedom of speech, the better to convert them into Left wing vote blocs. Pharaoh is the one who, unasked on their behalf, attacks the Christian traditions of their mainstream neighbors. This serves two purposes — Pharaoh hates Christianity anyway, but it also angers ordinary citizens, and increases paranoia in the Muslim community. Pharaoh is the one who manipulates the welfare system so as to turn a proud and moral people into a dependant class. Pharaoh is a corrupted news media, which long ago gave up reporting facts, and instead seeks to manipulate society, or simply to stir up trouble for its entertainment value.
Pharaoh is the one who teaches that pornography, prostitution and immorality are the true nature of the Christian West, and that the Muslims’ only defence is to form enclaves. Pharaoh is the one who tempts the vulnerable young men on the economic and social margins into lives of crime, by making sure for that for them crime does pay. Pharaoh makes sure that there will be no meaningful sanction for bad behavior by these youths until it is far too late. And, as if the general temptation to lawlessness in the West were not enough, Pharaoh makes sure that Muslim youths are treated even more leniently in the courts than the lost youth of society in general, because Pharaoh’s master, Satan, is above all a tempter.
Pharaoh is similar to Osama Bin Laden. Pharaoh is the One Eyed Sheikh, and thousands of other power hungry local religious and civic bosses, most of whom owe their positions to financial support from criminal dictatorships in the Arab world.
Pharaoh is a product of the West, but not of some mythical greed for oil, or of a non-existent desire to exploit the world’s weak and poor. Pharaoh is the Totalitarian philosophies — Communism, Marxism, Fascism, Socialism and National Socialism — that spread their poison to the Arab world just as they did to every other continent, and that underpin the ideologies of Osama Bin Laden, Hamas and the other terrorists (once you scrape off the thin veneer of Islamic symbolism and Koranic verses) and are secretly supported by the autocrats of the Persian Gulf.
Pharaoh’s propaganda skills are so subtle and clever the slaves don’t even see him. And we don’t see Pharaoh either. On the whole, Western Christians have fallen squarely for the propaganda tricks of the Leftist media and political classes. We don’t see that Muslims — as a devout, moral people, who draw their beliefs from God’s covenant with Abraham — instead of being allies of a Godless Pharaoh, could be our greatest allies against his corruption and oppression.
God’s promises last forever
Like the Christian Emperor Constantine, Mohammed (pbuh) was a military man at a time when war was always extremely brutal. Like Constantine or Saul of Tarsus, he had innocent blood on his hands. It doesn’t invalidate Christianity that it was supported and articulated by a brutal military man such as Constantine. Mohammed (pbuh) was a noble man, and a highly respected individual, but like Constantine he didn’t invent his message, he championed it. And like St Paul amongst the Romans, for all his sins, he brought enlightenment to a people suffering under polytheism and immorality. The tenets of the Islamic religion are extremely ancient. They derive from before Christ and Moses, back to God’s promise and revelation to Abraham, incorporating other elements of Jewish and Christian belief.
As modern Christians you understand that God does not take back a promise once given. For example, most Christians today love the Jews, and after centuries of tragic ignorance on the part of Christians, we now accept that even though the Jews have not accepted the saving Grace of Jesus Christ, they are still followers of the true God. It is similar with Islam. Whether or not you accept Mohammed (pbuh) as the greatest and final prophet of God (and of course Christians do not) the basis of Islamic belief does derive from an authentic source. This was an early promise to an ancient and simple tribal people, but God’s promises last forever.
Muslims as allies
The real enemies of Faith in this world are the ideologies of evil and unbelief — totalitarianism, Communism, Fascism, militant atheism, materialism. Christians ought to seek out Muslims as allies on the moral issues that concern us both — like pornography, prostitution, crime, and abortion. Closer relations like this would benefit Muslims hugely, since many of those who are hostile to the ways of the West are good people simply making bad decisions on the basis of decades of totalitarian propaganda.
This doesn’t mean we should support the elimination of Israel, the abandonment of Iraq, the removal of Christianity from the public sphere, or other fashionable grievances supposedly held by Muslims. Let the Left sympathise with these fraudulent political causes of their own invention.
The propaganda picture of the the extreme and irrational Islamic moral fundamentalist, brutally enslaving his womenfolk is no more true than the equally absurd stereotype of the Christian zealot in a long black coat half crazed with fire and brimstone. Our positions on public and private morality are not identical, but we have a lot in common with our Muslim brothers and sisters. None of us want to raise our children in a society overrun with sleaze, vice and lawlessness. Every citizen in a democratic state has a right to influence the society they live in. But when it comes to public morality, an undeclared alliance of extreme Leftists and extreme libertarians are trying to deny that to us.
The isolation of and insulation of communities is not natural for Muslims. It is largely a reaction to the presence of so much immorality. Christians have been surrounded by it for so long that, like the Pharisee walking past the dying Samaritan, we have just accepted that this is the way things are. We could learn from the moral outrage of the Muslims. Sleaze and vice are not just free choices that people make, they are paths of destruction down which the young are tempted.
By understanding this, you can help our Muslim brothers and sisters to assimilate — in other words to feel at home in their adopted countries — and gain some valuable and loyal allies.
Peace
The Muslims of the Arab world have had a very troubled history since time of the Ottoman Empire (the Ottomans were horrific tyrants, not unlike the depraved Roman Empire), but underneath it all they are very much like us.
They are not natural Fascists and they don’t like to fight. Like Hitler and Mussolini, Nasser of Egypt was a hybrid of Socialism and Nationalism who indoctrinated and militarised his country. He had billions of dollars of advanced Soviet military equipment, and a large professional army. He was beloved and admired by his people and throughout the Arab world, the archetypical messianic dictator. But would they fight and die for him? Not willingly. His officers lacked aggressive spirit, and his army was one of the best equipped but most poorly motivated of the 20th Century. When the battle got fierce, they turned around and walked home. If only every dictator had troops with such good sense!
The Muslims are a peace-loving, philosophical people who greet each other with ‘Peace’, and when speaking of future events remind themselves that things will only happen ‘if God wills it’. Like the Protestant world, they have a history of being merchants and traders. The Muslims even love and adore Jesus — they regard him as one of the greatest of their prophets.
Like the Hebrews in Egypt, the Muslims are yoked, but not broken. Too often as Christians, we see their bondage and think it is their nature. We see them as terrorists when the terrorists themselves are a Totalitarian creation. The deceiver is using the same ideological tools and tricks he used to turn the 20th Century in history’s worst horror, and despite a century of bitter experience, God’s gift of multiple victories, and the wisdom that should have brought us, we are acting in the face of our old adversary like we haven’t learnt anything.
Muslims have suffered under dictators for centuries, but in their history and in their consciousness is the fond memory of cosmopolitan and enlightened rule. Look at the wonderful people of Iraq, brave, peaceful, and determined.
That is the Muslim character released from bondage.
These are your fellow citizens, your friends and spiritual cousins.
Friday, January 4, 2008
George W Bush - The Dark Side
Quotes
"I've been to war [sic]. I've raised twins. If I had a choice, I'd rather go to war."
"One of the interesting initiatives we've taken in Washington, D.C., is we've got these vampire-busting devices. A vampire is a—a cell deal you can plug in the wall to charge your cell phone."—Denver, CO. Aug. 14, 2001
"Well, it's an unimaginable honor to be the president during the Fourth of July of this country. It means what these words say, for starters. The great inalienable rights of our country. We're blessed with such values in America. And I--it's--I'm a proud man to be the nation based upon such wonderful values."--Visiting the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C., July 2, 2001
"We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease."--After meeting with the leaders of the European Union, Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001
"It's very important for folks to understand that when there's more trade, there's more commerce."--Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001
"I've coined new words, like, misunderstanding and Hispanically."—Radio-Television Correspondents Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 29, 2001
"I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well."—Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2001
"Then I went for a run with the other dog and just walked. And I started thinking about a lot of things. I was able to—I can't remember what it was. Oh, the inaugural speech, started thinking through that."—Pre-inaugural interview with U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 22, 2001 issue
"Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment."—Interview with the New York Times, Jan. 14, 2001 (Thanks to Rachael Contorer.)
"The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants."—Interview with the New York Times, Jan. 14, 2001
"They misunderestimated me."—Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."-Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000
"The great thing about America is everybody should vote."-Austin, Texas, Dec. 8, 2000
"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."--Reuters, May 5, 2000
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"-Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
"I understand small business growth. I was one."-New York Daily News, Feb. 19, 2000
"The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case."-Pella, Iowa, as quoted by the San Antonio Express-News, Jan. 30, 2000
"It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000
"I think if you know what you believe, it makes it a lot easier to answer questions. I can't answer your question."— Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Oct. 4, 2000
"Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods."—Austin, Texas, Dec. 20, 2000
"The senator [McCain] has got to understand if he's going to have—he can't have it both ways. He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road."—To reporters in Florence, S.C., Feb. 17, 2000
"We ought to make the pie higher."—South Carolina Republican Debate, Feb. 15, 2000
"They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program."—Debate in St. Charles, Mo., Nov. 2, 2000
"It's your money. You paid for it."—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000
"It's not the governor's role to decide who goes to heaven. I believe that God decides who goes to heaven, not George W. Bush."
"There ought to be limits to freedom. We're aware of this [web] site, and this guy is just a garbage man, that's all he is." -- George Jr.
"I'm a uniter not a divider. That means when it comes time to sew up your chest cavity, we use stitches as opposed to opening it up." -- Bush, on David Letterman, March 2, 2000. (the audience booed)
"I didn't -- I swear I didn't -- get into politics to feather my nest or feather my friends' nests." -- Bush Jr., in the Houston Chronicle
Quote Sources
Bush's Top Aides Exposed an Undercover CIA Agent To Silence Critics
On July 14, 2003, columnist Robert Novak -- a staunchly partisan Republican and ally of the Bush administration a former ambassador who had investigated the allegations that Iraq tried to buy uranium in Niger (and concluded they were false). Novak wrote:"Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson's wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report."
Several other journalists besides Novak were contacted by the two Bush Administration officials, who encouraged them to report these facts, though Novak was the only one to publish the story directly. An administration official confirmed to the Washington Post that the two officials had contacted at least 6 journalists with the information in an effort to discredit Wilson. Reporters were contacted at Time Magazine and 3 TV networks, including NBC-TV's Andrea Mitchell (who was called after Novak's column appeared.) "sources" confirmed these contacts to them as well. After Novak's column appeared, some of the others discussed the story, including the Washington Post.
For fairly obvious reasons, it is a felony (punished by 10 years in prison) to reveal the identity of an undercover agent. In fact President Bush's father, the first President Bush, said in that those who expose the names of intelligence sources are "the most insidious of traitors."
Wilson's wife -- and mother of his 3 year old twins -- is a case officer in the CIA's clandestine service, working to uncover information about weapons of mass destruction, and her cover job was energy analyst for a private firm. By publishing her maiden name, which she worked under, Novak not only risked her safety, but has tipped off foreign governments that any of their people who met with her are possibly spies. Novak claims that the CIA "asked me not to use her name, but never indicated it would endanger her or anybody else." (Journalists are exempt from the law against exposing intelligence sources; it only applies to the government leakers.)
Shortly after the column appeared, the CIA filed a crime report with the Justice Department. In mid-September 2003, they sent additional information verifying the damage that was caused and confirming that the agent's identity had been secret. The Justice Department, headed by Bush appointee John Ashcroft, has now concluded its preliminary inquiry, determined that there is a crime here, and has opened a full investigation.
Here's the interesting thing about this story: everyone in Washington knows which Administration officials made this leak. Keep that in mind when you read the stories about this scandal, and you'll get an idea of how twisted and chummy the Washington insider scene is. Top Bush officials know because, well, two of them did it and Bush and Karl Rove run a tight ship -- they might not do the dirty work themselves, but this administration is famous for NOT having unauthorized leaks.
And pretty much every reporter in Washington knows who did it -- at least 6 were contacted by the leakers in the first place, and they have talked to several other reporters (all off the record without naming names of course.) Because reporters don't want to reveal their confidential sources (or get punished by Karl Rove), they will continue to play this game where the White House gets away with saying "if these allegations are true" and the press piously pretends they don't know who leaked. Of course the allegations are true -- the name was printed, wasn't it? Unless you believe that ROBERT NOVAK of all people is lying and falsely identified his allies in the Administration as the source of the leak, it is an open and shut case. Even on this point.
Now of course, folks will email me and ask "Who did it then?" I wish I knew, but I'm based in Oregon and don't hang in those circles. Undoubtedly one of our readers does know though, so do a guy a favor and send us the scoop. Wilson first named Karl Rove, the President's brilliant and vindictive political adviser. Karl Rove was fired from the elder President Bush's 1992 campaign, according to "after he planted a negative story with columnist Robert Novak about dissatisfaction with campaign fundraising chief and Bush loyalist Robert Mosbacher Jr." Interesting parallel.
If you read between the lines, though, the Washington insiders all point to one name. Take, for example, which has had the strongest sources on this story to date. The story quotes another (unnamed) journalist confirming that administration officials were spreading this story, and then describes the Time magazine article:
the same week Novak's column was published said that 'some government officials have noted to Time in interviews . . . that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.' The same article quoted from an interview with I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, saying that Cheney did not know about Wilson's mission 'until this year when it became public in the last month or so.'"
By amazing coincidence, that same name popped up in a USA Today story about Plame. While describing Plame's work, the author went out of his way to point out that Libby was familiar with Plame's work (and identity):
"In Washington, Plame was assigned to the CIA's Non-Proliferation Center, an organization of analysts, technical experts and former field operatives who work on detecting and, if possible, preventing foreign proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, Lewis ''Scooter'' Libby, met with officials at the Non-Proliferation Center before the invasion of Iraq to discuss reports that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium in Africa. A U.S. official with knowledge of those meetings said Plame did not attend. But the former U.S. intelligence official said she was involved in preparing materials for those meetings."
So neither story SAYS that Lewis Libby was one of the leakers, but boy didn't his name appear out of the blue right when folks were discussing whodunnit? Cheney and his staff have been the most hawkish of the hawks seeking to attack Iraq and damn the torpedoes.
As time goes on, Libby and the Vice President's office just keep getting singled out, seemingly as non-sequitirs, in these discussions. For example, outspoken Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said on CNBC that President Bush should take a more active role "and get this behind him." He went on to say:
"He has that main responsibility to see this through and see it through quickly, and that would include, if I was president, sitting down with my vice president and asking what he knows about it,"
And during Monday's embattled press conference, Bush's press secretary McLellen said this out of the blue:
"There's been nothing, absolutely nothing, brought to our attention to suggest any White House involvement, and that includes the vice president's office as well."
And here is some interesting speculation on who the 'senior administration official' who confirmed the leaks might be. (The leading candidate seems to be George Tenet, head of the CIA.)
The Bush Administration's reaction should break the illusion if anyone still thinks Bush is a man of integrity dedicated to national security. First, of course, his staff exposes an undercover CIA agent in THE most critical national defense area -- protecting the US against weapons of mass destruction held by terrorists and rogue nations. That's what Valerie Plame did, until she was exposed. If Bush is the man he claims he is, he would be shocked by this action, find out who did it and fire them. Instead, he completely ignored the issue after the column was published, until an FBI investigation forced him to react. Though he said the politically correct things to the press -- "I want to get to the bottom of this", etc. -- his press secretary admits that Bush won't even ASK his top aides if they did it. He knows one of them did, because his ally Robert Novak said so. But he can't be bothered to ask who, or do anything about it.
Now, the Bush administration has a twin strategy -- attack Joseph Wilson as a partisan Democrat, and make sure no Republicans join the calls for a special prosecutor. One Republican aide called the strategy "slime and defend." The strategy reveals Bush's true nature -- his only concern is political damage control, not national security.
Is Wilson a Democrat? No one has reported that. He is a vocal critic of the way Bush has pursued war in Iraq, but it's not as simple as him being a partisan activist. He and his wife have given money to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry this year, and Wilson has advised Kerry's staff. In 1999, he gave $1,000 to Democratic candidate Al Gore, but he also gave $2,000 to George Bush himself. Wilson was appointed to his post in Iraq by George Bush's father, the ex-president, who praised his work there, where Wilson went toe to toe with Saddam Hussein, and was a war hawk. This time, he has supported military action against Iraq but criticized the Bush administration for the way they have done it, and the reasons they gave to justify it.
More to the point, so what? It's still just as wrong (and just as illegal) to expose a spy even if her husband opposes the President.
Calls for a special prosecutor are ironic, since Bush and his allies called so insistently for special prosecutors during Clinton's scandals, even though no one suggested that Janet Reno had any direct ties to the scandals, and Democrats fought them just as insistently. Now the roles are reversed. Politics aside, though, there are some real reasons to be suspicious of John Ashcroft's ability to fairly prosecute Bush administration officials. Ashcroft has direct ties to at least one central figure in the investigation, Karl Rove. Rove was a paid consultant to 3 of Ashcroft's political campaigns before Ashcroft was appointed Attorney General. And Jack Oliver, the deputy finance chairman of President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, was the director of Mr. Ashcroft's 1994 Senate campaign, and later worked as Mr. Ashcroft's deputy chief of staff.
Given these ties, it would be normal for Ashcroft to appoint a special prosecutor or recuse himself from the case, as Janet Reno did with the Waco investigation. (She appointed Republican Senator John Danforth as a special prosecutor). In 2001, Mr. Ashcroft recused himself from the investigation of Senator Robert G. Torricelli of New Jersey, simply because Mr. Torricelli had campaigned against Ashcroft in Missouri.
Why would the administration expose a CIA agent? Because Joseph Wilson (the agent's husband) had publicly criticized the Bush administration's claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and specifically described his assignment in 2002 to investigate claims that Iraq had tried to buy "yellowcake" uranium for a nuclear bomb.
Wilson was perfectly qualified to check this out -- he is an expert on Africa who was also the last U.S. Ambassador to Iraq before the (1991) Gulf War. The elder President Bush publicly praised Wilson's "courage and tenacity" and "your skillful conduct of our tense dealings with the government of Iraq." Wilson checked out the claims and reported back that they were "highly doubtful." When the current Bush administration used the claims anyway to justify invading Iraq, and later denied that they knew the claims were false, he stepped forward and proved that these statements were lies.
One goal was to discredit Wilson. One of the journalists contacted, who asked to remain anonymous, said "The official I spoke with thought this was a part of Wilson's story that wasn't known and cast doubt on his whole mission." It also fits Karl Rove's distinctive brand of hardball, to punish Wilson and, more importantly, intimidate any other government officials who considered disagreeing with them on Iraq's weapons. Wilson says that on July 21st, a week after Novak had blown his wife's cover, a different reporter called Wilson to say that he had just spoken with Rove, and that Rove had said that Wilson's wife "was fair game." The senior Bush administration official who confirmed the phone calls to reporters told the Washington Post "Clearly, it was meant purely and simply for revenge."
Revealing a Spy Sources
Lies, Fraud and Deception to Promote War in Iraq
Don't buy the Bush spin that the lies about Iraq are only "16 words" -- the administration lied, deceived or committed outright fraud about every single point they used to justify invading Iraq (except to say that Saddam was an evil man.)
The "16 words" spin reveals just how shameless their lies are. Short lies don't matter? Well, Clinton got impeached for just 8 words -- "I did not have sex with that woman." Even by that ridiculous standard, Bush is twice as big a liar as Bill Clinton.
The uranium allegation (the "16 words") is famous because the fraud is so obvious. That charge, which Bush stated directly in his State of the Union speech, was based on blatantly forged documents -- one purported to be from a Niger official, to himself. The Bush Administration knew they were forged. They had been told several times that the charges were false, including by our own CIA and State Department. Bush and his top aides fought to put the words back in his speech, using weaselly phrasing -- Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has actually argued that the statement wasn't a lie because Bush didn't SAY Iraq did try to buy uranium, he just said "British intelligence HAS LEARNED that they tried to buy uranium." Once again, Bush imitates Clinton, arguing about what the meaning of "is" is.
Before considering each of the dozens of individual deceptions, lies and misleading statements that Bush and his aides used to push the US into war in Iraq, let's not lose track of the big picture. The Bush administration justified war, immediate war, because alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Those weapons do not exist. They have not existed for years. The Bush adminstration knew this, because a top Iraqi defector told us this over 4 years ago, but they kept that information secret. And weapons of mass destruction were not the reason the Bush administration wanted to invade Iraq. Top officials have even admitted this, saying flat out that they had other reasons but chose WMD because it was the most effective argument politicially.
There were many other deceptive charges by the Bush administration -- about unmanned drones, orders to use chemical weapons, aluminum tubes, links between Iraq and Al Qaeda, etc. But don't forget the big picture. The Bush administration knew that there were no WMD in Iraq. They deliberately and consistently lied to the American people about this, to justify war in Iraq. And 300 US soldiers have died as a result.
Lies About Iraq Sources
1. Bush Lied at his Press Conference, 11/3/2000Bush said he paid a fine on the spot and never went to court. That is clearly a lie, as you can see on In fact, it was a man also in court for DUI the same day who revealed Bush' arrest. Here is exactly what Bush said in his press conference:Bush: "I told the guy I had been drinking and what do I need to do? And he said, "Here's the fine." I paid the fine and did my duty...."Reporter: "Governor, was there any legal proceeding of any kind? Or did you just -- "Bush: "No. I pled -- you know, I said I was wrong and I ..." Reporter: "In court? "Bush: No, there was no court. I went to the police station. I said, "I'm wrong."
2. Bush Lied in Court, 1978Bush got a court hearing to get his driving suspension lifted early, even though he had not completed a required driver rehabilitation course. He told the hearings officer that he drank only once a month, and just had "an occasional beer."The officer granted his request. But Bush continued drinking for 8 years after that date and has said publicly that he drank too much and had a drinking problem during that time. Presumably Bush was under oath during the hearing, though we haven't been able to pin down that detail. The Bush campaign refuses to comment on this contradiction.
3. Bush Lied To "The Dallas Morning News", 1998"Just after the governor's reelection in 1998, [Dallas Morning News reporter Wayne] Slater pressed Bush about whether he had ever been arrested. 'He said, 'After 1968? No.'" Dallas Morning News 11/03/2000 [Before 1968, Bush was arrested for theft and vandalism in college.]
4. Bush Lied On 'Meet The Press', 11/21/99 Tim Russert: "If someone came to you and said, 'Governor, I'm sorry, I'm going to go public with some information.' What do you do?" Bush: "If someone was willing to go public with information that was damaging, you'd have heard about it by now. You've had heard about it now. My background has been scrutinized by all kinds of reporters. Tim, we can talk about this all morning."
5. Bush Lied to CBS, 1999. "Bush has often acknowledged past mistakes, but CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan reports that in a 1999 interview with CBS station WBZ in Boston, he denied there was any so-called smoking gun." CBS TV news
Bush also evaded countless questions and gave Clintonesque half-truths. For example, while struggling with how to answer charges of drug abuse, he said that he would have been able to pass FBI background checks during his father's administration. But those checks include the question "Have you ever been arrested for any crime?" So either he was directly lying, or he has some Slick explanation like "I could have explained the circumstances of the arrest and still passed the FBI check."
In another evasion, Bush decided to serve jury duty in 1996, during his first year as governor. On his questionairre, he simply left blank the questions about prior arrests and trials. Then he found himself on a trial for drunk driving, where every juror is eventually asked about prior convictions for drunk driving. The night before the trial, Bush's lawyer asked the defense attorney to dismiss him, because "it would be improper for a governor to sit on a criminal case in which he could later be asked to grant clemency." It's a silly argument, because that problem exists with any criminal trial and Bush had already decided to serve on a jury, but the defense attorney obliged and excused him before direct questioning of jurors began.
Bush now justifies covering up his arrest "to be a good role model for his daughters." How does he figure that? Lying to cover up your crimes is not what I call being a good role model. Taking responsibility for your actions, admitting fault honestly and warning people of the consequences you suffered, THAT would be a good example. But Bush prefers the Clinton route of bald-faced lying, then blaming your enemies and the press when you get caught.
Bush is now the first person to be elected president after being convicted of a crime.
Bush had several other drunken incidents, as well. In December, 1972, Bush challenged his dad (the ex-president) to a fist fight, during an argument about Bush's drunk driving. He had taken his little brother out drinking, and ran over a neighbor's garbage cans on the way home. Bush's atypical public service job, working with inner city Houston kids, appears to have been an unofficial community service stint set up by Bush, Sr. Apparently the governor didn't learn his lesson, because his drunk driving conviction occured almost four years later.
In another incident, he started screaming obscenities at a Wall Street Journal reporter, just because that reporter predicted that Bush's father would not be the 1988 Republican nominee. The reporter obviously was wrong, but a drunken Bush Jr. walked up to him at a restaurant and started yelling "You fucking son of a bitch. I won't forget what you said and you're going to pay a price for it."
In fact, Bush' running mate Dick Cheney now admits he had two drunk driving offenses in 1962 and 1963, giving the Bush -- Cheney ticket a new world record of 3 DUI's on one ticket. No wonder they seem so relaxed.
The conviction is bad enough, but the real question is, what other revelations are going to come later, about his drug use (which he won't deny), failing to show up for a year of his National Guard service, or sexual escapades in his swinging single days?
There is evidence that Bush has more to hide involving his Texas driving record. Soon after he became governor, he had a new driver's license issued with the unusual ID number of "000000005", an action that destroyed the records of his previous license. His staff could only say, weakly, that this was done for "security reasons" but there is no record of any previous Texas governor having done so. Now we have at least of hint of why Bush wanted his records obscured, and a dark foreboding that more might be lurking, still covered up.
Drunk Driving Sources
His Character: The Prodigal SonGeorge W. Bush, Jr. is touted as the savior of the Republican Party by the national press, because he pulls votes from minority voters and has his dad's name and fundraising connections to run on. But before we anoint him as the next president, let's look at what he's done with his life. In a nutshell, Junior 1) grew up as a very rich child of powerful parents, 2) partied from high school until he was 40, 3) made millions off of sweet insider business deals from political allies of his dad, who happened to be the President, and 4) got elected governor of Texas mostly because of his name.
Bush Junior has done some good work as governor of Texas. He has crossed the partisan divide, reached out to minorities, and tackled at least one tough, thankless issue (school financing; his plan was voted down in the legislature.)
But 4 years -- even 4 good ones -- is a pretty short resume for the leader of the free world. No one doubts Bill Clinton's ability to handle punishment and come back for more. But Bush Junior's stamina and attention span are very real concerns. Furthermore, Bush's term as governor has also been markedly corrupt, although possibly in legal ways. What we mean is, he has taken millions in campaign contributions from certain big businessmen -- many of whom were in on the insider business deals that made him rich -- and those same businessman have received billions in sweet deals from the Texas state government during Bush's term.
Specifics: Like Al Gore, Bush Jr. attended Eastern elitist schools, in this case Andover Prep, and Yale. According to a Newsweek profile, he "went to Yale but seems to have majored in drinking at the Deke House." He joined the secretive "Skull and Bones" club in 1968, as any good conspiracy buff can tell you.
His business career was marked by mediocrity or failure which nonetheless resulted in him getting lots of money from his father's political allies. And his political career has been handed to him on a platter by his famous name, and by his dad's cronies.
Bill Kristol, conservative pundit and Dan Quayle's former chief of staff, says "The Bush network is the only genuine network in the Republican Party. It is the establishment." Junior and Jeb Bush (elected in Florida in 1998) are the first brothers to be simultaneous governors since the Rockefellers.
To give you an idea of how rarefied his upbringing was, George Junior had an argument with his mom at one point about whether non-Christians could go to Heaven. (Barbara Bush felt they could; George didn't.) To settle the dispute, they phoned up Billy Graham on the spot. (He sided with Junior, but warned him not to play God.).)
More recently, Bush's performance during the 2000 South Carolina primary shows that he received the worst trait common to the famous Bush family -- a vicious competitiveness that shows no compunction about dirty tricks (such as the phone calls by his surrogates calling McCain, of all people, "the fag candidate") and utterly shameless flipflops (like Bush Sr.'s "read my lips, no new taxes", and Junior's very public refusal to meet with the gay Log Cabin Republicans group until right before the California primary, when he claimed he was fine with them all along. Not to mention him suddenly becoming "a reformer" after he got shellacked in the New Hampshire primary.)
Not only does this trait demonstrate a lack of integrity -- which I define as having standards and things you believe in that you won't violate, even to win the presidency -- but there is an incredible arrogance in thinking that voters will accept and believe a candidate who blatantly changes his positions from week to week, saying whatever the local primary voters want to hear.
Unfortunately, Bush Jr. has inherited this negative family trait without receiving any of the graciousness, diligence, and bravery of his father and grandfather (a Senator who lost his seat over a principled vote in favor of birth control, back in the 1940s.)
Thin skinned: Bush tries to stifle his criticsOne of the most disturbing things about Bush is that he consistently works to silence his critics using his money and power, including state police and expensive lawyers. Not since Richard Nixon has a major presidential candidate been so quick to prevent his opponents from free speech. At the very least, this shows he doesn't understand big-league politics and may not be tough enough to handle more serious opponents, such as hostile foreign countries and terrorists. At worst, it may be a sign of Nixon-like paranoia; that president's thin-skin started out with similar small potatos and grew to bring down his presidency amid enemies' lists, illegal break-ins of his opponent's offices, and forcing the IRS to audit his enemies.
Bush can't blame this on his staff, either; it comes from the top. When asked about one critical web site, he told the press "There ought to be limits to freedom. We're aware of this site, and this guy is just a garbage man, that's all he is."
As governor of Texas, for example, Bush Junior has sent the state police to arrest peaceful demonstrators outside the governors mansion. While previous governors allowed peaceful pickets on the public sidewalk outside the mansion, Bush has claimed that they are blocking public access, and had them arrested. Not all protestors, either -- just the ones he doesn't want the press to see.
In the 2000 primaries, Bush supporters including NY Governor Pataki sued to keep John McCain and Steve Forbes off the New York primary ballot in several congressional districts. Bush denied any involvement, fooling no one, but after McCain's decisive New Hampshire victory made the move look ridiculous, Bush and his top strategist Karl Rove called up his establishment minions, after which they instantly announced that they were stopping their efforts to keep McCain off the ballot. Ironically, all of the attention to ballot rules revealed that a number of Bush delegates and alternates used fraudulent signatures to qualify for the ballot. As a result, it appears that McCain and Forbes will be on the ballot statewise, but George Bush Jr. won't be in one Bronx congressional district.
Bush also can't stand criticism on the Internet. His campaign quietly -- and probably illegally -- bought up over 200 anti-Bush domain names including "bushsucks.com", "bushbites.com", and "bushblows.com" over a year ago. (Illegally because he had refused to register as a candidate, as part of his effort to make it look like people were begging him to run, so spending money for his campaign was not allowed.) If you type in any of these URLs, you end up at Bush's official web site. His campaign refuses to say whether this means that they admit that he bites, blows and sucks. (Maybe he used to be a White House intern?)
If you wanted to set up one of those sites, breathe easy because many good names are still available. The Bush camp somehow neglected to purchase "bushisaprick.com", "bushisweak.com", or "bushsucksdonkeydicks.com", so $70 makes them yours.
Even worse, Bush and his high-priced lawyers have tried twice to shut down a web site -- www.gwbush.com -- that parodies the Bush campaign, in particular his "no comment" answers on drug use in his past. You will recall that Bush has said it doesn't matter what he did "in his youth," because the question is "have you grown up" and "have you learned from your mistakes." The parody site presents a new program called "Amnesty 2000", in which Bush "proposes" pardoning all drug convicts who have "grown up."
The Bush campaign filed one complaint about the site in April 1999, after which the parody site's owners changed it to look less like the real Bush site. That wasn't good enough though, and Bush lawyers filed against the site again in May 1999. So far, it remains in business. Sources
Lying Under Oath. Bush & Co. Squelch Investigation of Contributor's Funeral HomesIn a (so far successful) attempt to stop a scandal, Bush perjured himself under oath, according to the sworn testimony of two of his political allies. The situation is amazingly similar to Clinton's Lewinsky problem: a potentially damaging lawuit arose (see below) that threatened to involve him. Just like Clinton, Bush swore an affidavit that he had no involvement in the case, which got him excused from testifying. And just like Clinton, the affidavit was proven false months later by new evidence. In this case, it's the recent sworn testimonyof Robert MacNeil, a Bush appointee, that he had discussed the case with Bush at a fundraiser.
This scandal isn't as sexy as Monica's, but perjury is perjury, and this scandal actually involves the governor's job, not his sex life. Texas' state commission on funeral homes (the TFSC) started an investigation of SCI, the world's largest funeral home company (with 3,442 homes, plus 433 cemeteries) after complaints that unlicensed apprenctices were embalming corpses at 2 SCI embalming centers. The commission visited a couple of these, and ended up fining SCI $450,000.
But SCI pulled strings with the commission and with Bush himself. Shortly thereafter, the investigation was shut down and the agency's investigator was fired. She sought to question Bush for her lawsuit, and that's when he swore his admittedly false affidavit. In fact, that affidavit has been proven false twice now.
DETAILS: SCI has long cultivated Bush and his allies. They gave governor Bush $35,000 in the last election and $10K in 1994, gave $100,000 to the George Bush, Sr. library, and hired the ex-president to give a speech last year for $70,000. They also spread money around the Texas legislature and the Texas Attorney General's office.
After the investigation got serious, SCI's boss, Robert Waltrip, called the funeral commission's chairman and told him to "back off." If not, Waltrip said, "I'm going to take this to the governor."
Still, the investigation continued. So Waltrip and his lawyer/lobbyist, Johnnie B. Rogers, went to the governor's office and dropped off a letter demanding a halt to the investigation. Rogers told Newsweek that he and Waltrip were ushered in to see Joe Allbaugh, Bush's chief of staff (who is now Bush's campaign manager.) Rogers goes on to say that Bush Jr. popped his head in and said to Waltrip, "Hey, Bobby, are those people still messing with you?" Waltrip said yeah. Then the governor turned to Rogers and said, "Hey, Johnnie B. Are you taking care of him?" Rogers said "I'm doing my best, Governor."
The problem for Bush is that he swore under oath, in a July 20th 1999 affidavit, that he "had no conversations with [SCI] officials, agents, or represenatives concerning the investigation or any dispute arising from it." If Rogers is telling the truth, than Bush Jr. lied directly under oath. He filed the affidavit in an attempt to avoid testifying in a whistleblower lawsuit concerning this investigation and it's alleged squashing by Bush's administration.
Back in August of 1999, Bush himself admitted that he spoke with Waltrip and Rogers -- in other words, that he lied under oath -- but used Clintonesque denials to claim that it was nothing substantial. Bush told the Associated Press that "It's a 20-second conversation. I had no substantive conversation with the guy. Twenty seconds. That's hardly enough time to even say hello, much less sit down and have a substantive discussion. All I know is it lasted no time. And that hardly constitutes a serious discussion. I did not have any knowledge at all of Waltrip's problem with this case."
Of course, nothing Bush says here contradicts what Rogers said. In fact, his careful explanation of why this is not perjury is incredibly similar to Bill Clinton's weaseling about what the meaning of "is" is. And now MacNeil's sworn statement further confirms Bush's lie.
Whatever Bush said out loud, Waltrip's complaints to the governor got quick results. Eliza May -- the investigator for the funeral services commission -- says that after Waltrip visited the governor, she received phone calls from three senior Bush aides asking if she could wrap up her proble quickly. She says she was also summoned to another meeting in Allbaugh's office, one month after the first one, and found Waltrip already there. The governor's top aide, she says, demanded that she turn over a list of all of the documents that she needed "to close the SCI investigation."
Since then, investigator Eliza May has been fired, 6 or 10 staff members on the commission have been fired or resigned and not been replaced, and the Texas legislature -- led by members receiving substantial contributions from SCI -- passed a bill to reorganize the agency and remove it's head. On August 16, 199, Bush ordered his Comptroller to take over the agency and run it. May -- who, it should be noted, is a Democrat and was even state Democratic Treasurer at one point -- has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging she was fired because she persisted with the investigation.
Bush simply didn't show up for his scheduled deposition on July 1st, 1999 in the case. (He isn't a defendant in the case, because Governors are immune from lawsuits in Texas, but is being called as a material witness.) He filed his affidavit on July 20th to indicate that he had nothing to add.
Now Robert MacNeil -- who was the chairman of the Texas funeral commission at the time, a Bush appointee -- confirms that he also discussed the case with Bush, at a 1998 Texas fundraiser. In a sworn deposition, MacNeil says that Bush asked him: “Have you and Mr. Waltrip got your problems worked out?” Replied McNeil: “We’re still trying to work on that, governor.” Bush then said, “Do your job.” Bush's campaign says that MacNeil's statement is false. But the language MacNeil says Bush used is almost identical to what he admits saying to Johnnie Rodgers in the governor's office. Sources
Corruption in Texas Government; State $ to Big Contributors Bush's administration has consistenly shoveled large amounts of state controlled money to men who have either contributed large amounts to Bush's campaign, or who have made Junior personally rich through sweet insider business deals, or both.
For example, the University of Texas' Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) invests $1.7 billion of state money. Most of this comes from profits from oil discovered on Texas state land. Bush's cronies dominate this board, and in return investment funds controlled by these very cronies or their friends have received nearly a third -- $457 million -- of that massive investment pool. There may even be more, but this obscure group -- created under Bush -- cloaks its operations in a thick veil of secrecy.
UTIMCO's chairman, Tom Hicks, now owns the Texas Rangers; his purchase of the team made Governor Bush a very rich man. Furthermore, Hicks and his brother gave $146,000 to the Bush campaign. In return, $252 million of the invested money went to funds run by Hicks' business associates or friends, according to the Houston Chronicle. Hicks even insisted that UTIMCO increase by $10 million an investment with a fund that he had an indirect financial interest in, but UTIMCO staff halted funding after they discovered the conflict.
Then there's Sam and Charles Wyly, the billionaire brothers who secretly bought $2.5 million of "independent" TV ads slamming McCain just before the critical Super Tuesday primaries. (They have also given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bush Jr.'s governor and presidential campaigns.) They control Maverick Capital, an investment fund that received $90 million of UTIMCO money. The brothers earn nearly $1 million in fees alone from that money, along with a share of any profits.
Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts -- a longtime Bush contributor -- received a $50 million investment deal in 1996. And there are many more Bush supporters who have received millions from UTIMCO, including the Bass family and Adele Hall of the Hallmark Cards family.
Another key player in the Bush world is Richard Rainwater, the billionaire Texas investor who made Bush Jr.'s original involvement in the Texas Rangers deal possible. That's the deal that made Jr. rich, of course. Bush had several other personal investments in Rainwater controlled companies. But Rainwater has received much from Bush and the state of Texas' treasury, too. UTIMCO invested at least $20 million in Rainwater companies.
And UTIMCO is not the only Bush administration agency funneling money and favors to his supporters and cronies. T he state teacher retirement fund sold three office buildings to Rainwater's real estate company at bargain prices, and without bids in 2 of the cases. The fund invested $90 million in the Frost Bank Plaza in Austin, and sold it to Rainwater's Crescent Real Estate for $35 million. Bush signed a law that will give his former baseball team co-owners -- including Rainwater -- a $10 million bonus payment when a new Dallas arena is built. Bush also proposed a cap on business real estate taxes that would have saved Rainwater millions on his various properties (but it lost in the legislature).
In another example, Bush's state Housing department has been investigated for kickbacks, and Florita Bell Griffin, who Bush appointed to the state Housing Board, was just convicted of bribery, theft, money-laundering and mail fraud for trading her influence for cash. She faces 55 years in prison. And Larry Paul Manley, Bush's director of the Department of Housing until he resigned in January 1999, is under police investigation for steering federal tax credits to cronies. Texas' top auditor discovered in 1997 that 60% of department contracts went to Manley's former colleagues at local savings and loans, but refused to make the findings public until long after the criminal probes began.
Bush may or may not have violated state ethics laws with all of this big money backscratching, but there is no doubt that he and these businessman are operating corruptly -- funneling large amounts of state money to the businessmen's companies, and large amounts of their personal and business money into George Bush Jr.'s pocket and political campaigns.
Sources
Avoided the Vietnam War
Most people have heard something about George W. Bush pulling strings to get into the Texas Air Guard. But the press, while reporting lots of details, has done a poor job of communicating how consistently and shamelessly Bush Jr. sought and received favorable treatment while he avoided Vietnam.
Furthermore, his story has repeatedly changed -- he has weaseled like Clinton at his worstand even flat-out lied when explaining what happened.
To put it in perspective, here are 9 ways Bush got favored treatment in the service due to his political connections (he was then son of a Congressman and grandson of a former Senator):1) He got into the Guard by pulling strings, avoiding the year and a half waiting list;2) He took a 2-month vacation in Florida after just 8 weeks, (1 of 3 leaves), to work on a political campaign;3) Bush skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, without qualifications;4) He was assigned to a safe plane (being phased out of active service), the F-102 ;5) During flight school, he was flown on a government jet to Washington for a date with President Nixon's daughter Tricia He simply didn't show up for a YEAR, with no penalty;8) George W. skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests, and was removed from flight status;9) He ended his service 10 months early to go to Harvard Business School;
Here are the details:
1. Pulled Strings to Get In.On May 27, 1968, George Bush Jr. was 12 days away from losing his student draft deferment, at a time when 350 Americans a week were dying in combat. The National Guard, seen by many as the most respectable way to avoid Vietnam, had a huge waiting list -- a year and a half in Texas, over 100,000 men nationwide. Yet Bush and his family friends pulled strings, and the young man was admitted the same day he applied, regardless of any waiting list.
Bush's unit commander, Col. "Buck" Staudt, was so excited about his VIP recruit that he staged a special ceremony for the press so he could have his picture taken administering the oath (even though the official oath had been given by a captain earlier.)
Bush and his allies have tried to deny this with several changing stories, but Bush himself admits lobbying commander Staudt, who approved him, and court documents confirm that close family friend and oil magnate Sid Adger called Texas Speaker of the House Ben Barnes, who called General James Rose, the head of the Texas Air National Guard, to get Bush in. Rose, who is now dead, told his friend and former legislator Jake Johnson that "I got that Republican congressman's son from Houston into the Guard."
Staudt's unit, the 147th, was infamous as a nesting place for politically connected and celebrity draft avoiders. Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen's son was in the unit, as were both of Sid Adger's sons and at least 7 members of the Dallas Cowboys.
2. Took a 2 month vacation in Florida after 8 weeks in the Guard.Just 8 weeks after joining, Bush was granted 2 months leave to go to Florida and work on a political campaign, the Senate race of Republican Edward Gurney. Bush took a leave every election season, in 1970 to work on his dad's campaign, and in 1972 to work in Alabama.
3. Skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as 2nd Lt.As soon as Bush completed basic training, his commander approved him for a "direct appointment", which made him an officer without having to go through the usual (and difficult) Officer Candidate School. This special procedure also got Bush into flight school, despite his very low scores on aptitude tests -- he scored 25% on a pilot aptitude test, the absolute lowest acceptable grade, and 50% for navigator aptitude. (Bush did score 95% on the easier officer quality test, but then again the average is 88%).
What made Bush's appointment doubly unusual was his total lack of special qualifications. This procedure was generally reserved for applicants with exceptional experience or skills, such as ROTC training or engineering, medical or aviation skills. Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National Guard, reviewed the Guard's records on Bush for a special exhibit on his service after Bush became governor. Asked about Bush's direct appointment without special skills, Hail said "I've never heard of that. Generally they did that for doctors only, mostly because we needed extra flight surgeons."
Charles Shoemake, an Air Force veteran who later joined the Texas Air National Guard and retired as a full colonel, said that direct appointments were rare and hard to get, and required extensive credentials. Asked about Bush, he said "His name didn't hurt, obviously. But it was a commander's decision in those days."
Despite Bush Jr.'s weak qualifications, Col. Staudt was so excited about the direct appointment that he saged another special ceremony for the press, this time with Bush's father the congressman standing prominently in the background.
The direct appointment process was discontinued in the 1970s.
4. Assigned to a safe plane -- the F-102 -- that was being phased out.As Bush has been quick to note, National Guard members do face the chance of being called up for active duty, though few actually did during the Vietnam war. So what a lucky break for Bush that he was assigned to fly the F-102 Delta Dagger, a plane already being phased out. In fact, the Air Force had ordered all overseas F-102 units shut down as of June 30, 1970 -- just 3 months after Bush finished his training. Since training is so airplane specific, Bush was guaranteed from the beginning to be safe from combat.
Bush's campaign has even used his training on the obsolete plane to justify his early discharge, almost a year before his scheduled discharge, since other F-102 pilots were also being released early. But they can't answer the obvious question -- why spend so much money to train a National Guardsman for 2 years on a plane that was already being phased out, at a time when the Guard was letting F102 pilots leave early due to oversupply?
5. Celebrity Political Date.During his flight training, Bush's celebrity showed in a couple of ways. Most famously, President Nixon sent a jet to pick up the young flight student for a date with his daughter Tricia. Alas, the potential political marriage and dynasty was not to be. Also, the commencement speaker at Bush's graduation ceremony was -- his dad, Congressman George Bush Sr.
6. Illegal, overruled transfer to a base with no work.In 1972, Bush once again wanted to work on a political campaign, this time in Alabama. He applied for a transfer to a nearly defunct base with no active training or work, the 9921st Air Reserve Squadrom at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Bush's supervisors approved, but a higher headquarters overruled them, noting that the unit had no regular drills.
Lt. Col. Reese Bricken, the unit's commander, told the Boston Globe "We met just one weeknight a month. We were only a postal unit. We had no airplanes. We had no pilots. We had no nothing." Even Albert Lloyd Jr., a retired Air Guard colonel who is helping the Bush campaign clarify the candidate's service, told the Globe he was mystified why Bush's superiors at the time would approve duty at such a unit. Lloyd was personnel director of the Texas Air Guard from 1969 to 1995.
Now, the officer who did that has stepped forward and very directly admitted that he tried to get the easiest possible assignment for Bush. The personnel officer in charge of Bush's 147th Fighter Group, now-retired Col. Rufus G. Martin, says he tried to give Bush a light load when he told him to apply to the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron in Montgomery, Ala. Martin said in an interview that he knew Bush wasn't eligible for the 9921st, an unpaid, general training squadron that met once a week to hear lectures on first aid and the like. "However," he said, "I thought it was worth a try. . . . It was the least participation of any type of unit."
7. Just didn't show up for a year -- with no punishment.National Guard records and Bush's own supervisor's and friends show no sign of him attending any drills or performing any service for nearly a year, from May 1972 until May 1973. This period began with Bush moving to Alabama for a political campaign.
He later applied to transfer to a base that had no work; the transfer was first approved, then cancelled. Bush did nothing for several months; then in September he applied to transfer to Alabama's 187th Tactical Recon group for 3 months. This was approved, but the unit's commander, General William Turnipseed, and his then admnistrative officer, Kenneth Lott, have both said that Bush never showed up. "Had he reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do not," said Turnipseed. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered."
Bush claims that he did some work in Alabama, but can't remember any details. “I can’t remember what I did,” he said. “I just—I fulfilled my obligation." Despite 2 years of searching through hundreds of records, his campaign has been unable to find any record of Bush's service there, nor could they find a single fellow serviceman who remembers his presence. The best they could produce was an ex-girlfriend from Alabama -- Emily Marks --who said George told her he would have to do some Guard duty later that year (1972) in Montgomery. But all that confirms is that he knew of his obligation.
In December 1972, Bush returned to Houston and was scheduled to resume duty there. But in May 1973, Bush's supervising pilots wrote in his annual efficiency report: "Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the period of the report" (i.e. through April 30, 1972). Bush described one of the supervisors, the late Col. Jerry Killian, as a personal friend, so it's likely he would have noticed Bush and given him the benefit of the doubt. Later that month, two special orders commanded Bush to appear for active duty. He served 36 days of active duty during May, June and July before leaving the Guard early.
Amazingly, Bush was not disciplined in any way for his absence, and received an honorable discharge. Under Air National Guard rules at that time, guardsmen who missed duty could be reported to their Selective Service Board and inducted into the Army as draftees.
8. Skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests.In April 1972, the military started including routine drug tests in servicemen's annual physical exam, including urinalysis, questions about drugs and "a close examination of the nasal cavities" (for cocaine). According to the regulation, the medical took place in the month after the serviceman's birthday. For George W. Bush, this meant August 1972.
It was May, 1972 -- one month after the drug testing was announced -- that Bush stopped attending Guard duty. In August 1972, he was suspended from flight duty for failing to take his physical. (Click here to see the document.) A Bush campaign spokesman confirmed to the London Sunday Times that Bush knew he would be suspended. "He knew the suspension would have to take place." Bush never flew again, even though he returned to his Houston base where Guard pilots flew thousands of hours in the F-102 during 1973. The only barrier to him flying again was a medical exam (and his lack of attendance).
Careful readers will recall that when Bush issued his partial denial of drug use, he said (or implied) that he hadn't used them since 1974, but he pointedly refused to deny drug use before then, i.e. during his military service. Several sources have also indicated that it was in December, 1972 -- 4 months after his medical suspension -- that a drunk Bush Jr. challenged his father to a fist fight during an argument over the son's drunk driving. (He had run over a neighbor's garbage cans.) Shortly thereafter, Bush Sr. arranged for his son to do community service at an inner city Houston charity.
Bush's campaign aides first said he did not take the physical because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But flight physicals can be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and some were assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where Bush was living. The staff now admits that this explanation was wrong.
9. Left service 10 months early.Even after that easy stint, Bush couldn't fulfill his obligation. He quickly made up the missed days he had to and applied for an early release, before he had to take his next annual physical exam (with drug test.) While the official discharge date was October 1, 1973, Bush's last day in uniform was actually July 31 -- a full 10 months before the end of his 6-year, part time commitment. Al Gore also requested and received an early discharge (from the Army, in his case) to go to school.
Weasel words; his story keeps changing.When asked about his service, Bush has lied, changed his story repeatedly, and weaseled in a manner eerily reminiscent of Bill Clinton. First of all, he has flat-out lied. In his official autobiography, ''A Charge to Keep,'' Bush said he flew with his unit for ''several years'' after finishing flight training in June 1970. His campaign biography states that he flew with the unit until he won release from the service in September 1973, nine months early, for graduate school. Both statements are lies. Bush only flew with the 111th for one year and 10 months, until April 1972 when he was suspended for failing to take his medical exam (and drug test), and never flew again.
Then there is his Clintonesque weaseling and word choice. Bush and his campaign claimed that no Bush family or friends pulled strings. Under pressure, this changed to "All I know is anybody named George Bush did not ask him [Ben Barnes] for help." By that he meant, himself or his dad. Of course, it later came out in court that a close Bush friend, Simon Adger, had asked Barnes to get Bush Jr. into the Guard, and that Barnes did so, via General Rose.
Now's it's not even clear that a George Bush didn't ask for help. When pressed, the former president's spokeswoman (Jean Becker) said he is "almost positive" that he and Mr. Adger never discussed the Guard matter. "He [Bush Sr.] he is fairly certain - I mean he doesn't remember everything that happened in the 1960s..." In any case, Bush Sr. and Adger were very close. Ms. Becker acknowledged that "President Bush knew Sid Adger well. He loved him." Adger may have needed only a hint.
Furthermore, George Bush Jr. admits that he knew Adger socially at the time, and further admits that he lobbied Col. "Buck" Staudt, the commander of the VIP unit Bush joined. Staudt claims that he, not General Rose (who he later replaced), was the one who made the decision on admissions anyway. Bush Jr. admits that he met Staudt in late 1967, during Christmas vacation of his senior year, called him later, and -- in Bush's words -- "found out what it took to apply."
When asked how Bush came to call Staudt, his spokeswoman Karen Hughes said he "heard from friends while he was home over the Christmas break that ... Colonel Staudt was the person to contact." She says that Bush doesn't recall who those "friends" were. But we know that Sid Adger was also a friend of Staudt's, served with him on the Houston Chamber of Commerce's Aviation Committee, and in 1967 held a luncheon honoring Gen. Staudt and his unit for winning an Air Force commendation. In fact, both of Adger's sons also joined General Staudt's unit, in 1966 and 1968 respectively.
Bush and his staff also claim that he vaulted ahead of the Air Guard waiting list because he was willing to fly an airplane, and there were openings. There is nothing to support this claim, however. For one thing, the F-102 was being phased out at the time and F-102 pilots were being released from service early, as indeed Bush himself was. And Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National Guard, says flatly that there was no pilot shortage in the Guard squadron at that time. Bush's unit had 27 pilots at the time he applied; while they were authorized for 29 pilots, there were two more already in training and one awaiting a transfer.
Bush also weasels on whether he was avoiding combat or not. He has stated on several occasions that he did not want to be an infantryman, and acknowledges that he came to oppose the war itself. He claims that he joined the guard to fly planes, and would have been happy to go to Vietnam, but ignores the obvious choice of the Air Force or the Navy -- which his dad, a genuine war hero, joined. Furthermore, when he signed up for the Guard, he checked a box saying "Do not volunteer for overseas service." Later, he made a perfunctory application to transfer to a program called "Palace Alert", which dispatched F-102 pilots to Europe or the Far East -- and just occasionally Vietnam -- for 3 or 6 month assignments. But Bush was not nearly qualified, as he must have known, and was immediately turned down, and the F-102 not used overseas after June, 1970 in any case.
And, as noted above, his story also changed on why he refused to take a medical exam -- including a drug test - in 1972. (The refusal ended Bush's flying career.) His staff first claimed that he didn't take the physical because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But flight physicals can be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and there were surgeons assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where Bush was living. His staff now admits that that explanation was "wrong", without saying where it came from or what the real reason was. Draft & National Guard Sources
Insider Business DealsBush Jr. has made a lot of money off of three business deals. In each one, his contribution is hard to perceive, yet he walked off with hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in deals arranged by his father's political cronies. The deals were 1. the sale of Junior's struggling oil company, 2. Junior's sale of oil stock just before the Gulf War, and 3. getting a cheap slice of the Texas Rangers baseball team, which he sold in 1999 for a huge profit (he paid $600,000, and sold for $14 million).
The general pattern here is just as important as the details. Bush did no work in his business career that can clearly be called "excellent" or even "solid." The money he made is tangential to his efforts at best -- the oil companies lost a great deal of money during his tenure, and the Rangers cut a lot of corners -- which makes the cronyism that much more suspicious.
It's not just that one or two of Bush's deals look funky; every major business deal he has been involved with included wealthy supporters of his father, and many of those investors later received favorable treatment from either the federal government under Bush, Sr. or the current Texas administration of Junior.
Deal #1: The Oil Business: Rewarded for Losing MoneyLike his dad, Junior struck out in Texas and founded an oil company, Arbusto Energy, Inc., with $20,000 of his own money. (Arbusto is the Spanish word for bush.) The company foundered in the early 1980s when oil prices dropped (and his dad was Vice President.)
The 50 investors, who were "mainly friends of my uncle" in Junior's own words, put in $4.7 million and lost most of it. Junior claims that investors "did pretty good," but Bush family friend Russell Reynolds told the Dallas Morning News: "The bottom line was there were problems, and it didn't work out very well. I think we got maybe 20 cents on the dollar."
As Arbusto neared collapse, Spectrum 7 Energy Corporation bought it in September 1984. Despite his poor track record, the owners made Bush, Jr. the president and gave him 13.6% of the parent company's stock.
Spectrum 7 was a small oil firm owned by two staunch Reagan/Bush Sr. supporters -- William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds. These two were also owners of the Texas Rangers and allowed Bush Jr. to purchase a chunk of the team cheaply; he later sold it for over 24 times what he paid.
Within two years of purchasing Arbusto and making Bush Jr. president, Spectrum 7 was itself in trouble; it lost $400,000 in its last 6 months of operation. That ended in 1986, when Harken Energy Corporation bought Spectrum 7's 180-well operation.
Junior got $227,000 worth of Harken stock, and a lot more. He was named to the board of directors, made $80,000 to $100,000 a year well into the 1990s as a "consultant" to Harken, and was allowed to buy Harken stock at 40% below face value.
He also borrowed $180,375 from Harken at very low rates; the company's 1989 and 1990 SEC filings said it "forgave" $341,000 in loans to unspecified executives.
So what did Junior do for all this money? It's hard to say exactly, but things happened for Harken after Junior came on board: it got a $25 million stock offering from an unusual bank with CIA ties, it won a surprise exclusive drilling contract with Bahrain, a small Mideast country, and an Arab member of its Board of Directors was invited to White House policy meetings with President George Bush and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.
Easy Money From Odd Sources
The firm's $25 million stock offering was underwritten by Stephens, Inc., an Arkansas bank whose head, Jackson Stephens, was on President Bush's "Team 100." (That was a group of 249 rich persons who gave at least $100,000 each to his presidential campaign committee). Stephens placed the offering with the London subsidiary of Union Bank of Switzerland, which (according to the Wall Street Journal) was not known as an investor in small American companies.
Union Bank did have other connections; it was a joint-venture partner with the notorious BCCI in a Geneva-based bank, and was involved in a scandal surrounding the Nugan Hand Bank, a CIA operation in Australia whose executives were advised by William Quasha, the father of Harken's chairman (Alan Quasha.) Union Bank was also involved in scandals surrounding Panamanian money laundering by BCCI, and Ferdinand Marcos' movement of 325 tons of gold out of the Phillipines.
That wasn't the only financing connection Junior brought; after the company won its Bahrain deal (see next item), the billionaire Bass brothers of Texas offered to underwrite the drilling operation. Robert Bass is also a member of Bush's Team 100, and he and his kin gave $226,000 to Bush Senior between 1988 and 1992.
The Bahrain Contract
In January 1990, Harken was chosen out of the blue by the small Mideast country Bahrain for an exclusive offshore oil drilling contract. They beat out Amoco, an experienced and major international conglomerate, despite having no offshore oil drilling experience at all. As of March 1995, the most recent report we could find, they had found no oil.
Junior has denied that he was involved in the deal, and even told the Wall Street Journal that he opposed it. But a company insider told Mother Jones Magazine "Like any member of the board, he was thrilled. His attitude was 'Holy shit, what a great deal!'"
If he did oppose it, he wasn't much of a consultant. Charles Strain, an energy company analyst in Houston, told Mother Jones: "Harken is not hard to understand -- it's easy. The company has only one real asset -- its Bahrain contract. If that field turns out to be dry, Harken's stock is worth, at the most, 25 cents a share. If they hit it big over there, the stock could be worth $30 to $40 dollars a share." As of December 1998, Harken Energy Corp. (HEC on Amex) is trading at $2.69 a share.
Access to the President For Bush's Foreign Business Partner
The most troubling thing that happened to Harken after it bought George Bush Junior in, was that one of its Board of Directors members was suddenly admitted to the highest levels of United States foreign policy meetings. These were not Clintonesque meet-and-greet fundraisers, but actual working policy meetings during a critical period.
After the Harken-Bahrain deal was signed, Palestinian businessman Talat Othman was added to a group of Arabs who met with George Bush and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft three times in 1990 -- once just two days after Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Othman was the representative of Sheikh Abdullah Bakhsh, who purchased 10% of Harken stock. (More on Baksh in a second.) Othman has continued a fruitful relationship with Bush. He has visited Bush in the White House, and gave an Islamic benediction at the 2000 Republican convention. More recently, several Islamic charities and businesses run by Othman's business partner Yaqub Mirza were raided on March 20, 2002 by Treasury investigators, investigating ties between them and Osama Bin Laden, al Qaeda and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Just two weeks later, Othman was able to get a luncheon meeting with President Bush's Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill (since fired), to complain about the raids.
Backsh, Othman's patron, had several ties to the infamous BCCI bank according to the Wall Street Journal. Bakhsh was a co-investor in Saudi Arabia with alleged BCCI front man Ghaith Pharaon. Bakhsh's banker, Khalid bin Mahfouz, was another BCCI figure and head of the largest bank in Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Kalifah, the prime minister of Bahrain, was a BCCI shareholder and played the key role in selecting Harken for the oil contract.
This is the crowd that gained entry to the President and the National Security Adviser of the United States after George Junior made his deal with Harken.
Deal #2: Selling Oil Stock Just Before Iraq InvadedGeorge Bush, Junior sold 60% of his stock in Harken Oil in June, 1990 for $848,560. That was brilliant timing; in August, Iraq invaded Kuwait and Harken's stock dropped 25%. Soon after, a big quarterly loss caused it to drop further.
A secret State Deparment memo in May of that year had warned that Saddam was out of control, and listed options for responding to him, including an oil ban that might affect US oil prices.
We can't be sure that the President or an aide mentioned these developments to his son, or that Harken's representative who was admitted to meetings with the President picked up something and reported back to Junior. But it is the simplest and most logical explanation. The Bushes acknowledge that George Senior and his sons consult on political strategy and other matters constantly.
Furthermore, Harken's internal financial advisers at Smith Barney had issued a report in May warning of the company's deteriorating finances. Harken owed more than $150 million to banks and other creditors at the time. George Bush, Jr. was a member of the board and also of Harken's restructuring committee, which met in May and worked directly with the Smith Barney consultants. He must have known of these warnings.
These are pretty clear-cut indications of illegal insider trading. The Securities and Exchange Commission, controlled at the time by President George Bush, investigated but chose not to press charges.
Junior also violated another SEC rule explicitly. He was required to register his sale as an insider trade by July 10, 1990, but didn't until March 1991, after the Gulf War was over. He was not punished or cited.
Deal #3: A Big Slice of the Texas Rangers for a Little Money (and a Big Profit)
The third unusually easy deal for George Bush Junior was his involvement in the Texas Rangers baseball team. In a nutshell, he was offered a piece of this valuable franchise for only $600,000, by supporters of his dad who also bailed out his failing oil company. He sold his stake for $14 million - while Texas governor -- to a Texas millionaire with lots of businesses regulated by his administration. "When all it is all said and done, I will have made more money than I ever dreamed I would make," Bush told the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.
Bush was allowed to buy 1.8% of the team for $600,000 of borrowed money, and was even made one of the two general managers. His qualifications for partial ownership? Several years working at failing oil companies, and his political connections through his father. It's hard to be sure, but we're guessing that latter was probably more important. Junior tripled his investment, like the other owners, with the help of massive government intervention and subsidies. But his real wealth came from simply being given 10% of the team as a "bonus" for "putting together the investment team."
Even if he really had done that work, it's an absurd bonus ($12.2 million), but the fact is that he didn't add much. Cincinatti financier William DeWitt brought Bush in, not vice versa, shortly after George Bush Sr. was elected president. (DeWitt had also invested in Junior's oil companies.). The only investor Bush actually brought in was Roland Betts, a Yale fraternity brother, and that wasn't good enough.
Under Junior's management, the deal was about to fall apart until baseball commissioner Peter Uebberoth brought in another investment group led by Fort Worth Billionaire Richard Rainwater and Dallas investor "Rusty" Rose. Since the deal, both men have profited greatly from business with the Texas administration of George Bush, Jr. Rose personally invested $3.2 million and became the other general manager of the team. Under the team partnership agreement, Bush Junior couldn't take any "material actions" wihtout Rose's prior approval. There was also a method for removing Junior as a general partner, but no way to remove Rose. Yet Rose's "bonus" for his role in setting up the deal was less than half of Junior's.
What kind of owners would approve such a big payoff to Bush? In addition to Rose and Rainwater, men with business pending before Texas government, the owners included William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds, major contributors to President Bush who had also purchased Junior's failing oil company through their Spectrum 7 Energy company.
If this deal doesn't smell bad enough already, consider Bush's blatant hypocrisy. The main value of the team is its new stadium (ranked by Financial World as the most profitable in baseball) and 300 acres of vacant land the team owns between the stadium and 6 Flags of Texas, which is next door.
Putting Tax Money into Bush's PocketThe hypocritical part is, the private owners of this very valuable land didn't want to sell. Bush and his partners gave them only a lowball offer, and when it was rejected they arranged for a new government agency (the Arlington Sports Facility Development Authority, or ASFDA) to condemn it for them.
The agency foreclosed the land and paid the owners a very low price, later judged by a jury to be only 1/6th of its actual value. The agency also floated bonds, guaranteed and repaid by taxpayers, to finance the purchase. This amounted to a $135 million subsidy for Bush and partners, compared with the $80 million they paid for the franchise. Since they sold the entire franchise for $250 million, it's easy to see whose money Bush and friends pocketed.
The next time Junior talks about tax cuts, remember this: Arlinton had to impose a new 1/2 cent sales tax just to pay for the subsidy Bush and his partners received.
To add insult to injury, Bush and his partners continue to stiff the taxpayers for $7.5 million they owe under the terms of the agreement. It held that the team would pay all expenses over $135 million. The original owners of just 13 of the acres sued the City of Arlington, saying that the ASFDA had not paid a fair price for the land. The jury awarded them $7.5 million, but even though the project exceeded the $135 million limit, the partners have refused to pay. Given their huge taxpayer subsidy and $170 million profits, it seems absurdly selfish.
George Bush, Jr. has said in campaign speeches "I will do everything I can to defend the power of private property and private property rights when I am the governor of this state." Apparently this deal was not covered by that statement, since he wasn't governor yet.
He claims that he "wasn't aware of the details" of the land condemnations, even though he was the team's managing general partner and has bragged about personally getting the stadium built. But he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in October 1990 that "The idea of making a land play, absolutely, to plunk the field down in the middle of a big piece of land, that's kind of always been the strategy."
And the key to their land play was always the strong arm of government. A memo from Arlington real estate broker Mike Reilly to Rangers President Tom Schieffer dated October 26, 1990 - the day before Bush's comment about the land play - said "In this particular situation our first offer should be our final offer ... If this fails, we will probably have to initiate condemnation proceedings after the bond election passes."
On the first day of the 1993 campaign, Bush said "The best way to allocate resources in our society is through the marketplace. Not through a governing elite." Not through a private sports team buying in the President's son cheap, and then getting the government to hand them extremely valuable land.
Party Hearty: Sex, Drugs, And Rock 'N Roll?For almost half his life, Junior was distinguished mainly by his hearty appetite for partying. A Newsweek profile by Evan Thomas, describing his college years, says he "seems to have majored in beer drinking at the Deke House." After he formed his first company (which failed), Thomas writes, "By his own account, Bush spent a lot of time in bars, trying to sort out who he was. He had a kind of ragged nervous energy in that period, and he could be a bully."
The Bush family spin is that the governor quit drinking cold turkey on his 40th birthday, straightened out by the love of a good woman (his wife, Laura.) They even pull out their secret weapon, lovable Barbara Bush, with anecdotes about what a rascal little George Junior was.
But the explosive element here is not booze. It's sex, drugs and hypocrisy. Frankly, it doesn't bother us if candidates have partied, even a lot. Who wants a bunch of namby-pamby boy scouts running the country? But George Bush Jr. makes a big point of travelling around the country and lecturing students on staying celibate, sober and drug free. He does not permit the option of partying hard until you're 40 and then stopping.
And as governor, he attacked his predecessor for allowing leniency toward first-time drug users, and pushed a "no tolerance" policy that has sent casual cocaine users -- who's dads aren't rich, or president -- to prison for years. He even has the gall to proclaim that such users "need to know that drug use has consequences." At least if you're from the wrong neighborhood.
No Handcuffs or Dwarf OrgiesJunior is so worried about his past that he hired a private detective to investigate himself. (I guess he can't remember what he did at those parties, which tells you something right there.)
According to an unnamed insider quoted on MSNBC, Bush "isn't terribly thrilled" about what they found, though no one is spilling the details (yet). "No handcuffs or dwarf orgies, but he was a handsome, rich playboy and lived that life," the insider said.
W is For Women: Bush volunteers to reporters that he has been faithful to his wife. However, he was married at 31 and makes no claim of virginity before that point, even as he lectures the youth of today to remain celibate. A Clinton aide who was in Bush's class at Yale has already warned him that "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
We have received two credible reports from women who say they had affairs with George Bush, Jr. One alleged affair took place after Bush was married, on business trips to Los Angeles; in the other case, Bush was single but the woman was married at the time. Neither woman is willing to go public with further details, including their names, which is why we aren't publicizing these incidents more, but in our editorial opinion they are credible, and the details that these woman have provided check out.
Furthermore, porn publisher Larry Flynt has alleged that one Bush affair led his then-girlfriend to have an abortion, and claims to have 5 affidavits from friends of the woman and others supporting the claim. Again the woman does not want to be named, which makes it hard to prove the claim, but you can't really blame a lady for not wanting to be known as the "Bush abortion girl." Flynt made this allegation on CNN. The host of the program actually said "Now we at CNN don't want to be accused of censoring anybody...", yet that is exactly what CNN did. They removed the show's transcript and links from their web site days after the broadcast. You can still get details on the incident at the Bush Watch web site. They have more details here.
COCAINE:According to a new book, three independent sources close to the Bush family report that Governor Bush was arrested in 1972 for cocaine possession, and taken to Harris County Jail, but avoided jail or formal charges through an informal diversion plan involving community service with Project P.U.L.L., an inner city Houston program for troubled youths at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Houston's dirt-poor Third Ward. (In another new book, reporter Bill Minutaglio, writes that the year of community service was arranged by the Governor's father, ex-president Bush, after he caught Bush Jr. driving drunk.)
That year certainly is out of character with the rest of Bush Jr.'s life. Before and after 1972, he was a rich, hard drinking playboy. Suddenly, and only that one time in his life, he worked for a liberal charity in an inner city ghetto. As soon as the year was over, he resumed his previous pattern and has done no charity work since.
The author of this book, J. H. Thompson, has some interesting scandals of his own. Of course, his own flaws don't disprove what Bush did or didn't do, but the way Thompson has responded certainly undercuts his credibility. First, he admitted to a reporter from Slate Magazine that he made up at least one detail, that one of his informants spat tobacco into a styrofoam cup during their (phone!) interview.
Then, reporters -- or perhaps Bush campaign operatives -- found that the author apparently is an ex-convict, on parole for hiring a hit man to kill a former boss. That doesn't mean he can't research, of course, but Thompson's credibility suffered greatly as he claimed it was someone else, despite incredible similarities between his resume -- including unexplained job gaps during the prison years -- and confirmation from his parole officer that indeed, the author named J. H. Thompson is the one who did time.
Bush Jr.'s Evasive Responses:
Bush has essentially admitted that he used cocaine in his Clintonesque, carefully worded partial denials. He won't deny using cocaine or marijuana, though under persistent questioning he said that he hadn't used cocaine in the last 7 years. Most newspapers report that he denies using cocaine since 1974, but that's not exactly true.
That is the most favorable interpretation of what Bush said, but since Bush and his campaign have already made Clintonesque denials on other issues, we need to look at his words carefully.
What Bush actually said was ""I could have passed the [FBI] background check on the standards applied on the most stringent conditions when my dad was president of the United States - a 15-year period," Mr. Bush said. This is ambiguous because background forms ask slightly different questions, depending on the position. Drug questions can go back one year, seven years or 10 years. Bush Jr. didn't have any formal position in his father's administration, so which one applies is unclear. And 15-years is not one of the choices.
Since Bush Sr.'s presidency began in January 1989, reporters assumed that Jr. was denying drug use for 15 years before that, to 1974. But that is not at all clear. His only direct statement was for seven years before today. He could easily have been denying drug use only for 15 years before today, based on 7 or 10 years dating back from the END of his dad's term. 10 years before 1993, the end of Bush Sr.'s term, is pretty close to 15 years before today.
The Clinton administration actually has a stricter standard than Bush did -- the FBI now asks about any drug use after age 18. But Governor Bush has refused to say whether he would pass that standard, even though that is what he will be asked if he wins. Bush also has refused to answer whether he could have passed the FBI test when his father was vice president, during the 8 years from 1981-1989.
As for the arrest and diversion charge, Governor Bush admits working at the center in 1972. When asked for comment, Bush's campaign spokesman reportedly said "Oh shit... no comment." McLellan denies saying that.
Bush's father, ex-president George Bush, denies the cocaine arrest charge, and in yet another carefully worded denial, Bush said ""It's totally ridiculous what he suggested and it's not true."
You'll recall that President Clinton made a very similar statement about Gennifer Flower's allegations of an affair, during the 1992 campaign. Later, when he had to testify under oath, it turned out that he was denying that all of the details of the story were true, not whether an affair had occurred or any specific details (many of which were accurate).
Similarly, Bush himself does not deny being caught with cocaine, or having performed community service. Bush's campaign spokesman has now denied that Bush was ever arrested on any drug charge.
The director of the center, Madgelean Bush (no relation), also denies the reports. However, her center is dependent on Texas state money, and the director, who grew up poor but has amassed several houses around the center while running it, allowed Governor Bush to use the center for a photo opportunity earlier this year.
The Bush campaign also produced Carol Vance, who was the Democratic District Attorney in Harris County in 1972, to say that there was no diversion program in that year, nor were there any Republican judges (as Hatfield's book states.)
Rock and Roll: Bush keeps a picture of himself with two members of ZZ Top, but does not play the song "Tube Snake Boogie" during his celibacy lectures. We have found no evidence to support the the most explosive allegation so far; that Bush played air guitar to a Foghat record at a party in the late 1970s. But he won't deny it, either.
When pressed on the hypocrisy issue, he speaks to hypocritical baby boomer parents everywhere: "If I were you, I wouldn't tell your kids that you smoked pot unless you want 'em to smoke pot. I think it's important for leaders, and parents, not to send mixed signals. I don't want some kid saying, 'Well, Governor Bush tried it.'"
It's amazing enough that he openly defends hypocrisy, but his own signals are very mixed. When allowed to imply that he is just another manly, hard-drinking rapscallion, Bush seizes the opportunity. "When I was young and irresponsible, I was really young and irresponsible," he often says. He even hints at pot smoking, as in the above quote, and why not? Everyone from his likely opponent Al Gore to Newt Gingrich has admitted smoking pot.
But Junior wants it both ways. When the deadly rumor of cocaine use surfaces, he retreats to his high-minded rhetoric about not giving mixed messages. If he thinks he can skate to the presidency without either his right-wing foes or embittered Clintonistas pushing his past into the limelight, then he really IS on drugs.
SourcesThe Bush Watch (web site), an opinionated, well-researched and reasonably fair (though blatantly liberal) anti-Bush site. http://www.bushwatch.com/
"The Sons Also Rise", by Evan Thomas, Newsweek, November 16, 1998 p44-8
"Like Most, I'm Amazed" (Bush interview with Howard Fineman), Newsweek, November 16, 1998
"Another Bush Contemplates Run for Presidency", by Sue Anne Pressley (Washington Post news service), San Francisco Chronicle, May 12, 1997 pA5
"The Bush Brothers", by Howard Fineman, Newsweek, November 2, 1998 p30-33
Revealing an American Spy Sources
Robert Novak's column -- "Mission to Niger" by Robert Novak (syndicated column), July 14, 2003
"A War on Wilson? : Inside the Bush Administration's feud with the diplomat who poured cold water on the Iraq-uranium connection", By MATTHEW COOPER, MASSIMO CALABRESI AND JOHN F. DICKERSON, Time Magazine, July 17, 2003
"Capital Games: A White House Smear", by David Corn, The Nation magazine, July 16, 2003
"Columnist Blows CIA Agent's Cover" by Timothy M. Phelps and Knut Royce, Long Island Newsday (newspaper), July 22, 2003
"War critic at center of CIA flap always vague on wife's job: Ex-ambassador lauded by 1st President Bush" By Bill Nichols and John Diamond, USA TODAY October 1, 2003 p6A
Bush Sr. quote -- ("most insidious of traitors") -- "Remarks By George Bush 41st President of the United States, At the Dedication Ceremony for the George Bush Center for Intelligence", April 26, 1999, on CIA website
"Justice Department Opens Probe Into Leak of CIA Agent's Name", by David Cloud, Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2003 pA3
"Justice Investigates Leak Claim", by Deb Reichmann (AP), The Oregonian, September 29, 2003 pA2
"Bush Aides Say They'll Cooperate With Probe Into Intelligence Leak", by Mike Allen, Washington Post, September 29, 2003; Page A01
"Bush Vows Action if Aides Had Role in Leak" By Mike Allen and Dana Milbank, Washington Post, September 30, 2003; Page A01
"White House Says Top Aide Was Not Behind CIA Leak", by David Stout, New York Times, September 29, 2003
ABC-TV News, "The Note", September 30, 2003
"Bush welcomes probe of CIA leak", CNN website, October 1, 2003
, editorial, Washington Times (newspaper), OCtober 1, 2003
"Attorney General Is Closely Linked to Inquiry Figures", By ELISABETH BUMILLER and ERIC LICHTBLAU, New York Times, October 2, 2003
"White House Looks to Manage Fallout Over C.I.A. Leak Inquiry", By RICHARD W. STEVENSON and ERIC LICHTBLAU, New York Times, October 2, 2003
"Outside Probe of Leaks Is Favored: Poll Findings Come As White House Softens Denials", By Dana Milbank and Mike Allen, Washington Post, October 2, 2003; Page A01
"She's the perfect spy: Outed CIA agent had glamour job & looks to match", By JAMES GORDON MEEK and KENNETH R. BAZINET New York Daily News, October 2, 2003
"Why Are These Men Laughing?"(about Karl Rove), Esquire Magazine, January 2003
"Probe Focuses on Month Before Leak to Reporters: FBI Agents Tracing Linkage of Envoy to CIA Operative", By Walter Pincus and Mike Allen, Washington Post, Sunday, October 12, 2003; Page A01
Lies About Iraq Sources
"No Proof Connects Iraq to 9/11, Bush Says", by Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times, September 18, 2003
"Iraq, 9/11 Still Linked by Cheney", by Dana Priest and Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, September 29, 2003 pA1
Drunk Driving Sources
George Bush's Arrest Record, The Smoking Gun Website, November 3, 20000
Bush's Driving License Suspension Record, The Smoking Gun website, November 3, 2000
"No arrests after '68, Bush told paper", By Wayne Slater and Pete Slover , The Dallas Morning News, 11/03/2000
Bush lied about his arrest, a reporter says", by Jake Tapper, Salon Magazine, November 3, 2000
Court hearing: "Bush downplayed drinking", by Stephen A. Kurkjian and David Armstrong, Boston Globe, 11/4/2000 pA11
"Bush Admits 1976 DUI Arrest; Dem Delegate Made Disclosure", Fox News Website, November 3, 2000
"Bush Admits He Drove While Drunk", The Oregonian, November 3, 2000 pA19
"Bush Still leads, but Key States Buoy Gore: Disclosure of DUI for GOP Candidate is Late Disruption", by Jackie Calmes and Jeanne Cummings, The Wall Street Journal, November 3, 2000 pA22
Interview with Thomas Connolly, (the lawyer who revealed the conviction), Fox TV News, November 3, 2000, 12:00 PST
"What Is George Dubya Hiding?", by Linda Starr and Bev Conover, The Online Journal, June 4, 1999
Yelling at reporter -- from The Economist, July 29, 2000 p21
Quote SourcesTwo good general sources for funky Bush quotes are "The Complete Bushisms", compiled by Jacob Weissberg, SLATE web site and The Bush Watch: Bushisms, by Jerry Politex (both ongoing).
"vampires": "At Night, Bush-Speak Goes Into Overdrive,"By FRANK BRUNI, New York Times, August 19, 2001
"feather my nest": "Business associates profit during Bush's term as governor" by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1
Divider: "Bush Muffs Letterman's Late-Night Opportunity", By CARYN JAMES, New York Times, March 2, 2000
"Who goes to heaven":"Bush fields questions about faith upon return from trip to Israel" by Clay Robison, The Houston Chronicle, December 3, 1998
"More money than I ever dreamed": quoted in "The Governor's Sweetheart Deal", by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998
Thin Skin Sources
"New York GOP leaders eye surrender in anti-McCain effort" By MARC HUMBERT (Associated Press), on the CNN web site, February 3, 2000
"Bush Criticizes Web Site as Malicious", by Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News, May 22, 1999
"Governor Rips Web Site Parody" Associated Press, May 21, 1999
"Bush Campaign Tries to Limit Internet Attacks", by Alan Elsner, Reuters News Serviec (on Yahoo! web site), May 19, 1999
"4 protesters arrested at Governor 's Mansion" by R.G. RATCLIFFE, Houston Chronicle, April 20, 1999 Section A Page 13 Metfront. 3 STAR edition
"Activists to challenge policy against protest gatherings near the Governor's Mansion", by Jay Root, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 25, 1999
Avoiding Vietnam (and National Guard Favoritism) Sources
Here is an excellent web site with actual photos of the military documents from Bush's career: http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/document
"2 Democrats: Bush Let Guard Down", By George Lardner Jr. and Howard Kurtz, Washington Post, November 3, 2000; Page A22
, By Walter V. Robinson, Boston Globe, 10/31/2000, pA14
"Bush Twins Summer Vacay", Entertainment Tonight Online, June 3, 2002
"1-Year gap in Bush's Guard duty", by Walter Robinson, Boston Globe, May 23, 2000
"Ex-Lawmaker Says He Helped Bush Join the Guard in Vietnam War", by Jim Yardley, New York Times, September 27, 1999
"Barnes moves to block questions about Bush, Guard", by Ken Herman, Austin American-Statesman, September 9, 1999
"Records of Bush's Ala. Military Duty Can't Be Found", by Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News, June 26, 2000 pA06
"Friends: Barnes was asked to help get Bush in Guard", by George Kuempel and Pete Slover, Dallas Morning News, Sept. 8, 1999
"Texas Speaker Reportedly Helped Bush Get Into Guard", by George Lardner, Jr., Washington Post, Setember 21, 1999 pA04
"Bush's Air Guard career an unusually easy flight", by Richard Serrano, Los Angeles Times (reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle), July 4, 1999 pA-6
"At Height of Vietnam, Graduate Picks Guard", by George Lardner Jr. and Lois Romano, Washington Post, July 28, 1999 pA01
"Bush flies into an air force cocaine cloud", by Tom Rhodes, The London Sunday Times, June 18, 2000
"Ex-Pol at Center of Bush Flap", by Michael Holmes (AP), Washington Post, September 8, 1999
"Barnes says he urged Guard slot for Bush", by Pete Slover and George Kuempel, Dallas Morning News, September 29, 1999
"Adviser asked Barnes to recall Guard details before Bush joined race", by Pete Slover and George Kuempel, Dallas Morning News, September 26, 1999
"Bush Worked Campaign While in Guard", by Chris Williams (AP), Washington Post, May 23, 2000 "Gtech settles Littwin lawsuit", by Ken Herman, Austin American-Statesman, October 30, 1999 Gtech paid Littwin $300,000 and got a strict confidentiality agreement from him.
Funeralgate Sources"Surprise Testimony in Texas: New questions are raised in a politically charged Texas lawsuit", Newsweek, October 30, 2000
"The Funeral Home Flap: Trouble for a Texas Mortician with links to the Bush Family", by Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, August 16, 1999
"Bush Affidavit Refuted", by Janet Elliot, Law News Network, August 16, 1999
"Funeral company hopeful after takeover " By Juan B. Elizondo Jr., Austin American-Statesman, Wednesday, August 18, 1999
"Governor's role questioned in funeral agency oversight: Bush's office rejects call for legislative control", By George Kuempel , The Dallas Morning News, August 8, 1999
"Bush Watch Special: Dubya and The Gravedigger", by Jerry Politex, The Bush Watch Website (ongoing)
Scandal Timeline, Austin Chronicle, ongoing
Insider Deal Sources"Business associates profit during Bush's term as governor" by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1
"How Bush REALLY Made His Millions", by Jerry Politex, The Bush Watch Web Site, ongoing
"Who is David Edwards?", by Micah Morrison, The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 1995
"The Governor's Sweetheart Deal, by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998
"Bush's Big Score", by Robert Bryce, The Dallas Observer, February 9, 1998
"Bush's Free Ride", by Stuart Eskenazi, Dallas Observer, October 29, 1998
"Good Connections: Family Ties helped fund oil venture that began Bush's business career", by Richard Oppel Jr. and George Kuemple, Dallas Morning News, November 16, 1998
"Whitewashing the Bush Boys", by Stephen Pizzo, Mother Jones, March-April 1994
"Family Value$", by Stephen Pizzo, Mother Jones, September-October 1992
"Diamond Brilliance: Bush mastered art of he deal in building his baseball fortune", by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA19
"The Family that Preys Together", by Jack Colhoun, "Covert Action Quarterly, #41, Summer 1992
"Downloading the Bush Files", by Michael King, Texas Observer, November 1998
Othman and Mirza -- "Aftermath of Terror: Funds Under Terror Probe Flowed From Offshore", by GLENN R. SIMPSON, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, March 22, 2002
"In Difficult Times, Muslims count on unlikely hero", by Tom Hamburger and Glenn R. Simpson, Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2003
“O’Neill Met Muslim Activists Tied to Charities” by Glenn R. Simpson [with Roger Thurow]; Wall Street Journal; 4/18/2002; p. A4
"Know thy enemy" (syndicated column) by Frank Gaffney, December 11, 2002
Corruption Sources
"State agency official convicted of bribery: She peddled influence for cut of business", by ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA, Houston Chronicle, November 2, 2000
"Tit for tat? How the Texas brothers who secretyly funded attack ads against McCain have made millions managing state money under the Bush administration in Austin by Joe Conason, Salon.com, March 6, 2000
"Business associates profit during Bush's term as governor" by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1
"Secrecy Cloaks $1.7 billion in UT Investments: Board puts money in funds run by trustees, friends of trustees", by R.G. Ratliffe, The Houston Chronicle, March 20, 1999
"How Bush REALLY Made His Millions", by Jerry Politex, The Bush Watch Web Site, ongoing
"Who is David Edwards?", by Micah Morrison, The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 1995
"The Governor's Sweetheart Deal", by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998
"Bush's Big Score", by Robert Bryce, The Dallas Observer, February 9, 1998
"Downloading the Bush Files", by Michael King, Texas Observer, November 1998
"Richard Rainwater: The invisible man behind one of the year's biggest deals", by John Morthland, Texas Monthly, September 1996
"Auditor Withheld Findings on State Housing Agency", by Craig Flournoy, Dallas Morning News, February 18, 1999
"Capitol Report: Housing Officials Under Fire", Austin American Statesman, February 3, 1999
Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N Roll Sources
"The smut monger's scoop", by Harley Sorenson, San Francisco Examiner, October 30, 2000
"Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President", by J. H. Hatfield St. Martin's Press, 1999 (withdrawn
First Son : George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty, by Bill Minutaglio, Times Books, 1999
Bush denies allegation of '72 drug arrest in book, By Michael Kranish, Boston Globe, 10/20/99 pA10
Bush Adds to Drug Use Statement", Dallas Morning News, August 20, 1999
Busting Bush's Biographer, by Jacob Weisberg, Slate Magazine, Oct. 19, 1999
< href="http://www.slate.com/code/BallotBox/BallotBox.asp?Show=10/22/99&idMessage=3871">"Fortunate Son Revisited", by Jacob Weisberg, Slate Magazine, Oct. 22, 1999
"Author alleging Bush drug arrest reportedly a felon: He denies being Texas convict, says similar names led to mistake", By Pete Slover, The Dallas Morning News, October 21, 1999
"George W. Bush, the dirt digger" by Jeannette Walls, MSNBC's "The Scoop" gossip column.
GOP insiders have privately confirmed to The Skeleton Closet that Bush hired the private detective, and that he was a very sexy and highly sexed bachelor.
"Bush, looking at D.C., sees a 'sullied process'", Austin American-Statesman, September 16, 1998
"The Sons Also Rise", by Evan Thomas, Newsweek, November 16, 1998 p44-8
"I've been to war [sic]. I've raised twins. If I had a choice, I'd rather go to war."
"One of the interesting initiatives we've taken in Washington, D.C., is we've got these vampire-busting devices. A vampire is a—a cell deal you can plug in the wall to charge your cell phone."—Denver, CO. Aug. 14, 2001
"Well, it's an unimaginable honor to be the president during the Fourth of July of this country. It means what these words say, for starters. The great inalienable rights of our country. We're blessed with such values in America. And I--it's--I'm a proud man to be the nation based upon such wonderful values."--Visiting the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C., July 2, 2001
"We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease."--After meeting with the leaders of the European Union, Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001
"It's very important for folks to understand that when there's more trade, there's more commerce."--Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001
"I've coined new words, like, misunderstanding and Hispanically."—Radio-Television Correspondents Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 29, 2001
"I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well."—Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2001
"Then I went for a run with the other dog and just walked. And I started thinking about a lot of things. I was able to—I can't remember what it was. Oh, the inaugural speech, started thinking through that."—Pre-inaugural interview with U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 22, 2001 issue
"Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment."—Interview with the New York Times, Jan. 14, 2001 (Thanks to Rachael Contorer.)
"The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants."—Interview with the New York Times, Jan. 14, 2001
"They misunderestimated me."—Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."-Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000
"The great thing about America is everybody should vote."-Austin, Texas, Dec. 8, 2000
"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."--Reuters, May 5, 2000
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"-Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
"I understand small business growth. I was one."-New York Daily News, Feb. 19, 2000
"The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case."-Pella, Iowa, as quoted by the San Antonio Express-News, Jan. 30, 2000
"It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000
"I think if you know what you believe, it makes it a lot easier to answer questions. I can't answer your question."— Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Oct. 4, 2000
"Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods."—Austin, Texas, Dec. 20, 2000
"The senator [McCain] has got to understand if he's going to have—he can't have it both ways. He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road."—To reporters in Florence, S.C., Feb. 17, 2000
"We ought to make the pie higher."—South Carolina Republican Debate, Feb. 15, 2000
"They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program."—Debate in St. Charles, Mo., Nov. 2, 2000
"It's your money. You paid for it."—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000
"It's not the governor's role to decide who goes to heaven. I believe that God decides who goes to heaven, not George W. Bush."
"There ought to be limits to freedom. We're aware of this [web] site, and this guy is just a garbage man, that's all he is." -- George Jr.
"I'm a uniter not a divider. That means when it comes time to sew up your chest cavity, we use stitches as opposed to opening it up." -- Bush, on David Letterman, March 2, 2000. (the audience booed)
"I didn't -- I swear I didn't -- get into politics to feather my nest or feather my friends' nests." -- Bush Jr., in the Houston Chronicle
Quote Sources
Bush's Top Aides Exposed an Undercover CIA Agent To Silence Critics
On July 14, 2003, columnist Robert Novak -- a staunchly partisan Republican and ally of the Bush administration a former ambassador who had investigated the allegations that Iraq tried to buy uranium in Niger (and concluded they were false). Novak wrote:"Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson's wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report."
Several other journalists besides Novak were contacted by the two Bush Administration officials, who encouraged them to report these facts, though Novak was the only one to publish the story directly. An administration official confirmed to the Washington Post that the two officials had contacted at least 6 journalists with the information in an effort to discredit Wilson. Reporters were contacted at Time Magazine and 3 TV networks, including NBC-TV's Andrea Mitchell (who was called after Novak's column appeared.) "sources" confirmed these contacts to them as well. After Novak's column appeared, some of the others discussed the story, including the Washington Post.
For fairly obvious reasons, it is a felony (punished by 10 years in prison) to reveal the identity of an undercover agent. In fact President Bush's father, the first President Bush, said in that those who expose the names of intelligence sources are "the most insidious of traitors."
Wilson's wife -- and mother of his 3 year old twins -- is a case officer in the CIA's clandestine service, working to uncover information about weapons of mass destruction, and her cover job was energy analyst for a private firm. By publishing her maiden name, which she worked under, Novak not only risked her safety, but has tipped off foreign governments that any of their people who met with her are possibly spies. Novak claims that the CIA "asked me not to use her name, but never indicated it would endanger her or anybody else." (Journalists are exempt from the law against exposing intelligence sources; it only applies to the government leakers.)
Shortly after the column appeared, the CIA filed a crime report with the Justice Department. In mid-September 2003, they sent additional information verifying the damage that was caused and confirming that the agent's identity had been secret. The Justice Department, headed by Bush appointee John Ashcroft, has now concluded its preliminary inquiry, determined that there is a crime here, and has opened a full investigation.
Here's the interesting thing about this story: everyone in Washington knows which Administration officials made this leak. Keep that in mind when you read the stories about this scandal, and you'll get an idea of how twisted and chummy the Washington insider scene is. Top Bush officials know because, well, two of them did it and Bush and Karl Rove run a tight ship -- they might not do the dirty work themselves, but this administration is famous for NOT having unauthorized leaks.
And pretty much every reporter in Washington knows who did it -- at least 6 were contacted by the leakers in the first place, and they have talked to several other reporters (all off the record without naming names of course.) Because reporters don't want to reveal their confidential sources (or get punished by Karl Rove), they will continue to play this game where the White House gets away with saying "if these allegations are true" and the press piously pretends they don't know who leaked. Of course the allegations are true -- the name was printed, wasn't it? Unless you believe that ROBERT NOVAK of all people is lying and falsely identified his allies in the Administration as the source of the leak, it is an open and shut case. Even on this point.
Now of course, folks will email me and ask "Who did it then?" I wish I knew, but I'm based in Oregon and don't hang in those circles. Undoubtedly one of our readers does know though, so do a guy a favor and send us the scoop. Wilson first named Karl Rove, the President's brilliant and vindictive political adviser. Karl Rove was fired from the elder President Bush's 1992 campaign, according to "after he planted a negative story with columnist Robert Novak about dissatisfaction with campaign fundraising chief and Bush loyalist Robert Mosbacher Jr." Interesting parallel.
If you read between the lines, though, the Washington insiders all point to one name. Take, for example, which has had the strongest sources on this story to date. The story quotes another (unnamed) journalist confirming that administration officials were spreading this story, and then describes the Time magazine article:
the same week Novak's column was published said that 'some government officials have noted to Time in interviews . . . that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.' The same article quoted from an interview with I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, saying that Cheney did not know about Wilson's mission 'until this year when it became public in the last month or so.'"
By amazing coincidence, that same name popped up in a USA Today story about Plame. While describing Plame's work, the author went out of his way to point out that Libby was familiar with Plame's work (and identity):
"In Washington, Plame was assigned to the CIA's Non-Proliferation Center, an organization of analysts, technical experts and former field operatives who work on detecting and, if possible, preventing foreign proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, Lewis ''Scooter'' Libby, met with officials at the Non-Proliferation Center before the invasion of Iraq to discuss reports that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium in Africa. A U.S. official with knowledge of those meetings said Plame did not attend. But the former U.S. intelligence official said she was involved in preparing materials for those meetings."
So neither story SAYS that Lewis Libby was one of the leakers, but boy didn't his name appear out of the blue right when folks were discussing whodunnit? Cheney and his staff have been the most hawkish of the hawks seeking to attack Iraq and damn the torpedoes.
As time goes on, Libby and the Vice President's office just keep getting singled out, seemingly as non-sequitirs, in these discussions. For example, outspoken Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said on CNBC that President Bush should take a more active role "and get this behind him." He went on to say:
"He has that main responsibility to see this through and see it through quickly, and that would include, if I was president, sitting down with my vice president and asking what he knows about it,"
And during Monday's embattled press conference, Bush's press secretary McLellen said this out of the blue:
"There's been nothing, absolutely nothing, brought to our attention to suggest any White House involvement, and that includes the vice president's office as well."
And here is some interesting speculation on who the 'senior administration official' who confirmed the leaks might be. (The leading candidate seems to be George Tenet, head of the CIA.)
The Bush Administration's reaction should break the illusion if anyone still thinks Bush is a man of integrity dedicated to national security. First, of course, his staff exposes an undercover CIA agent in THE most critical national defense area -- protecting the US against weapons of mass destruction held by terrorists and rogue nations. That's what Valerie Plame did, until she was exposed. If Bush is the man he claims he is, he would be shocked by this action, find out who did it and fire them. Instead, he completely ignored the issue after the column was published, until an FBI investigation forced him to react. Though he said the politically correct things to the press -- "I want to get to the bottom of this", etc. -- his press secretary admits that Bush won't even ASK his top aides if they did it. He knows one of them did, because his ally Robert Novak said so. But he can't be bothered to ask who, or do anything about it.
Now, the Bush administration has a twin strategy -- attack Joseph Wilson as a partisan Democrat, and make sure no Republicans join the calls for a special prosecutor. One Republican aide called the strategy "slime and defend." The strategy reveals Bush's true nature -- his only concern is political damage control, not national security.
Is Wilson a Democrat? No one has reported that. He is a vocal critic of the way Bush has pursued war in Iraq, but it's not as simple as him being a partisan activist. He and his wife have given money to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry this year, and Wilson has advised Kerry's staff. In 1999, he gave $1,000 to Democratic candidate Al Gore, but he also gave $2,000 to George Bush himself. Wilson was appointed to his post in Iraq by George Bush's father, the ex-president, who praised his work there, where Wilson went toe to toe with Saddam Hussein, and was a war hawk. This time, he has supported military action against Iraq but criticized the Bush administration for the way they have done it, and the reasons they gave to justify it.
More to the point, so what? It's still just as wrong (and just as illegal) to expose a spy even if her husband opposes the President.
Calls for a special prosecutor are ironic, since Bush and his allies called so insistently for special prosecutors during Clinton's scandals, even though no one suggested that Janet Reno had any direct ties to the scandals, and Democrats fought them just as insistently. Now the roles are reversed. Politics aside, though, there are some real reasons to be suspicious of John Ashcroft's ability to fairly prosecute Bush administration officials. Ashcroft has direct ties to at least one central figure in the investigation, Karl Rove. Rove was a paid consultant to 3 of Ashcroft's political campaigns before Ashcroft was appointed Attorney General. And Jack Oliver, the deputy finance chairman of President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, was the director of Mr. Ashcroft's 1994 Senate campaign, and later worked as Mr. Ashcroft's deputy chief of staff.
Given these ties, it would be normal for Ashcroft to appoint a special prosecutor or recuse himself from the case, as Janet Reno did with the Waco investigation. (She appointed Republican Senator John Danforth as a special prosecutor). In 2001, Mr. Ashcroft recused himself from the investigation of Senator Robert G. Torricelli of New Jersey, simply because Mr. Torricelli had campaigned against Ashcroft in Missouri.
Why would the administration expose a CIA agent? Because Joseph Wilson (the agent's husband) had publicly criticized the Bush administration's claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and specifically described his assignment in 2002 to investigate claims that Iraq had tried to buy "yellowcake" uranium for a nuclear bomb.
Wilson was perfectly qualified to check this out -- he is an expert on Africa who was also the last U.S. Ambassador to Iraq before the (1991) Gulf War. The elder President Bush publicly praised Wilson's "courage and tenacity" and "your skillful conduct of our tense dealings with the government of Iraq." Wilson checked out the claims and reported back that they were "highly doubtful." When the current Bush administration used the claims anyway to justify invading Iraq, and later denied that they knew the claims were false, he stepped forward and proved that these statements were lies.
One goal was to discredit Wilson. One of the journalists contacted, who asked to remain anonymous, said "The official I spoke with thought this was a part of Wilson's story that wasn't known and cast doubt on his whole mission." It also fits Karl Rove's distinctive brand of hardball, to punish Wilson and, more importantly, intimidate any other government officials who considered disagreeing with them on Iraq's weapons. Wilson says that on July 21st, a week after Novak had blown his wife's cover, a different reporter called Wilson to say that he had just spoken with Rove, and that Rove had said that Wilson's wife "was fair game." The senior Bush administration official who confirmed the phone calls to reporters told the Washington Post "Clearly, it was meant purely and simply for revenge."
Revealing a Spy Sources
Lies, Fraud and Deception to Promote War in Iraq
Don't buy the Bush spin that the lies about Iraq are only "16 words" -- the administration lied, deceived or committed outright fraud about every single point they used to justify invading Iraq (except to say that Saddam was an evil man.)
The "16 words" spin reveals just how shameless their lies are. Short lies don't matter? Well, Clinton got impeached for just 8 words -- "I did not have sex with that woman." Even by that ridiculous standard, Bush is twice as big a liar as Bill Clinton.
The uranium allegation (the "16 words") is famous because the fraud is so obvious. That charge, which Bush stated directly in his State of the Union speech, was based on blatantly forged documents -- one purported to be from a Niger official, to himself. The Bush Administration knew they were forged. They had been told several times that the charges were false, including by our own CIA and State Department. Bush and his top aides fought to put the words back in his speech, using weaselly phrasing -- Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has actually argued that the statement wasn't a lie because Bush didn't SAY Iraq did try to buy uranium, he just said "British intelligence HAS LEARNED that they tried to buy uranium." Once again, Bush imitates Clinton, arguing about what the meaning of "is" is.
Before considering each of the dozens of individual deceptions, lies and misleading statements that Bush and his aides used to push the US into war in Iraq, let's not lose track of the big picture. The Bush administration justified war, immediate war, because alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Those weapons do not exist. They have not existed for years. The Bush adminstration knew this, because a top Iraqi defector told us this over 4 years ago, but they kept that information secret. And weapons of mass destruction were not the reason the Bush administration wanted to invade Iraq. Top officials have even admitted this, saying flat out that they had other reasons but chose WMD because it was the most effective argument politicially.
There were many other deceptive charges by the Bush administration -- about unmanned drones, orders to use chemical weapons, aluminum tubes, links between Iraq and Al Qaeda, etc. But don't forget the big picture. The Bush administration knew that there were no WMD in Iraq. They deliberately and consistently lied to the American people about this, to justify war in Iraq. And 300 US soldiers have died as a result.
Lies About Iraq Sources
1. Bush Lied at his Press Conference, 11/3/2000Bush said he paid a fine on the spot and never went to court. That is clearly a lie, as you can see on In fact, it was a man also in court for DUI the same day who revealed Bush' arrest. Here is exactly what Bush said in his press conference:Bush: "I told the guy I had been drinking and what do I need to do? And he said, "Here's the fine." I paid the fine and did my duty...."Reporter: "Governor, was there any legal proceeding of any kind? Or did you just -- "Bush: "No. I pled -- you know, I said I was wrong and I ..." Reporter: "In court? "Bush: No, there was no court. I went to the police station. I said, "I'm wrong."
2. Bush Lied in Court, 1978Bush got a court hearing to get his driving suspension lifted early, even though he had not completed a required driver rehabilitation course. He told the hearings officer that he drank only once a month, and just had "an occasional beer."The officer granted his request. But Bush continued drinking for 8 years after that date and has said publicly that he drank too much and had a drinking problem during that time. Presumably Bush was under oath during the hearing, though we haven't been able to pin down that detail. The Bush campaign refuses to comment on this contradiction.
3. Bush Lied To "The Dallas Morning News", 1998"Just after the governor's reelection in 1998, [Dallas Morning News reporter Wayne] Slater pressed Bush about whether he had ever been arrested. 'He said, 'After 1968? No.'" Dallas Morning News 11/03/2000 [Before 1968, Bush was arrested for theft and vandalism in college.]
4. Bush Lied On 'Meet The Press', 11/21/99 Tim Russert: "If someone came to you and said, 'Governor, I'm sorry, I'm going to go public with some information.' What do you do?" Bush: "If someone was willing to go public with information that was damaging, you'd have heard about it by now. You've had heard about it now. My background has been scrutinized by all kinds of reporters. Tim, we can talk about this all morning."
5. Bush Lied to CBS, 1999. "Bush has often acknowledged past mistakes, but CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan reports that in a 1999 interview with CBS station WBZ in Boston, he denied there was any so-called smoking gun." CBS TV news
Bush also evaded countless questions and gave Clintonesque half-truths. For example, while struggling with how to answer charges of drug abuse, he said that he would have been able to pass FBI background checks during his father's administration. But those checks include the question "Have you ever been arrested for any crime?" So either he was directly lying, or he has some Slick explanation like "I could have explained the circumstances of the arrest and still passed the FBI check."
In another evasion, Bush decided to serve jury duty in 1996, during his first year as governor. On his questionairre, he simply left blank the questions about prior arrests and trials. Then he found himself on a trial for drunk driving, where every juror is eventually asked about prior convictions for drunk driving. The night before the trial, Bush's lawyer asked the defense attorney to dismiss him, because "it would be improper for a governor to sit on a criminal case in which he could later be asked to grant clemency." It's a silly argument, because that problem exists with any criminal trial and Bush had already decided to serve on a jury, but the defense attorney obliged and excused him before direct questioning of jurors began.
Bush now justifies covering up his arrest "to be a good role model for his daughters." How does he figure that? Lying to cover up your crimes is not what I call being a good role model. Taking responsibility for your actions, admitting fault honestly and warning people of the consequences you suffered, THAT would be a good example. But Bush prefers the Clinton route of bald-faced lying, then blaming your enemies and the press when you get caught.
Bush is now the first person to be elected president after being convicted of a crime.
Bush had several other drunken incidents, as well. In December, 1972, Bush challenged his dad (the ex-president) to a fist fight, during an argument about Bush's drunk driving. He had taken his little brother out drinking, and ran over a neighbor's garbage cans on the way home. Bush's atypical public service job, working with inner city Houston kids, appears to have been an unofficial community service stint set up by Bush, Sr. Apparently the governor didn't learn his lesson, because his drunk driving conviction occured almost four years later.
In another incident, he started screaming obscenities at a Wall Street Journal reporter, just because that reporter predicted that Bush's father would not be the 1988 Republican nominee. The reporter obviously was wrong, but a drunken Bush Jr. walked up to him at a restaurant and started yelling "You fucking son of a bitch. I won't forget what you said and you're going to pay a price for it."
In fact, Bush' running mate Dick Cheney now admits he had two drunk driving offenses in 1962 and 1963, giving the Bush -- Cheney ticket a new world record of 3 DUI's on one ticket. No wonder they seem so relaxed.
The conviction is bad enough, but the real question is, what other revelations are going to come later, about his drug use (which he won't deny), failing to show up for a year of his National Guard service, or sexual escapades in his swinging single days?
There is evidence that Bush has more to hide involving his Texas driving record. Soon after he became governor, he had a new driver's license issued with the unusual ID number of "000000005", an action that destroyed the records of his previous license. His staff could only say, weakly, that this was done for "security reasons" but there is no record of any previous Texas governor having done so. Now we have at least of hint of why Bush wanted his records obscured, and a dark foreboding that more might be lurking, still covered up.
Drunk Driving Sources
His Character: The Prodigal SonGeorge W. Bush, Jr. is touted as the savior of the Republican Party by the national press, because he pulls votes from minority voters and has his dad's name and fundraising connections to run on. But before we anoint him as the next president, let's look at what he's done with his life. In a nutshell, Junior 1) grew up as a very rich child of powerful parents, 2) partied from high school until he was 40, 3) made millions off of sweet insider business deals from political allies of his dad, who happened to be the President, and 4) got elected governor of Texas mostly because of his name.
Bush Junior has done some good work as governor of Texas. He has crossed the partisan divide, reached out to minorities, and tackled at least one tough, thankless issue (school financing; his plan was voted down in the legislature.)
But 4 years -- even 4 good ones -- is a pretty short resume for the leader of the free world. No one doubts Bill Clinton's ability to handle punishment and come back for more. But Bush Junior's stamina and attention span are very real concerns. Furthermore, Bush's term as governor has also been markedly corrupt, although possibly in legal ways. What we mean is, he has taken millions in campaign contributions from certain big businessmen -- many of whom were in on the insider business deals that made him rich -- and those same businessman have received billions in sweet deals from the Texas state government during Bush's term.
Specifics: Like Al Gore, Bush Jr. attended Eastern elitist schools, in this case Andover Prep, and Yale. According to a Newsweek profile, he "went to Yale but seems to have majored in drinking at the Deke House." He joined the secretive "Skull and Bones" club in 1968, as any good conspiracy buff can tell you.
His business career was marked by mediocrity or failure which nonetheless resulted in him getting lots of money from his father's political allies. And his political career has been handed to him on a platter by his famous name, and by his dad's cronies.
Bill Kristol, conservative pundit and Dan Quayle's former chief of staff, says "The Bush network is the only genuine network in the Republican Party. It is the establishment." Junior and Jeb Bush (elected in Florida in 1998) are the first brothers to be simultaneous governors since the Rockefellers.
To give you an idea of how rarefied his upbringing was, George Junior had an argument with his mom at one point about whether non-Christians could go to Heaven. (Barbara Bush felt they could; George didn't.) To settle the dispute, they phoned up Billy Graham on the spot. (He sided with Junior, but warned him not to play God.).)
More recently, Bush's performance during the 2000 South Carolina primary shows that he received the worst trait common to the famous Bush family -- a vicious competitiveness that shows no compunction about dirty tricks (such as the phone calls by his surrogates calling McCain, of all people, "the fag candidate") and utterly shameless flipflops (like Bush Sr.'s "read my lips, no new taxes", and Junior's very public refusal to meet with the gay Log Cabin Republicans group until right before the California primary, when he claimed he was fine with them all along. Not to mention him suddenly becoming "a reformer" after he got shellacked in the New Hampshire primary.)
Not only does this trait demonstrate a lack of integrity -- which I define as having standards and things you believe in that you won't violate, even to win the presidency -- but there is an incredible arrogance in thinking that voters will accept and believe a candidate who blatantly changes his positions from week to week, saying whatever the local primary voters want to hear.
Unfortunately, Bush Jr. has inherited this negative family trait without receiving any of the graciousness, diligence, and bravery of his father and grandfather (a Senator who lost his seat over a principled vote in favor of birth control, back in the 1940s.)
Thin skinned: Bush tries to stifle his criticsOne of the most disturbing things about Bush is that he consistently works to silence his critics using his money and power, including state police and expensive lawyers. Not since Richard Nixon has a major presidential candidate been so quick to prevent his opponents from free speech. At the very least, this shows he doesn't understand big-league politics and may not be tough enough to handle more serious opponents, such as hostile foreign countries and terrorists. At worst, it may be a sign of Nixon-like paranoia; that president's thin-skin started out with similar small potatos and grew to bring down his presidency amid enemies' lists, illegal break-ins of his opponent's offices, and forcing the IRS to audit his enemies.
Bush can't blame this on his staff, either; it comes from the top. When asked about one critical web site, he told the press "There ought to be limits to freedom. We're aware of this site, and this guy is just a garbage man, that's all he is."
As governor of Texas, for example, Bush Junior has sent the state police to arrest peaceful demonstrators outside the governors mansion. While previous governors allowed peaceful pickets on the public sidewalk outside the mansion, Bush has claimed that they are blocking public access, and had them arrested. Not all protestors, either -- just the ones he doesn't want the press to see.
In the 2000 primaries, Bush supporters including NY Governor Pataki sued to keep John McCain and Steve Forbes off the New York primary ballot in several congressional districts. Bush denied any involvement, fooling no one, but after McCain's decisive New Hampshire victory made the move look ridiculous, Bush and his top strategist Karl Rove called up his establishment minions, after which they instantly announced that they were stopping their efforts to keep McCain off the ballot. Ironically, all of the attention to ballot rules revealed that a number of Bush delegates and alternates used fraudulent signatures to qualify for the ballot. As a result, it appears that McCain and Forbes will be on the ballot statewise, but George Bush Jr. won't be in one Bronx congressional district.
Bush also can't stand criticism on the Internet. His campaign quietly -- and probably illegally -- bought up over 200 anti-Bush domain names including "bushsucks.com", "bushbites.com", and "bushblows.com" over a year ago. (Illegally because he had refused to register as a candidate, as part of his effort to make it look like people were begging him to run, so spending money for his campaign was not allowed.) If you type in any of these URLs, you end up at Bush's official web site. His campaign refuses to say whether this means that they admit that he bites, blows and sucks. (Maybe he used to be a White House intern?)
If you wanted to set up one of those sites, breathe easy because many good names are still available. The Bush camp somehow neglected to purchase "bushisaprick.com", "bushisweak.com", or "bushsucksdonkeydicks.com", so $70 makes them yours.
Even worse, Bush and his high-priced lawyers have tried twice to shut down a web site -- www.gwbush.com -- that parodies the Bush campaign, in particular his "no comment" answers on drug use in his past. You will recall that Bush has said it doesn't matter what he did "in his youth," because the question is "have you grown up" and "have you learned from your mistakes." The parody site presents a new program called "Amnesty 2000", in which Bush "proposes" pardoning all drug convicts who have "grown up."
The Bush campaign filed one complaint about the site in April 1999, after which the parody site's owners changed it to look less like the real Bush site. That wasn't good enough though, and Bush lawyers filed against the site again in May 1999. So far, it remains in business. Sources
Lying Under Oath. Bush & Co. Squelch Investigation of Contributor's Funeral HomesIn a (so far successful) attempt to stop a scandal, Bush perjured himself under oath, according to the sworn testimony of two of his political allies. The situation is amazingly similar to Clinton's Lewinsky problem: a potentially damaging lawuit arose (see below) that threatened to involve him. Just like Clinton, Bush swore an affidavit that he had no involvement in the case, which got him excused from testifying. And just like Clinton, the affidavit was proven false months later by new evidence. In this case, it's the recent sworn testimonyof Robert MacNeil, a Bush appointee, that he had discussed the case with Bush at a fundraiser.
This scandal isn't as sexy as Monica's, but perjury is perjury, and this scandal actually involves the governor's job, not his sex life. Texas' state commission on funeral homes (the TFSC) started an investigation of SCI, the world's largest funeral home company (with 3,442 homes, plus 433 cemeteries) after complaints that unlicensed apprenctices were embalming corpses at 2 SCI embalming centers. The commission visited a couple of these, and ended up fining SCI $450,000.
But SCI pulled strings with the commission and with Bush himself. Shortly thereafter, the investigation was shut down and the agency's investigator was fired. She sought to question Bush for her lawsuit, and that's when he swore his admittedly false affidavit. In fact, that affidavit has been proven false twice now.
DETAILS: SCI has long cultivated Bush and his allies. They gave governor Bush $35,000 in the last election and $10K in 1994, gave $100,000 to the George Bush, Sr. library, and hired the ex-president to give a speech last year for $70,000. They also spread money around the Texas legislature and the Texas Attorney General's office.
After the investigation got serious, SCI's boss, Robert Waltrip, called the funeral commission's chairman and told him to "back off." If not, Waltrip said, "I'm going to take this to the governor."
Still, the investigation continued. So Waltrip and his lawyer/lobbyist, Johnnie B. Rogers, went to the governor's office and dropped off a letter demanding a halt to the investigation. Rogers told Newsweek that he and Waltrip were ushered in to see Joe Allbaugh, Bush's chief of staff (who is now Bush's campaign manager.) Rogers goes on to say that Bush Jr. popped his head in and said to Waltrip, "Hey, Bobby, are those people still messing with you?" Waltrip said yeah. Then the governor turned to Rogers and said, "Hey, Johnnie B. Are you taking care of him?" Rogers said "I'm doing my best, Governor."
The problem for Bush is that he swore under oath, in a July 20th 1999 affidavit, that he "had no conversations with [SCI] officials, agents, or represenatives concerning the investigation or any dispute arising from it." If Rogers is telling the truth, than Bush Jr. lied directly under oath. He filed the affidavit in an attempt to avoid testifying in a whistleblower lawsuit concerning this investigation and it's alleged squashing by Bush's administration.
Back in August of 1999, Bush himself admitted that he spoke with Waltrip and Rogers -- in other words, that he lied under oath -- but used Clintonesque denials to claim that it was nothing substantial. Bush told the Associated Press that "It's a 20-second conversation. I had no substantive conversation with the guy. Twenty seconds. That's hardly enough time to even say hello, much less sit down and have a substantive discussion. All I know is it lasted no time. And that hardly constitutes a serious discussion. I did not have any knowledge at all of Waltrip's problem with this case."
Of course, nothing Bush says here contradicts what Rogers said. In fact, his careful explanation of why this is not perjury is incredibly similar to Bill Clinton's weaseling about what the meaning of "is" is. And now MacNeil's sworn statement further confirms Bush's lie.
Whatever Bush said out loud, Waltrip's complaints to the governor got quick results. Eliza May -- the investigator for the funeral services commission -- says that after Waltrip visited the governor, she received phone calls from three senior Bush aides asking if she could wrap up her proble quickly. She says she was also summoned to another meeting in Allbaugh's office, one month after the first one, and found Waltrip already there. The governor's top aide, she says, demanded that she turn over a list of all of the documents that she needed "to close the SCI investigation."
Since then, investigator Eliza May has been fired, 6 or 10 staff members on the commission have been fired or resigned and not been replaced, and the Texas legislature -- led by members receiving substantial contributions from SCI -- passed a bill to reorganize the agency and remove it's head. On August 16, 199, Bush ordered his Comptroller to take over the agency and run it. May -- who, it should be noted, is a Democrat and was even state Democratic Treasurer at one point -- has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging she was fired because she persisted with the investigation.
Bush simply didn't show up for his scheduled deposition on July 1st, 1999 in the case. (He isn't a defendant in the case, because Governors are immune from lawsuits in Texas, but is being called as a material witness.) He filed his affidavit on July 20th to indicate that he had nothing to add.
Now Robert MacNeil -- who was the chairman of the Texas funeral commission at the time, a Bush appointee -- confirms that he also discussed the case with Bush, at a 1998 Texas fundraiser. In a sworn deposition, MacNeil says that Bush asked him: “Have you and Mr. Waltrip got your problems worked out?” Replied McNeil: “We’re still trying to work on that, governor.” Bush then said, “Do your job.” Bush's campaign says that MacNeil's statement is false. But the language MacNeil says Bush used is almost identical to what he admits saying to Johnnie Rodgers in the governor's office. Sources
Corruption in Texas Government; State $ to Big Contributors Bush's administration has consistenly shoveled large amounts of state controlled money to men who have either contributed large amounts to Bush's campaign, or who have made Junior personally rich through sweet insider business deals, or both.
For example, the University of Texas' Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) invests $1.7 billion of state money. Most of this comes from profits from oil discovered on Texas state land. Bush's cronies dominate this board, and in return investment funds controlled by these very cronies or their friends have received nearly a third -- $457 million -- of that massive investment pool. There may even be more, but this obscure group -- created under Bush -- cloaks its operations in a thick veil of secrecy.
UTIMCO's chairman, Tom Hicks, now owns the Texas Rangers; his purchase of the team made Governor Bush a very rich man. Furthermore, Hicks and his brother gave $146,000 to the Bush campaign. In return, $252 million of the invested money went to funds run by Hicks' business associates or friends, according to the Houston Chronicle. Hicks even insisted that UTIMCO increase by $10 million an investment with a fund that he had an indirect financial interest in, but UTIMCO staff halted funding after they discovered the conflict.
Then there's Sam and Charles Wyly, the billionaire brothers who secretly bought $2.5 million of "independent" TV ads slamming McCain just before the critical Super Tuesday primaries. (They have also given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bush Jr.'s governor and presidential campaigns.) They control Maverick Capital, an investment fund that received $90 million of UTIMCO money. The brothers earn nearly $1 million in fees alone from that money, along with a share of any profits.
Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts -- a longtime Bush contributor -- received a $50 million investment deal in 1996. And there are many more Bush supporters who have received millions from UTIMCO, including the Bass family and Adele Hall of the Hallmark Cards family.
Another key player in the Bush world is Richard Rainwater, the billionaire Texas investor who made Bush Jr.'s original involvement in the Texas Rangers deal possible. That's the deal that made Jr. rich, of course. Bush had several other personal investments in Rainwater controlled companies. But Rainwater has received much from Bush and the state of Texas' treasury, too. UTIMCO invested at least $20 million in Rainwater companies.
And UTIMCO is not the only Bush administration agency funneling money and favors to his supporters and cronies. T he state teacher retirement fund sold three office buildings to Rainwater's real estate company at bargain prices, and without bids in 2 of the cases. The fund invested $90 million in the Frost Bank Plaza in Austin, and sold it to Rainwater's Crescent Real Estate for $35 million. Bush signed a law that will give his former baseball team co-owners -- including Rainwater -- a $10 million bonus payment when a new Dallas arena is built. Bush also proposed a cap on business real estate taxes that would have saved Rainwater millions on his various properties (but it lost in the legislature).
In another example, Bush's state Housing department has been investigated for kickbacks, and Florita Bell Griffin, who Bush appointed to the state Housing Board, was just convicted of bribery, theft, money-laundering and mail fraud for trading her influence for cash. She faces 55 years in prison. And Larry Paul Manley, Bush's director of the Department of Housing until he resigned in January 1999, is under police investigation for steering federal tax credits to cronies. Texas' top auditor discovered in 1997 that 60% of department contracts went to Manley's former colleagues at local savings and loans, but refused to make the findings public until long after the criminal probes began.
Bush may or may not have violated state ethics laws with all of this big money backscratching, but there is no doubt that he and these businessman are operating corruptly -- funneling large amounts of state money to the businessmen's companies, and large amounts of their personal and business money into George Bush Jr.'s pocket and political campaigns.
Sources
Avoided the Vietnam War
Most people have heard something about George W. Bush pulling strings to get into the Texas Air Guard. But the press, while reporting lots of details, has done a poor job of communicating how consistently and shamelessly Bush Jr. sought and received favorable treatment while he avoided Vietnam.
Furthermore, his story has repeatedly changed -- he has weaseled like Clinton at his worstand even flat-out lied when explaining what happened.
To put it in perspective, here are 9 ways Bush got favored treatment in the service due to his political connections (he was then son of a Congressman and grandson of a former Senator):1) He got into the Guard by pulling strings, avoiding the year and a half waiting list;2) He took a 2-month vacation in Florida after just 8 weeks, (1 of 3 leaves), to work on a political campaign;3) Bush skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, without qualifications;4) He was assigned to a safe plane (being phased out of active service), the F-102 ;5) During flight school, he was flown on a government jet to Washington for a date with President Nixon's daughter Tricia He simply didn't show up for a YEAR, with no penalty;8) George W. skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests, and was removed from flight status;9) He ended his service 10 months early to go to Harvard Business School;
Here are the details:
1. Pulled Strings to Get In.On May 27, 1968, George Bush Jr. was 12 days away from losing his student draft deferment, at a time when 350 Americans a week were dying in combat. The National Guard, seen by many as the most respectable way to avoid Vietnam, had a huge waiting list -- a year and a half in Texas, over 100,000 men nationwide. Yet Bush and his family friends pulled strings, and the young man was admitted the same day he applied, regardless of any waiting list.
Bush's unit commander, Col. "Buck" Staudt, was so excited about his VIP recruit that he staged a special ceremony for the press so he could have his picture taken administering the oath (even though the official oath had been given by a captain earlier.)
Bush and his allies have tried to deny this with several changing stories, but Bush himself admits lobbying commander Staudt, who approved him, and court documents confirm that close family friend and oil magnate Sid Adger called Texas Speaker of the House Ben Barnes, who called General James Rose, the head of the Texas Air National Guard, to get Bush in. Rose, who is now dead, told his friend and former legislator Jake Johnson that "I got that Republican congressman's son from Houston into the Guard."
Staudt's unit, the 147th, was infamous as a nesting place for politically connected and celebrity draft avoiders. Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen's son was in the unit, as were both of Sid Adger's sons and at least 7 members of the Dallas Cowboys.
2. Took a 2 month vacation in Florida after 8 weeks in the Guard.Just 8 weeks after joining, Bush was granted 2 months leave to go to Florida and work on a political campaign, the Senate race of Republican Edward Gurney. Bush took a leave every election season, in 1970 to work on his dad's campaign, and in 1972 to work in Alabama.
3. Skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as 2nd Lt.As soon as Bush completed basic training, his commander approved him for a "direct appointment", which made him an officer without having to go through the usual (and difficult) Officer Candidate School. This special procedure also got Bush into flight school, despite his very low scores on aptitude tests -- he scored 25% on a pilot aptitude test, the absolute lowest acceptable grade, and 50% for navigator aptitude. (Bush did score 95% on the easier officer quality test, but then again the average is 88%).
What made Bush's appointment doubly unusual was his total lack of special qualifications. This procedure was generally reserved for applicants with exceptional experience or skills, such as ROTC training or engineering, medical or aviation skills. Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National Guard, reviewed the Guard's records on Bush for a special exhibit on his service after Bush became governor. Asked about Bush's direct appointment without special skills, Hail said "I've never heard of that. Generally they did that for doctors only, mostly because we needed extra flight surgeons."
Charles Shoemake, an Air Force veteran who later joined the Texas Air National Guard and retired as a full colonel, said that direct appointments were rare and hard to get, and required extensive credentials. Asked about Bush, he said "His name didn't hurt, obviously. But it was a commander's decision in those days."
Despite Bush Jr.'s weak qualifications, Col. Staudt was so excited about the direct appointment that he saged another special ceremony for the press, this time with Bush's father the congressman standing prominently in the background.
The direct appointment process was discontinued in the 1970s.
4. Assigned to a safe plane -- the F-102 -- that was being phased out.As Bush has been quick to note, National Guard members do face the chance of being called up for active duty, though few actually did during the Vietnam war. So what a lucky break for Bush that he was assigned to fly the F-102 Delta Dagger, a plane already being phased out. In fact, the Air Force had ordered all overseas F-102 units shut down as of June 30, 1970 -- just 3 months after Bush finished his training. Since training is so airplane specific, Bush was guaranteed from the beginning to be safe from combat.
Bush's campaign has even used his training on the obsolete plane to justify his early discharge, almost a year before his scheduled discharge, since other F-102 pilots were also being released early. But they can't answer the obvious question -- why spend so much money to train a National Guardsman for 2 years on a plane that was already being phased out, at a time when the Guard was letting F102 pilots leave early due to oversupply?
5. Celebrity Political Date.During his flight training, Bush's celebrity showed in a couple of ways. Most famously, President Nixon sent a jet to pick up the young flight student for a date with his daughter Tricia. Alas, the potential political marriage and dynasty was not to be. Also, the commencement speaker at Bush's graduation ceremony was -- his dad, Congressman George Bush Sr.
6. Illegal, overruled transfer to a base with no work.In 1972, Bush once again wanted to work on a political campaign, this time in Alabama. He applied for a transfer to a nearly defunct base with no active training or work, the 9921st Air Reserve Squadrom at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Bush's supervisors approved, but a higher headquarters overruled them, noting that the unit had no regular drills.
Lt. Col. Reese Bricken, the unit's commander, told the Boston Globe "We met just one weeknight a month. We were only a postal unit. We had no airplanes. We had no pilots. We had no nothing." Even Albert Lloyd Jr., a retired Air Guard colonel who is helping the Bush campaign clarify the candidate's service, told the Globe he was mystified why Bush's superiors at the time would approve duty at such a unit. Lloyd was personnel director of the Texas Air Guard from 1969 to 1995.
Now, the officer who did that has stepped forward and very directly admitted that he tried to get the easiest possible assignment for Bush. The personnel officer in charge of Bush's 147th Fighter Group, now-retired Col. Rufus G. Martin, says he tried to give Bush a light load when he told him to apply to the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron in Montgomery, Ala. Martin said in an interview that he knew Bush wasn't eligible for the 9921st, an unpaid, general training squadron that met once a week to hear lectures on first aid and the like. "However," he said, "I thought it was worth a try. . . . It was the least participation of any type of unit."
7. Just didn't show up for a year -- with no punishment.National Guard records and Bush's own supervisor's and friends show no sign of him attending any drills or performing any service for nearly a year, from May 1972 until May 1973. This period began with Bush moving to Alabama for a political campaign.
He later applied to transfer to a base that had no work; the transfer was first approved, then cancelled. Bush did nothing for several months; then in September he applied to transfer to Alabama's 187th Tactical Recon group for 3 months. This was approved, but the unit's commander, General William Turnipseed, and his then admnistrative officer, Kenneth Lott, have both said that Bush never showed up. "Had he reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do not," said Turnipseed. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered."
Bush claims that he did some work in Alabama, but can't remember any details. “I can’t remember what I did,” he said. “I just—I fulfilled my obligation." Despite 2 years of searching through hundreds of records, his campaign has been unable to find any record of Bush's service there, nor could they find a single fellow serviceman who remembers his presence. The best they could produce was an ex-girlfriend from Alabama -- Emily Marks --who said George told her he would have to do some Guard duty later that year (1972) in Montgomery. But all that confirms is that he knew of his obligation.
In December 1972, Bush returned to Houston and was scheduled to resume duty there. But in May 1973, Bush's supervising pilots wrote in his annual efficiency report: "Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the period of the report" (i.e. through April 30, 1972). Bush described one of the supervisors, the late Col. Jerry Killian, as a personal friend, so it's likely he would have noticed Bush and given him the benefit of the doubt. Later that month, two special orders commanded Bush to appear for active duty. He served 36 days of active duty during May, June and July before leaving the Guard early.
Amazingly, Bush was not disciplined in any way for his absence, and received an honorable discharge. Under Air National Guard rules at that time, guardsmen who missed duty could be reported to their Selective Service Board and inducted into the Army as draftees.
8. Skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests.In April 1972, the military started including routine drug tests in servicemen's annual physical exam, including urinalysis, questions about drugs and "a close examination of the nasal cavities" (for cocaine). According to the regulation, the medical took place in the month after the serviceman's birthday. For George W. Bush, this meant August 1972.
It was May, 1972 -- one month after the drug testing was announced -- that Bush stopped attending Guard duty. In August 1972, he was suspended from flight duty for failing to take his physical. (Click here to see the document.) A Bush campaign spokesman confirmed to the London Sunday Times that Bush knew he would be suspended. "He knew the suspension would have to take place." Bush never flew again, even though he returned to his Houston base where Guard pilots flew thousands of hours in the F-102 during 1973. The only barrier to him flying again was a medical exam (and his lack of attendance).
Careful readers will recall that when Bush issued his partial denial of drug use, he said (or implied) that he hadn't used them since 1974, but he pointedly refused to deny drug use before then, i.e. during his military service. Several sources have also indicated that it was in December, 1972 -- 4 months after his medical suspension -- that a drunk Bush Jr. challenged his father to a fist fight during an argument over the son's drunk driving. (He had run over a neighbor's garbage cans.) Shortly thereafter, Bush Sr. arranged for his son to do community service at an inner city Houston charity.
Bush's campaign aides first said he did not take the physical because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But flight physicals can be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and some were assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where Bush was living. The staff now admits that this explanation was wrong.
9. Left service 10 months early.Even after that easy stint, Bush couldn't fulfill his obligation. He quickly made up the missed days he had to and applied for an early release, before he had to take his next annual physical exam (with drug test.) While the official discharge date was October 1, 1973, Bush's last day in uniform was actually July 31 -- a full 10 months before the end of his 6-year, part time commitment. Al Gore also requested and received an early discharge (from the Army, in his case) to go to school.
Weasel words; his story keeps changing.When asked about his service, Bush has lied, changed his story repeatedly, and weaseled in a manner eerily reminiscent of Bill Clinton. First of all, he has flat-out lied. In his official autobiography, ''A Charge to Keep,'' Bush said he flew with his unit for ''several years'' after finishing flight training in June 1970. His campaign biography states that he flew with the unit until he won release from the service in September 1973, nine months early, for graduate school. Both statements are lies. Bush only flew with the 111th for one year and 10 months, until April 1972 when he was suspended for failing to take his medical exam (and drug test), and never flew again.
Then there is his Clintonesque weaseling and word choice. Bush and his campaign claimed that no Bush family or friends pulled strings. Under pressure, this changed to "All I know is anybody named George Bush did not ask him [Ben Barnes] for help." By that he meant, himself or his dad. Of course, it later came out in court that a close Bush friend, Simon Adger, had asked Barnes to get Bush Jr. into the Guard, and that Barnes did so, via General Rose.
Now's it's not even clear that a George Bush didn't ask for help. When pressed, the former president's spokeswoman (Jean Becker) said he is "almost positive" that he and Mr. Adger never discussed the Guard matter. "He [Bush Sr.] he is fairly certain - I mean he doesn't remember everything that happened in the 1960s..." In any case, Bush Sr. and Adger were very close. Ms. Becker acknowledged that "President Bush knew Sid Adger well. He loved him." Adger may have needed only a hint.
Furthermore, George Bush Jr. admits that he knew Adger socially at the time, and further admits that he lobbied Col. "Buck" Staudt, the commander of the VIP unit Bush joined. Staudt claims that he, not General Rose (who he later replaced), was the one who made the decision on admissions anyway. Bush Jr. admits that he met Staudt in late 1967, during Christmas vacation of his senior year, called him later, and -- in Bush's words -- "found out what it took to apply."
When asked how Bush came to call Staudt, his spokeswoman Karen Hughes said he "heard from friends while he was home over the Christmas break that ... Colonel Staudt was the person to contact." She says that Bush doesn't recall who those "friends" were. But we know that Sid Adger was also a friend of Staudt's, served with him on the Houston Chamber of Commerce's Aviation Committee, and in 1967 held a luncheon honoring Gen. Staudt and his unit for winning an Air Force commendation. In fact, both of Adger's sons also joined General Staudt's unit, in 1966 and 1968 respectively.
Bush and his staff also claim that he vaulted ahead of the Air Guard waiting list because he was willing to fly an airplane, and there were openings. There is nothing to support this claim, however. For one thing, the F-102 was being phased out at the time and F-102 pilots were being released from service early, as indeed Bush himself was. And Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National Guard, says flatly that there was no pilot shortage in the Guard squadron at that time. Bush's unit had 27 pilots at the time he applied; while they were authorized for 29 pilots, there were two more already in training and one awaiting a transfer.
Bush also weasels on whether he was avoiding combat or not. He has stated on several occasions that he did not want to be an infantryman, and acknowledges that he came to oppose the war itself. He claims that he joined the guard to fly planes, and would have been happy to go to Vietnam, but ignores the obvious choice of the Air Force or the Navy -- which his dad, a genuine war hero, joined. Furthermore, when he signed up for the Guard, he checked a box saying "Do not volunteer for overseas service." Later, he made a perfunctory application to transfer to a program called "Palace Alert", which dispatched F-102 pilots to Europe or the Far East -- and just occasionally Vietnam -- for 3 or 6 month assignments. But Bush was not nearly qualified, as he must have known, and was immediately turned down, and the F-102 not used overseas after June, 1970 in any case.
And, as noted above, his story also changed on why he refused to take a medical exam -- including a drug test - in 1972. (The refusal ended Bush's flying career.) His staff first claimed that he didn't take the physical because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But flight physicals can be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and there were surgeons assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where Bush was living. His staff now admits that that explanation was "wrong", without saying where it came from or what the real reason was. Draft & National Guard Sources
Insider Business DealsBush Jr. has made a lot of money off of three business deals. In each one, his contribution is hard to perceive, yet he walked off with hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in deals arranged by his father's political cronies. The deals were 1. the sale of Junior's struggling oil company, 2. Junior's sale of oil stock just before the Gulf War, and 3. getting a cheap slice of the Texas Rangers baseball team, which he sold in 1999 for a huge profit (he paid $600,000, and sold for $14 million).
The general pattern here is just as important as the details. Bush did no work in his business career that can clearly be called "excellent" or even "solid." The money he made is tangential to his efforts at best -- the oil companies lost a great deal of money during his tenure, and the Rangers cut a lot of corners -- which makes the cronyism that much more suspicious.
It's not just that one or two of Bush's deals look funky; every major business deal he has been involved with included wealthy supporters of his father, and many of those investors later received favorable treatment from either the federal government under Bush, Sr. or the current Texas administration of Junior.
Deal #1: The Oil Business: Rewarded for Losing MoneyLike his dad, Junior struck out in Texas and founded an oil company, Arbusto Energy, Inc., with $20,000 of his own money. (Arbusto is the Spanish word for bush.) The company foundered in the early 1980s when oil prices dropped (and his dad was Vice President.)
The 50 investors, who were "mainly friends of my uncle" in Junior's own words, put in $4.7 million and lost most of it. Junior claims that investors "did pretty good," but Bush family friend Russell Reynolds told the Dallas Morning News: "The bottom line was there were problems, and it didn't work out very well. I think we got maybe 20 cents on the dollar."
As Arbusto neared collapse, Spectrum 7 Energy Corporation bought it in September 1984. Despite his poor track record, the owners made Bush, Jr. the president and gave him 13.6% of the parent company's stock.
Spectrum 7 was a small oil firm owned by two staunch Reagan/Bush Sr. supporters -- William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds. These two were also owners of the Texas Rangers and allowed Bush Jr. to purchase a chunk of the team cheaply; he later sold it for over 24 times what he paid.
Within two years of purchasing Arbusto and making Bush Jr. president, Spectrum 7 was itself in trouble; it lost $400,000 in its last 6 months of operation. That ended in 1986, when Harken Energy Corporation bought Spectrum 7's 180-well operation.
Junior got $227,000 worth of Harken stock, and a lot more. He was named to the board of directors, made $80,000 to $100,000 a year well into the 1990s as a "consultant" to Harken, and was allowed to buy Harken stock at 40% below face value.
He also borrowed $180,375 from Harken at very low rates; the company's 1989 and 1990 SEC filings said it "forgave" $341,000 in loans to unspecified executives.
So what did Junior do for all this money? It's hard to say exactly, but things happened for Harken after Junior came on board: it got a $25 million stock offering from an unusual bank with CIA ties, it won a surprise exclusive drilling contract with Bahrain, a small Mideast country, and an Arab member of its Board of Directors was invited to White House policy meetings with President George Bush and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.
Easy Money From Odd Sources
The firm's $25 million stock offering was underwritten by Stephens, Inc., an Arkansas bank whose head, Jackson Stephens, was on President Bush's "Team 100." (That was a group of 249 rich persons who gave at least $100,000 each to his presidential campaign committee). Stephens placed the offering with the London subsidiary of Union Bank of Switzerland, which (according to the Wall Street Journal) was not known as an investor in small American companies.
Union Bank did have other connections; it was a joint-venture partner with the notorious BCCI in a Geneva-based bank, and was involved in a scandal surrounding the Nugan Hand Bank, a CIA operation in Australia whose executives were advised by William Quasha, the father of Harken's chairman (Alan Quasha.) Union Bank was also involved in scandals surrounding Panamanian money laundering by BCCI, and Ferdinand Marcos' movement of 325 tons of gold out of the Phillipines.
That wasn't the only financing connection Junior brought; after the company won its Bahrain deal (see next item), the billionaire Bass brothers of Texas offered to underwrite the drilling operation. Robert Bass is also a member of Bush's Team 100, and he and his kin gave $226,000 to Bush Senior between 1988 and 1992.
The Bahrain Contract
In January 1990, Harken was chosen out of the blue by the small Mideast country Bahrain for an exclusive offshore oil drilling contract. They beat out Amoco, an experienced and major international conglomerate, despite having no offshore oil drilling experience at all. As of March 1995, the most recent report we could find, they had found no oil.
Junior has denied that he was involved in the deal, and even told the Wall Street Journal that he opposed it. But a company insider told Mother Jones Magazine "Like any member of the board, he was thrilled. His attitude was 'Holy shit, what a great deal!'"
If he did oppose it, he wasn't much of a consultant. Charles Strain, an energy company analyst in Houston, told Mother Jones: "Harken is not hard to understand -- it's easy. The company has only one real asset -- its Bahrain contract. If that field turns out to be dry, Harken's stock is worth, at the most, 25 cents a share. If they hit it big over there, the stock could be worth $30 to $40 dollars a share." As of December 1998, Harken Energy Corp. (HEC on Amex) is trading at $2.69 a share.
Access to the President For Bush's Foreign Business Partner
The most troubling thing that happened to Harken after it bought George Bush Junior in, was that one of its Board of Directors members was suddenly admitted to the highest levels of United States foreign policy meetings. These were not Clintonesque meet-and-greet fundraisers, but actual working policy meetings during a critical period.
After the Harken-Bahrain deal was signed, Palestinian businessman Talat Othman was added to a group of Arabs who met with George Bush and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft three times in 1990 -- once just two days after Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Othman was the representative of Sheikh Abdullah Bakhsh, who purchased 10% of Harken stock. (More on Baksh in a second.) Othman has continued a fruitful relationship with Bush. He has visited Bush in the White House, and gave an Islamic benediction at the 2000 Republican convention. More recently, several Islamic charities and businesses run by Othman's business partner Yaqub Mirza were raided on March 20, 2002 by Treasury investigators, investigating ties between them and Osama Bin Laden, al Qaeda and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Just two weeks later, Othman was able to get a luncheon meeting with President Bush's Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill (since fired), to complain about the raids.
Backsh, Othman's patron, had several ties to the infamous BCCI bank according to the Wall Street Journal. Bakhsh was a co-investor in Saudi Arabia with alleged BCCI front man Ghaith Pharaon. Bakhsh's banker, Khalid bin Mahfouz, was another BCCI figure and head of the largest bank in Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Kalifah, the prime minister of Bahrain, was a BCCI shareholder and played the key role in selecting Harken for the oil contract.
This is the crowd that gained entry to the President and the National Security Adviser of the United States after George Junior made his deal with Harken.
Deal #2: Selling Oil Stock Just Before Iraq InvadedGeorge Bush, Junior sold 60% of his stock in Harken Oil in June, 1990 for $848,560. That was brilliant timing; in August, Iraq invaded Kuwait and Harken's stock dropped 25%. Soon after, a big quarterly loss caused it to drop further.
A secret State Deparment memo in May of that year had warned that Saddam was out of control, and listed options for responding to him, including an oil ban that might affect US oil prices.
We can't be sure that the President or an aide mentioned these developments to his son, or that Harken's representative who was admitted to meetings with the President picked up something and reported back to Junior. But it is the simplest and most logical explanation. The Bushes acknowledge that George Senior and his sons consult on political strategy and other matters constantly.
Furthermore, Harken's internal financial advisers at Smith Barney had issued a report in May warning of the company's deteriorating finances. Harken owed more than $150 million to banks and other creditors at the time. George Bush, Jr. was a member of the board and also of Harken's restructuring committee, which met in May and worked directly with the Smith Barney consultants. He must have known of these warnings.
These are pretty clear-cut indications of illegal insider trading. The Securities and Exchange Commission, controlled at the time by President George Bush, investigated but chose not to press charges.
Junior also violated another SEC rule explicitly. He was required to register his sale as an insider trade by July 10, 1990, but didn't until March 1991, after the Gulf War was over. He was not punished or cited.
Deal #3: A Big Slice of the Texas Rangers for a Little Money (and a Big Profit)
The third unusually easy deal for George Bush Junior was his involvement in the Texas Rangers baseball team. In a nutshell, he was offered a piece of this valuable franchise for only $600,000, by supporters of his dad who also bailed out his failing oil company. He sold his stake for $14 million - while Texas governor -- to a Texas millionaire with lots of businesses regulated by his administration. "When all it is all said and done, I will have made more money than I ever dreamed I would make," Bush told the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.
Bush was allowed to buy 1.8% of the team for $600,000 of borrowed money, and was even made one of the two general managers. His qualifications for partial ownership? Several years working at failing oil companies, and his political connections through his father. It's hard to be sure, but we're guessing that latter was probably more important. Junior tripled his investment, like the other owners, with the help of massive government intervention and subsidies. But his real wealth came from simply being given 10% of the team as a "bonus" for "putting together the investment team."
Even if he really had done that work, it's an absurd bonus ($12.2 million), but the fact is that he didn't add much. Cincinatti financier William DeWitt brought Bush in, not vice versa, shortly after George Bush Sr. was elected president. (DeWitt had also invested in Junior's oil companies.). The only investor Bush actually brought in was Roland Betts, a Yale fraternity brother, and that wasn't good enough.
Under Junior's management, the deal was about to fall apart until baseball commissioner Peter Uebberoth brought in another investment group led by Fort Worth Billionaire Richard Rainwater and Dallas investor "Rusty" Rose. Since the deal, both men have profited greatly from business with the Texas administration of George Bush, Jr. Rose personally invested $3.2 million and became the other general manager of the team. Under the team partnership agreement, Bush Junior couldn't take any "material actions" wihtout Rose's prior approval. There was also a method for removing Junior as a general partner, but no way to remove Rose. Yet Rose's "bonus" for his role in setting up the deal was less than half of Junior's.
What kind of owners would approve such a big payoff to Bush? In addition to Rose and Rainwater, men with business pending before Texas government, the owners included William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds, major contributors to President Bush who had also purchased Junior's failing oil company through their Spectrum 7 Energy company.
If this deal doesn't smell bad enough already, consider Bush's blatant hypocrisy. The main value of the team is its new stadium (ranked by Financial World as the most profitable in baseball) and 300 acres of vacant land the team owns between the stadium and 6 Flags of Texas, which is next door.
Putting Tax Money into Bush's PocketThe hypocritical part is, the private owners of this very valuable land didn't want to sell. Bush and his partners gave them only a lowball offer, and when it was rejected they arranged for a new government agency (the Arlington Sports Facility Development Authority, or ASFDA) to condemn it for them.
The agency foreclosed the land and paid the owners a very low price, later judged by a jury to be only 1/6th of its actual value. The agency also floated bonds, guaranteed and repaid by taxpayers, to finance the purchase. This amounted to a $135 million subsidy for Bush and partners, compared with the $80 million they paid for the franchise. Since they sold the entire franchise for $250 million, it's easy to see whose money Bush and friends pocketed.
The next time Junior talks about tax cuts, remember this: Arlinton had to impose a new 1/2 cent sales tax just to pay for the subsidy Bush and his partners received.
To add insult to injury, Bush and his partners continue to stiff the taxpayers for $7.5 million they owe under the terms of the agreement. It held that the team would pay all expenses over $135 million. The original owners of just 13 of the acres sued the City of Arlington, saying that the ASFDA had not paid a fair price for the land. The jury awarded them $7.5 million, but even though the project exceeded the $135 million limit, the partners have refused to pay. Given their huge taxpayer subsidy and $170 million profits, it seems absurdly selfish.
George Bush, Jr. has said in campaign speeches "I will do everything I can to defend the power of private property and private property rights when I am the governor of this state." Apparently this deal was not covered by that statement, since he wasn't governor yet.
He claims that he "wasn't aware of the details" of the land condemnations, even though he was the team's managing general partner and has bragged about personally getting the stadium built. But he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in October 1990 that "The idea of making a land play, absolutely, to plunk the field down in the middle of a big piece of land, that's kind of always been the strategy."
And the key to their land play was always the strong arm of government. A memo from Arlington real estate broker Mike Reilly to Rangers President Tom Schieffer dated October 26, 1990 - the day before Bush's comment about the land play - said "In this particular situation our first offer should be our final offer ... If this fails, we will probably have to initiate condemnation proceedings after the bond election passes."
On the first day of the 1993 campaign, Bush said "The best way to allocate resources in our society is through the marketplace. Not through a governing elite." Not through a private sports team buying in the President's son cheap, and then getting the government to hand them extremely valuable land.
Party Hearty: Sex, Drugs, And Rock 'N Roll?For almost half his life, Junior was distinguished mainly by his hearty appetite for partying. A Newsweek profile by Evan Thomas, describing his college years, says he "seems to have majored in beer drinking at the Deke House." After he formed his first company (which failed), Thomas writes, "By his own account, Bush spent a lot of time in bars, trying to sort out who he was. He had a kind of ragged nervous energy in that period, and he could be a bully."
The Bush family spin is that the governor quit drinking cold turkey on his 40th birthday, straightened out by the love of a good woman (his wife, Laura.) They even pull out their secret weapon, lovable Barbara Bush, with anecdotes about what a rascal little George Junior was.
But the explosive element here is not booze. It's sex, drugs and hypocrisy. Frankly, it doesn't bother us if candidates have partied, even a lot. Who wants a bunch of namby-pamby boy scouts running the country? But George Bush Jr. makes a big point of travelling around the country and lecturing students on staying celibate, sober and drug free. He does not permit the option of partying hard until you're 40 and then stopping.
And as governor, he attacked his predecessor for allowing leniency toward first-time drug users, and pushed a "no tolerance" policy that has sent casual cocaine users -- who's dads aren't rich, or president -- to prison for years. He even has the gall to proclaim that such users "need to know that drug use has consequences." At least if you're from the wrong neighborhood.
No Handcuffs or Dwarf OrgiesJunior is so worried about his past that he hired a private detective to investigate himself. (I guess he can't remember what he did at those parties, which tells you something right there.)
According to an unnamed insider quoted on MSNBC, Bush "isn't terribly thrilled" about what they found, though no one is spilling the details (yet). "No handcuffs or dwarf orgies, but he was a handsome, rich playboy and lived that life," the insider said.
W is For Women: Bush volunteers to reporters that he has been faithful to his wife. However, he was married at 31 and makes no claim of virginity before that point, even as he lectures the youth of today to remain celibate. A Clinton aide who was in Bush's class at Yale has already warned him that "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
We have received two credible reports from women who say they had affairs with George Bush, Jr. One alleged affair took place after Bush was married, on business trips to Los Angeles; in the other case, Bush was single but the woman was married at the time. Neither woman is willing to go public with further details, including their names, which is why we aren't publicizing these incidents more, but in our editorial opinion they are credible, and the details that these woman have provided check out.
Furthermore, porn publisher Larry Flynt has alleged that one Bush affair led his then-girlfriend to have an abortion, and claims to have 5 affidavits from friends of the woman and others supporting the claim. Again the woman does not want to be named, which makes it hard to prove the claim, but you can't really blame a lady for not wanting to be known as the "Bush abortion girl." Flynt made this allegation on CNN. The host of the program actually said "Now we at CNN don't want to be accused of censoring anybody...", yet that is exactly what CNN did. They removed the show's transcript and links from their web site days after the broadcast. You can still get details on the incident at the Bush Watch web site. They have more details here.
COCAINE:According to a new book, three independent sources close to the Bush family report that Governor Bush was arrested in 1972 for cocaine possession, and taken to Harris County Jail, but avoided jail or formal charges through an informal diversion plan involving community service with Project P.U.L.L., an inner city Houston program for troubled youths at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Houston's dirt-poor Third Ward. (In another new book, reporter Bill Minutaglio, writes that the year of community service was arranged by the Governor's father, ex-president Bush, after he caught Bush Jr. driving drunk.)
That year certainly is out of character with the rest of Bush Jr.'s life. Before and after 1972, he was a rich, hard drinking playboy. Suddenly, and only that one time in his life, he worked for a liberal charity in an inner city ghetto. As soon as the year was over, he resumed his previous pattern and has done no charity work since.
The author of this book, J. H. Thompson, has some interesting scandals of his own. Of course, his own flaws don't disprove what Bush did or didn't do, but the way Thompson has responded certainly undercuts his credibility. First, he admitted to a reporter from Slate Magazine that he made up at least one detail, that one of his informants spat tobacco into a styrofoam cup during their (phone!) interview.
Then, reporters -- or perhaps Bush campaign operatives -- found that the author apparently is an ex-convict, on parole for hiring a hit man to kill a former boss. That doesn't mean he can't research, of course, but Thompson's credibility suffered greatly as he claimed it was someone else, despite incredible similarities between his resume -- including unexplained job gaps during the prison years -- and confirmation from his parole officer that indeed, the author named J. H. Thompson is the one who did time.
Bush Jr.'s Evasive Responses:
Bush has essentially admitted that he used cocaine in his Clintonesque, carefully worded partial denials. He won't deny using cocaine or marijuana, though under persistent questioning he said that he hadn't used cocaine in the last 7 years. Most newspapers report that he denies using cocaine since 1974, but that's not exactly true.
That is the most favorable interpretation of what Bush said, but since Bush and his campaign have already made Clintonesque denials on other issues, we need to look at his words carefully.
What Bush actually said was ""I could have passed the [FBI] background check on the standards applied on the most stringent conditions when my dad was president of the United States - a 15-year period," Mr. Bush said. This is ambiguous because background forms ask slightly different questions, depending on the position. Drug questions can go back one year, seven years or 10 years. Bush Jr. didn't have any formal position in his father's administration, so which one applies is unclear. And 15-years is not one of the choices.
Since Bush Sr.'s presidency began in January 1989, reporters assumed that Jr. was denying drug use for 15 years before that, to 1974. But that is not at all clear. His only direct statement was for seven years before today. He could easily have been denying drug use only for 15 years before today, based on 7 or 10 years dating back from the END of his dad's term. 10 years before 1993, the end of Bush Sr.'s term, is pretty close to 15 years before today.
The Clinton administration actually has a stricter standard than Bush did -- the FBI now asks about any drug use after age 18. But Governor Bush has refused to say whether he would pass that standard, even though that is what he will be asked if he wins. Bush also has refused to answer whether he could have passed the FBI test when his father was vice president, during the 8 years from 1981-1989.
As for the arrest and diversion charge, Governor Bush admits working at the center in 1972. When asked for comment, Bush's campaign spokesman reportedly said "Oh shit... no comment." McLellan denies saying that.
Bush's father, ex-president George Bush, denies the cocaine arrest charge, and in yet another carefully worded denial, Bush said ""It's totally ridiculous what he suggested and it's not true."
You'll recall that President Clinton made a very similar statement about Gennifer Flower's allegations of an affair, during the 1992 campaign. Later, when he had to testify under oath, it turned out that he was denying that all of the details of the story were true, not whether an affair had occurred or any specific details (many of which were accurate).
Similarly, Bush himself does not deny being caught with cocaine, or having performed community service. Bush's campaign spokesman has now denied that Bush was ever arrested on any drug charge.
The director of the center, Madgelean Bush (no relation), also denies the reports. However, her center is dependent on Texas state money, and the director, who grew up poor but has amassed several houses around the center while running it, allowed Governor Bush to use the center for a photo opportunity earlier this year.
The Bush campaign also produced Carol Vance, who was the Democratic District Attorney in Harris County in 1972, to say that there was no diversion program in that year, nor were there any Republican judges (as Hatfield's book states.)
Rock and Roll: Bush keeps a picture of himself with two members of ZZ Top, but does not play the song "Tube Snake Boogie" during his celibacy lectures. We have found no evidence to support the the most explosive allegation so far; that Bush played air guitar to a Foghat record at a party in the late 1970s. But he won't deny it, either.
When pressed on the hypocrisy issue, he speaks to hypocritical baby boomer parents everywhere: "If I were you, I wouldn't tell your kids that you smoked pot unless you want 'em to smoke pot. I think it's important for leaders, and parents, not to send mixed signals. I don't want some kid saying, 'Well, Governor Bush tried it.'"
It's amazing enough that he openly defends hypocrisy, but his own signals are very mixed. When allowed to imply that he is just another manly, hard-drinking rapscallion, Bush seizes the opportunity. "When I was young and irresponsible, I was really young and irresponsible," he often says. He even hints at pot smoking, as in the above quote, and why not? Everyone from his likely opponent Al Gore to Newt Gingrich has admitted smoking pot.
But Junior wants it both ways. When the deadly rumor of cocaine use surfaces, he retreats to his high-minded rhetoric about not giving mixed messages. If he thinks he can skate to the presidency without either his right-wing foes or embittered Clintonistas pushing his past into the limelight, then he really IS on drugs.
SourcesThe Bush Watch (web site), an opinionated, well-researched and reasonably fair (though blatantly liberal) anti-Bush site. http://www.bushwatch.com/
"The Sons Also Rise", by Evan Thomas, Newsweek, November 16, 1998 p44-8
"Like Most, I'm Amazed" (Bush interview with Howard Fineman), Newsweek, November 16, 1998
"Another Bush Contemplates Run for Presidency", by Sue Anne Pressley (Washington Post news service), San Francisco Chronicle, May 12, 1997 pA5
"The Bush Brothers", by Howard Fineman, Newsweek, November 2, 1998 p30-33
Revealing an American Spy Sources
Robert Novak's column -- "Mission to Niger" by Robert Novak (syndicated column), July 14, 2003
"A War on Wilson? : Inside the Bush Administration's feud with the diplomat who poured cold water on the Iraq-uranium connection", By MATTHEW COOPER, MASSIMO CALABRESI AND JOHN F. DICKERSON, Time Magazine, July 17, 2003
"Capital Games: A White House Smear", by David Corn, The Nation magazine, July 16, 2003
"Columnist Blows CIA Agent's Cover" by Timothy M. Phelps and Knut Royce, Long Island Newsday (newspaper), July 22, 2003
"War critic at center of CIA flap always vague on wife's job: Ex-ambassador lauded by 1st President Bush" By Bill Nichols and John Diamond, USA TODAY October 1, 2003 p6A
Bush Sr. quote -- ("most insidious of traitors") -- "Remarks By George Bush 41st President of the United States, At the Dedication Ceremony for the George Bush Center for Intelligence", April 26, 1999, on CIA website
"Justice Department Opens Probe Into Leak of CIA Agent's Name", by David Cloud, Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2003 pA3
"Justice Investigates Leak Claim", by Deb Reichmann (AP), The Oregonian, September 29, 2003 pA2
"Bush Aides Say They'll Cooperate With Probe Into Intelligence Leak", by Mike Allen, Washington Post, September 29, 2003; Page A01
"Bush Vows Action if Aides Had Role in Leak" By Mike Allen and Dana Milbank, Washington Post, September 30, 2003; Page A01
"White House Says Top Aide Was Not Behind CIA Leak", by David Stout, New York Times, September 29, 2003
ABC-TV News, "The Note", September 30, 2003
"Bush welcomes probe of CIA leak", CNN website, October 1, 2003
, editorial, Washington Times (newspaper), OCtober 1, 2003
"Attorney General Is Closely Linked to Inquiry Figures", By ELISABETH BUMILLER and ERIC LICHTBLAU, New York Times, October 2, 2003
"White House Looks to Manage Fallout Over C.I.A. Leak Inquiry", By RICHARD W. STEVENSON and ERIC LICHTBLAU, New York Times, October 2, 2003
"Outside Probe of Leaks Is Favored: Poll Findings Come As White House Softens Denials", By Dana Milbank and Mike Allen, Washington Post, October 2, 2003; Page A01
"She's the perfect spy: Outed CIA agent had glamour job & looks to match", By JAMES GORDON MEEK and KENNETH R. BAZINET New York Daily News, October 2, 2003
"Why Are These Men Laughing?"(about Karl Rove), Esquire Magazine, January 2003
"Probe Focuses on Month Before Leak to Reporters: FBI Agents Tracing Linkage of Envoy to CIA Operative", By Walter Pincus and Mike Allen, Washington Post, Sunday, October 12, 2003; Page A01
Lies About Iraq Sources
"No Proof Connects Iraq to 9/11, Bush Says", by Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times, September 18, 2003
"Iraq, 9/11 Still Linked by Cheney", by Dana Priest and Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, September 29, 2003 pA1
Drunk Driving Sources
George Bush's Arrest Record, The Smoking Gun Website, November 3, 20000
Bush's Driving License Suspension Record, The Smoking Gun website, November 3, 2000
"No arrests after '68, Bush told paper", By Wayne Slater and Pete Slover , The Dallas Morning News, 11/03/2000
Bush lied about his arrest, a reporter says", by Jake Tapper, Salon Magazine, November 3, 2000
Court hearing: "Bush downplayed drinking", by Stephen A. Kurkjian and David Armstrong, Boston Globe, 11/4/2000 pA11
"Bush Admits 1976 DUI Arrest; Dem Delegate Made Disclosure", Fox News Website, November 3, 2000
"Bush Admits He Drove While Drunk", The Oregonian, November 3, 2000 pA19
"Bush Still leads, but Key States Buoy Gore: Disclosure of DUI for GOP Candidate is Late Disruption", by Jackie Calmes and Jeanne Cummings, The Wall Street Journal, November 3, 2000 pA22
Interview with Thomas Connolly, (the lawyer who revealed the conviction), Fox TV News, November 3, 2000, 12:00 PST
"What Is George Dubya Hiding?", by Linda Starr and Bev Conover, The Online Journal, June 4, 1999
Yelling at reporter -- from The Economist, July 29, 2000 p21
Quote SourcesTwo good general sources for funky Bush quotes are "The Complete Bushisms", compiled by Jacob Weissberg, SLATE web site and The Bush Watch: Bushisms, by Jerry Politex (both ongoing).
"vampires": "At Night, Bush-Speak Goes Into Overdrive,"By FRANK BRUNI, New York Times, August 19, 2001
"feather my nest": "Business associates profit during Bush's term as governor" by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1
Divider: "Bush Muffs Letterman's Late-Night Opportunity", By CARYN JAMES, New York Times, March 2, 2000
"Who goes to heaven":"Bush fields questions about faith upon return from trip to Israel" by Clay Robison, The Houston Chronicle, December 3, 1998
"More money than I ever dreamed": quoted in "The Governor's Sweetheart Deal", by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998
Thin Skin Sources
"New York GOP leaders eye surrender in anti-McCain effort" By MARC HUMBERT (Associated Press), on the CNN web site, February 3, 2000
"Bush Criticizes Web Site as Malicious", by Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News, May 22, 1999
"Governor Rips Web Site Parody" Associated Press, May 21, 1999
"Bush Campaign Tries to Limit Internet Attacks", by Alan Elsner, Reuters News Serviec (on Yahoo! web site), May 19, 1999
"4 protesters arrested at Governor 's Mansion" by R.G. RATCLIFFE, Houston Chronicle, April 20, 1999 Section A Page 13 Metfront. 3 STAR edition
"Activists to challenge policy against protest gatherings near the Governor's Mansion", by Jay Root, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 25, 1999
Avoiding Vietnam (and National Guard Favoritism) Sources
Here is an excellent web site with actual photos of the military documents from Bush's career: http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/document
"2 Democrats: Bush Let Guard Down", By George Lardner Jr. and Howard Kurtz, Washington Post, November 3, 2000; Page A22
, By Walter V. Robinson, Boston Globe, 10/31/2000, pA14
"Bush Twins Summer Vacay", Entertainment Tonight Online, June 3, 2002
"1-Year gap in Bush's Guard duty", by Walter Robinson, Boston Globe, May 23, 2000
"Ex-Lawmaker Says He Helped Bush Join the Guard in Vietnam War", by Jim Yardley, New York Times, September 27, 1999
"Barnes moves to block questions about Bush, Guard", by Ken Herman, Austin American-Statesman, September 9, 1999
"Records of Bush's Ala. Military Duty Can't Be Found", by Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News, June 26, 2000 pA06
"Friends: Barnes was asked to help get Bush in Guard", by George Kuempel and Pete Slover, Dallas Morning News, Sept. 8, 1999
"Texas Speaker Reportedly Helped Bush Get Into Guard", by George Lardner, Jr., Washington Post, Setember 21, 1999 pA04
"Bush's Air Guard career an unusually easy flight", by Richard Serrano, Los Angeles Times (reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle), July 4, 1999 pA-6
"At Height of Vietnam, Graduate Picks Guard", by George Lardner Jr. and Lois Romano, Washington Post, July 28, 1999 pA01
"Bush flies into an air force cocaine cloud", by Tom Rhodes, The London Sunday Times, June 18, 2000
"Ex-Pol at Center of Bush Flap", by Michael Holmes (AP), Washington Post, September 8, 1999
"Barnes says he urged Guard slot for Bush", by Pete Slover and George Kuempel, Dallas Morning News, September 29, 1999
"Adviser asked Barnes to recall Guard details before Bush joined race", by Pete Slover and George Kuempel, Dallas Morning News, September 26, 1999
"Bush Worked Campaign While in Guard", by Chris Williams (AP), Washington Post, May 23, 2000 "Gtech settles Littwin lawsuit", by Ken Herman, Austin American-Statesman, October 30, 1999 Gtech paid Littwin $300,000 and got a strict confidentiality agreement from him.
Funeralgate Sources"Surprise Testimony in Texas: New questions are raised in a politically charged Texas lawsuit", Newsweek, October 30, 2000
"The Funeral Home Flap: Trouble for a Texas Mortician with links to the Bush Family", by Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, August 16, 1999
"Bush Affidavit Refuted", by Janet Elliot, Law News Network, August 16, 1999
"Funeral company hopeful after takeover " By Juan B. Elizondo Jr., Austin American-Statesman, Wednesday, August 18, 1999
"Governor's role questioned in funeral agency oversight: Bush's office rejects call for legislative control", By George Kuempel , The Dallas Morning News, August 8, 1999
"Bush Watch Special: Dubya and The Gravedigger", by Jerry Politex, The Bush Watch Website (ongoing)
Scandal Timeline, Austin Chronicle, ongoing
Insider Deal Sources"Business associates profit during Bush's term as governor" by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1
"How Bush REALLY Made His Millions", by Jerry Politex, The Bush Watch Web Site, ongoing
"Who is David Edwards?", by Micah Morrison, The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 1995
"The Governor's Sweetheart Deal, by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998
"Bush's Big Score", by Robert Bryce, The Dallas Observer, February 9, 1998
"Bush's Free Ride", by Stuart Eskenazi, Dallas Observer, October 29, 1998
"Good Connections: Family Ties helped fund oil venture that began Bush's business career", by Richard Oppel Jr. and George Kuemple, Dallas Morning News, November 16, 1998
"Whitewashing the Bush Boys", by Stephen Pizzo, Mother Jones, March-April 1994
"Family Value$", by Stephen Pizzo, Mother Jones, September-October 1992
"Diamond Brilliance: Bush mastered art of he deal in building his baseball fortune", by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA19
"The Family that Preys Together", by Jack Colhoun, "Covert Action Quarterly, #41, Summer 1992
"Downloading the Bush Files", by Michael King, Texas Observer, November 1998
Othman and Mirza -- "Aftermath of Terror: Funds Under Terror Probe Flowed From Offshore", by GLENN R. SIMPSON, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, March 22, 2002
"In Difficult Times, Muslims count on unlikely hero", by Tom Hamburger and Glenn R. Simpson, Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2003
“O’Neill Met Muslim Activists Tied to Charities” by Glenn R. Simpson [with Roger Thurow]; Wall Street Journal; 4/18/2002; p. A4
"Know thy enemy" (syndicated column) by Frank Gaffney, December 11, 2002
Corruption Sources
"State agency official convicted of bribery: She peddled influence for cut of business", by ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA, Houston Chronicle, November 2, 2000
"Tit for tat? How the Texas brothers who secretyly funded attack ads against McCain have made millions managing state money under the Bush administration in Austin by Joe Conason, Salon.com, March 6, 2000
"Business associates profit during Bush's term as governor" by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1
"Secrecy Cloaks $1.7 billion in UT Investments: Board puts money in funds run by trustees, friends of trustees", by R.G. Ratliffe, The Houston Chronicle, March 20, 1999
"How Bush REALLY Made His Millions", by Jerry Politex, The Bush Watch Web Site, ongoing
"Who is David Edwards?", by Micah Morrison, The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 1995
"The Governor's Sweetheart Deal", by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998
"Bush's Big Score", by Robert Bryce, The Dallas Observer, February 9, 1998
"Downloading the Bush Files", by Michael King, Texas Observer, November 1998
"Richard Rainwater: The invisible man behind one of the year's biggest deals", by John Morthland, Texas Monthly, September 1996
"Auditor Withheld Findings on State Housing Agency", by Craig Flournoy, Dallas Morning News, February 18, 1999
"Capitol Report: Housing Officials Under Fire", Austin American Statesman, February 3, 1999
Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N Roll Sources
"The smut monger's scoop", by Harley Sorenson, San Francisco Examiner, October 30, 2000
"Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President", by J. H. Hatfield St. Martin's Press, 1999 (withdrawn
First Son : George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty, by Bill Minutaglio, Times Books, 1999
Bush denies allegation of '72 drug arrest in book, By Michael Kranish, Boston Globe, 10/20/99 pA10
Bush Adds to Drug Use Statement", Dallas Morning News, August 20, 1999
Busting Bush's Biographer, by Jacob Weisberg, Slate Magazine, Oct. 19, 1999
< href="http://www.slate.com/code/BallotBox/BallotBox.asp?Show=10/22/99&idMessage=3871">"Fortunate Son Revisited", by Jacob Weisberg, Slate Magazine, Oct. 22, 1999
"Author alleging Bush drug arrest reportedly a felon: He denies being Texas convict, says similar names led to mistake", By Pete Slover, The Dallas Morning News, October 21, 1999
"George W. Bush, the dirt digger" by Jeannette Walls, MSNBC's "The Scoop" gossip column.
GOP insiders have privately confirmed to The Skeleton Closet that Bush hired the private detective, and that he was a very sexy and highly sexed bachelor.
"Bush, looking at D.C., sees a 'sullied process'", Austin American-Statesman, September 16, 1998
"The Sons Also Rise", by Evan Thomas, Newsweek, November 16, 1998 p44-8
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