While a lot of Bush cronies seem to be heading for the exits, some just can’t stay away – Condi and George are welcoming one lost sheep back with open arms: Paul Wolfowitz.
Michael Isikoff reports in the new issue of Newsweek that:
Nearly three years after Paul Wolfowitz resigned as deputy Defense secretary and six months after his stormy departure as president of the World Bank—amid allegations that he improperly awarded a raise to his girlfriend—he’s in line to return to public service. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has offered Wolfowitz, a prime architect of the Iraq War, a position as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board, a prestigious State Department panel, according to two department sources who declined to be identified discussing personnel matters. The 18-member panel, which has access to highly classified intelligence, advises Rice on disarmament, nuclear proliferation, WMD issues and other matters. "We think he is well suited and will do an excellent job," said one senior official.
The opening on the panel came up when Fred Thompson (yep, that Fred Thompson) left to run for president.
Isikoff goes on to note that:
his selection has raised more than eyebrows within State because he’ll be providing advice on some of the same issues that critics say the administration got spectacularly wrong when Wolfowitz was pushing the case for the Iraq War at the Pentagon. (One of the department sources called the appointment "amazing.")
Wolfie hasn’t just been loafing since his World Bank gig fell through. Along with his perch at the American Enterprise Institute, a recent sighting was recounted in a rather interesting piece about the ability of neocon hawks to thrive on failure in – of all places – The American Conservative:
It may surprise no one that former deputy secretary of defense and ousted World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz still enjoys the red-carpet treatment among Washington’s elite. That he indulged in it at the screening of an HBO documentary about 10 wounded Iraq War veterans who barely made it home alive from the conflict Wolfowitz helped to engineer might raise an eyebrow.
Yet he was singled out as a VIP at the Sept. 5 premier of "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq" and was still smiling after the screening, which featured insurgent footage of IED attacks, severed limbs, shredded brains, and left hardly a dry eye in the place. Organizers discreetly overlooked Wolfowitz’s marquee role in justifying the invasion that brought them all together.
But along with his return to the inner sanctum of warmongering, Wolfie (and Condi) may be facing a little trip to court as well:
The government’s prosecution of two former pro-Israel lobbyists was dealt a major setback Friday when a federal judge authorized subpoenas for senior government officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz. (snip)
The judge accepted the defendants’ view that in order to prove guilt, the prosecution must show to the court that Rosen and Weissman had a criminal intent when they received and passed on classified information. If the defense can demonstrate, by subpoenaing Rice and other officials, that classified information was regularly conveyed to Aipac by the highest-ranking government officials, it would help them make the case that Rosen and Weissman had no way of knowing they were breaking the law by receiving other information from former Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin. (emph added)
While Isikoff’s piece proclaims the latest Wolfie news with the headline “An Old Face Resurfaces,” I much prefer the headline RememberingGiap used in his heads-up to this news over at Moon of Alabama: “Scum rises to surface again & again.”
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Hi, Siun.
Mr. Wolfowitz is a most trusting soul. Just like Condi, Karl, Dick and George. What a bunch of creds.
That comb sequence of Wolfie has always flipped me out. Blerg. Not to mention the warmongering.
Well, I’m sure he’s up to the task of filling Fred Thompson’s mighty shoes.
OH! no spit on your comb,, wolfies back….What was Larry craig busy . idho news got a lot of juicey aduio of some of his playtime fun …
The roots of Mr. Wolfowitz’s support run deep.
States Secrets. End of story.
Good evening Siun. These creeps just play political musical chairs, eh?
The neocons are like a bad rash. Or shingles. Yeah, shingles. The pain is equivalent.
Hi Gang!
I had no idea Fred was advising on WMD – and now to have Wolfie back to give his brilliant guidance … wow!
But what if Fred needs his job back in a few weeks? Fred’s part-time temp job as a presidential candidate seems to be winding down. Can Fred and Wolfie do some kind of flex-time thing?
Talk about serendipity. I was just updating my scandals list entry on Wolfowitz with this.
I’d like to see Mr. Wolfowitz brought to trial in Iraq for war crimes. As was Eichmann in Israel many years ago.
What truly sticks in my craw, is the fact he’ll be handed the same reins as before, without any Senate approval necessary… WTF???
where’s my skimming ladle?
LS – they probably will claim state secrets but since they’re accused of passing along state secrets, it could get interesting. I’m guessing having Wolfie back dealing with secrets may be useful to the case too.
The article from the American Conservative is worth a read – I used a link to it at Alternet so you don’t have to worry about clicking. Good information in it and some good snark.
Foggy Bottom has evidently bottomed out… 8-(
kinda makes your skin crawl, doesn’t it?
I would think Condi, in her quest to change her “legacy”, would be looking for some fresh faces…
and here i was thinking/hoping that the “realists” (as everyone seems to call the less crazy warmongering imperialists) were back in charge.
Wolfowitz is a fascist. This is not a difficult concept. This man would cheerfully gas all the Muslims.
Yet another example — if Rumsfeld and Cheney weren’t enough of an example! — of why we must indict, try, convict, and imprison these idiots for their crimes. A bad penny’s got nothing on them for return habits!
But Hillary wants to put Colin Powell back to work.
Do you think that Joe Lieberman had any input into Wolfowitz’s appointment?
Isn’t Wolfie the fellow who scoffed at the idea that the War on Irak might cost seventy-five billion dollars? What could possibly be the reason Condi would want this moron around State? I mean, no offense to morons, but he’s a moron, right?
Hey, Siun, how about the fancy new place, anyway? Pretty neat-o, huh?
Sooner or later we are going to attack Iran.
Incredibly in-your-face.
As the stomach churns…
Who and what drives our foreign policy in the Middle East?
Condi has about as much power in who gets what as I do. Cheney is in charge of everything and that’s that.
Condi has no legacy and will, maybe, just go away.
Zounds! a zed….must be livin’ left.
TheOtherWA -
Shingles – been there, done that; nice analogy. At this point, I’m just hoping to live long enough to see even *one* of these subpoenas actually produce some results.
hope not kiddo
Hey Teddy! pretty neat new digs,eh?
Caz – our designer was so good to us! and Jamie has done the most amazing work!
and this…
And, the one who deemed Shinseki’s 250,000 troops requirement; ‘wildly off the mark!’ Then, drummed him outta the JCS and the Army…
“What could possibly be the reason Condi would want this moron around State?”
Being completely utterly staggeringly wrong about every single thing in the whole fucking universe all day every day for your entire life is obviously not a disqualification for serving in the Bush administration. In fact, it seems to be a litmus test.
Siun, Teddy, Jane, Etc. —
Perhaps it would be good to put in an “issues” or “suggestion” box for those of us having problems with preview or navigating the site.
Do you think the neocons are in charge of foreign policy?
How many comebacks is Wolfie entitled to?
apparently a whole lot more than the rest of us get…
:-/
We’re continuing to work through the little glitches that are inevitable with any change like this – and we’re tracking comments to pick up issues that need work.
Folks can always send me an email at media dot firedoglake at gmail dot com with any problems you have with the site – please put the words “Bug Report” in the subject line … and please be patient with us.
I suspect that the Dick likes Wolfie.
Rats returning to the ship.
Don’t mind the bugs but could we please have our color wheely thingy back?
One subpoena would be a starting point, but I want to see a whole lot more of them. Our democracy demands it.
The “rats returning” theme makes me worry for the Iranians, their lives, and their children.
Maybe Cheney is doing a favor for Hillary.. once Hillary places Powell back in the system, ol’ Wolfie will be up to speed, ready help them all out.
Speaking of losers.. where’s Feith?
We’ve been hearing that Condi was winning over Dick on the foreign policy side – blocking an attack on Iran, etc … so I do not take this reappearance of Wolfie as a good sign at all.
One way or the other the Iranians are a done deal.
You are so right, Ted.
The rats are jumping ship, but they’re clinging to some wreckage waiting for the next ship to come by for them to take over. Fookin pirates.
Wolfowitz should be in prison. It’s that simple.
Condi is like a virgin mary cocktail. No kick at all.
well, i think so too. but i’d like for him to get a fair trial and only go to prison if he’s found guilty.
These are the other members of the ISA Board:
– Dr. Michael R. Anastasio
– Dr. Kathleen Bailey
– Dr. Ashton B. Carter
– Ms. Alison B. Fortier
– Dr. William Graham
– Amb. Robert Joseph
– Mr. Mitchel B. Kugler
– Dr. Ronald F. Lehman, II
– Vice Admiral Robert R. Monroe, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
– Dr. Gordon C. Oehler
– Dr. Keith B. Payne
– Dr. Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr.
– Senator Charles S. Robb
– Dr. C. Paul Robinson
– Dr. James R. Schlesinger
– Dr. William Schneider, Jr
– Dr. William Van Cleave
– Mr. R. James Woolsey
http://www.state.gov/t/isn/isab/c17650.htm
They are essentially all heavily into the military industrial complex either in its industry or defense department wings. The site includes bios which are unintentionally funny. William Graham is, for example, the recipient of the Defense Special Weapons Agency’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Or this “Mr. Kugler helped plan, organize, and execute the Senate’s rejection of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, for which he was a recipient of the National Institute for Public Policy’s Security and Arms Control Award for 1999.” As they say, you can not make this sh*t up.
The real question for me us what exactly does Bubi have on the drawing-board?
“but i’d like for him to get a fair trial and only go to prison if he’s found guilty.”
Why do you hate America?
You assume there would be no pardon.
Shinseki , unlike Petreus, decided to get involved in politics,
and paid the price.
Bibi Yahoo is the one calling the shots now in the Middle East.
Patraeus got involved alright, as Bush’s lapdog.
“Shinseki, unlike Petreus, decided to get involved in politics[.]
You’re kidding, right?
Wolfowitz gets promoted. Bibi calling the shots. If I were Iran I might be concerned.
One has to ask how the heck did Actor Fred Thompson manage to get into that particular click.
Petraeus is far more a political general than Shinseki. Petraeus knew who to suck up to and whose policy to endorse, and he has.
That would be one lap dog sitting in the lap of another sitting in Cheney’s big daddy lap.
I’m always serious.
Rove says the Dems are responsible for Iraq. Wolfowitz gets the nod from Condi. What’s going on here?
I have no idea. OTOH it only meets in plenary session 4 times a year so for Fred that probably appeared like a fulltime job.
please forgive the ot…. but i’ve got some chores to do before hitting the sack, and wanted to let folks know that i’ve finished uploading the contact info for our Representatives (it’s all vCards again – as were the Senators).
House (new)
Senate (update)
maybe siun has something to suggest we call our congress critters about this week.
What is Rumsfeld doing these days?
Why NOT bring der Wolfemeister back into the bubble-world roundpound?
It’s getting lonesome with only codpiece, Cheyney, and Condi participating.
A nursery-rhyme ditty comes to mind:
“The surge is working! The surge is working!
Call Rummy and Rove; more fun with the jerking!”
Lahoma tells me I’m on overload. Too much data. Goodnight. ;0)
I’d say the exact opposite occurred… 8-)
ruminating
I wonder if Rove (and any subsequent nutty repugs) blaming the Dems with be the “bridge too far” that will wake everyone completely up about the lies they’ve been told?
I must admit, it is a very bold and audacious plan…. guess they figure they got nothin’ to lose by trying…
Seems like their status quo to me. Lie Lie and lie about lying.
Fuckery.
Don’t.Even.Ask.
link
Selise’s set of v-cards is such an awesome tool! I’ve added them to my .mac addressbook and plan to give them a workout over the FISA vote!
But just think, how many people can they actually trust to keep the lie going. People who may be answering to Leahy or Waxman. Who else can they hire to keep things going as planned. Wolfowitz is perfect!
OldCoastie -It is more of the same, messing with minds (bombs as Peace Makers) so that the MSM can say “there are two versions of this,” and skip the whole issues called “facts” and “truth.” That is what Rove is all about. On spit-comb coming over to state, my bet is that its about milking the Iraq situation for every binding contract they can get on oil, rebuilding etc. Remember the recent Michael Gordon piece in the NYT about what a mess it is there, despite the new “peace.” Clearly the plan now that the city has been leveled and people are cordoned off into sectors is to bring Halliburton in to build schools, house, pharmacies, bowling allies, etc. You know, like they have done in New Orleans to the tune of millions of profits. And, because they don’t know how to build so well, they will have to be built again in five years as well.
Jeebus Criminey, I can’t take another invasion.
There is always a lot of money in chaos… Wolfie has proven himself adept at this.
To reword the billboard I saw the other day:
And take the people at the DoD and State with them, please.
Doesn’t anyone in DC think before they do these things?
coercive ideology!
You amaze me, selise. Thanks so much.
Has anyone said, “The wolf is in the hen house?” I couldn’t pass it up.
Kailucination – I’m calling you for my headlines!
Anytime.
Nope! Aloha, what Isle do ya reside on?
Has this been theorized around here at all?
Perhaps this current Conglomerate Media offensive about how great everything is going in Iraq is a way for them to soften up the public about an Iran invasion. Within their tightly controlled framework of discussion, they can now say, “See, we’re true visionaries, so now we’re gonna do the same thing for Iran. YeeeeHAW!” They were having trouble making anything else stick with the public, but people seem to be lapping this most recent bullshit up big time.
It’s just disgusting how much this “blame the victim” theme, that the Iraqis need to start getting their act together or it’s all their own fault, is taking hold in the discourse. As if the Iraqis asked for America to come blow-up the place and become an occupying force!?!?
The Holidaze are a great time to spread the word about about New Media like FDL. Tell relatives and show them that they have alternatives now. Watching the Machine crank into overdrive with the “surge is working” shit has really driven home how crucial it is that we grow our numbers in the netroots. Absolutely critical.
Any honest “fresh faces” would quickly realize that her legacy is a disaster, and unless they wanted their legacy to be the same, would have to expose it. Hence the parade of retreads.
As Brad DeLong says, no one in this administration gets out with their reputation intact.
Bonkers – thank you for mentioning the hype about Iraq … it is maddening.
Damn!
Wolfie is the embodiment of my two-word personal political philosophy -
“sh** floats.”
I feel sorry for Larry Craig. (At least I would if he ever once voted the right way…)
In fact, the paper itself states that these baseless accusations contain no definitive evidence yet they still decided to print them anyway. However, despite the fact the Idaho Statesman has decided to pursue its own agenda and print these falsehoods without any facts to back them up, I won’t let this paper’s attempt to malign my name stop me from continuing my work to serve the people of Idaho.
TP
Anyone for a second coup attempt?
Heh, not just the creme de la creme… ;-)
a progressive one? *g
I think that’s what Chavez is trying …
of course, he doesn’t like us so much after we tried to overthrow him in 2002, eh?
I can smell it from here. Absolutely nothing seems to discredit or disgrace these guys. Rummy? Yeah, let’s listen to him!
Rumsfeld wants to help out his favorite peoples. You probably didn’t know this until this evening, but he loves Venezuelans!
With diplomatic, economic and communications institutions designed for a different era, the free world has too few tools to help prevent Venezuela’s once vibrant democracy from receding into dictatorship.
I’m guessing the “powers that be” are afraid Craig is not going to leave so must be forced by humilation to go… it sure looks like a coordinated attack.
That’d be a real Barn Burner of an affair… ;-)
agreed, I was already back to think about our own mess of a democracy.
I think you’re right about Craig, old coastie.
Kailua-Kona where the grass is is green. I reside in Ft. Lauderdale now. I responded to you last night. After, I payed my rent to Christy and Jane. I’m originally from Carlsbad, Ca. I moved to Kauai right out of high school to surf. I moved to Florida because I have a severely handicapped child. Mistake, school services are good social suck
…and not a day too soon. The next generation is now sitting in the DOJ, White House, etc. and need to learn a lesson before they become Rumsfeld, Cheney, etc.
kailuacaton, I live in Fallbrook.
Heh, from one hurricane zone to another… *g*
Is it blue, yet?
David Gregory has joined Kookie Roberts as an Official Beltway Weenie. The “polarization” in politics is not due to lying warmongers such as Wolfie. No, it is those internets and blogs that cause all that polarization. In fact, the angry fem bloggers also cause polarization in the Press. Give the Press back to the DC lobbyists where they belong, you bloggers. Foolish people, who believe issues such as war and peace might be important.
Not yet, Dudette! I live on the other side of the Big Isle…
Are the Marines quiet?
I went thru Iva, Iniki, Wilma, Katrina. My son Eli was Three weeks old when it hit(Iniki).
“I won’t let this paper’s attempt to malign my name stop me from continuing my work to serve the people of Idaho
or to get laid.”Though it does seem like he has been pretty much impervious to humiliation up until now.
I’m sorry I ment Eva.
There seem to be no limits to Wingnut Welfare. If you’re a “loyal Bushie” they will always find you a job someplace.
katrina, betsy
Craig is a tough old bird… I wouldn’t count him out…
On our dime.
Maybe he likes it.
My Unit was the first plane on the ground in Lihue, after Iniki hit, they told me it looked like a war zone, I was still Active Army at that point… Was on Oahu when Iwa hit…
beat spending your own money. I’ll tell them we have a bridge in Minneapolis to sell them instead.
If I were one of the current board members, I might be a little pissed at being passed over for chairmanship. There are some pretty big guns on that board. Charles Robb, James Woolsey among others.
Eva Iniki,the National Guard were onsight withen 24 hours. Katrina, Wilma none, not in Ft.Lauderdale anyway.
Wasn’t David Gregory the sole journalist invited to the State Dinner for the Queen?
I don’t what “blue yet” means, but yes, very quiet.
At current scrap metal prices, why not…? ;-)
Bill Keller the Executive Editor of the NYT has also been propagating this meme:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medi…..italmedia1
David Gregory is a suckup hack. Like many in the Washington press corps, he speaks in White House talking points and has not had an insight or creative idea in years. It is a classic case of projection. He isn’t doing his job so he blames us.
Thank You, You guys made A big difference.
Hilo?
Minor edit.
Fern Gardens? You have ‘lectricity
oh, no doubt about that, Hugh!
;-)
Hawai’i Guard has their shit together, we’ve been awarded numerous awards and decorations for all our endeavors, after all, the 442nd is part of it too…
But, Hugh, Biller Keller says this too, as you point out:
hate-mongering radio broadcasts and intemperate television shout shows
These are given equal responsibility, and we know this is true. I don’t know too much about wild blogs other than what TRex has shown us, but I’m sure they exist on the left as well as the right.
Ha! You do know the Isle! Hilo town with all the creature comforts… 8-)
When I last lived in Carlsbad in the Fallbrook was as conservative as Orange County.
I do not think so, because Gregory is not a journalist. He is a propagandist, and on some days he is very effective, helping neo-cons with their Iraq Genocide.
But Helen Thomas has helped the polarization by asking embarassing questions.
Oh boy, Clinton goes after Obama:
Asked if Mr. Obama had a character problem, Mrs. Clinton first said it was up for voters to determine, but then added:
“It’s beginning to look a lot like that – it really is, where we can’t get a straight answer on health care, where somebody runs on ethics and not taking money from certain people is found to have at least skirted if not violated F.E.C. rules and to use lobbyists and Pac money to do so. You’re going to have ask the Obama campaign, but I have said for months that I would much rather be attacking Republicans and attacking problems of our country because ultimately that’s what I want to do as president.
Link
Still is.
Bruhda, I know the saddle road like the back of my hand.
Keller also says this:
OTOH Keller lumps blogs in with the worst of wingnuttia. On the other, he trivializes them. We recycle and riff. But the Times and many other papers continue to cut staff and get their news from AP and Reuters feeds. And much of what they do produce like their Iraq coverage needs to be riffed on to remove all the pro-war spin in it.
ow!
I’ve spent many a weekend and a few summers at PTA! B-2’s stationed in Guam are making ‘practice’ bombing runs with ‘dummy’ 2,000lb bombs in PTA! Quite the stir here… 8-(
Teddy is upstairs
I didn’t know that the old combat reg. was still active..what % is Asian?
FYI, Late Nite
Heh, nice question! Probably, 30-35%, It’s actually USAR, but, they’re sliced and diced across the South Pacific, from American Samoa to Guam and the Marshall Isles, the HQ is Honolulu, but, the Samoans comprise 98% of their contingent, etc…
Wolfie back? Well of course. That’s why the Baby Jesus invented silver bullets and wooden stakes!
Hugh, my father was a journalist. He ended his career with the LA Times, as associate editor of the editorial pages. He had a Nieman Fellowship and was press secretary to a governor for 6 years, not to mention a few years as editor of National Journal. He didn’t go to J school – hell, he never finished college. He LOVED the potential of blogs but died before he could see the bloom.
How are people qualified to be journalists? They write well, first and foremost. (Bloggers, too.) The are authority averse and expert oriented, curious and able to synthesize what they learn and communicate it clearly. (Bloggers)
What they teach in J School is how to regurgitate clearly, and how to find the conventional wisdom for each story but you can’t teach the other stuff.
I read Allan’s comment as all snark – and well taken snark too. Play right-wing politics and you are promoted. Answer a quasi-political question at a hearing both honestly and conservatively (as is your duty) and you are shitcanned by an administration of incompetent ideologues.
Bless his heart. I can only imagine one of Ann Richards wonderful putdowns — something about having a giant ego and a small brain or something.
Apparently he was born yesterday.
MarkH; we ARE responsible for the polarization…because we’re pissed about the bushturds dragging us to the brink of a corporate 4th Reich.
Just like we’re responsible for the polarization of all the people who are angry about Iraq, because we insist on pointing out what a miserable, bloody, fucking-of-the-cluster it’s been from when it was a gleam in Paul Wolfowitz’s eye, to now, and for the inevitability of it in future.
I’m sorry for the language, but these pig-fuckers have moved the goddamn goalposts out of the shittin’ stadium and down the road to 1933 Nurenburg, and they’re whining because we keep giving them the finger and pointing to the fucking 50 yard line (and they don’t even deserve THAT!)
Variation:
For the progressives, if you’re NOT polarized, you aint been payin’ attention.
For the base: if any of you are reading this, you can man up and cop to what a fuck-up it was to pull the trigger on Iraq, and to what a hosing bush and his petro-turds have given america, or you can go fuck yourselves, and we’ll take our chances with the voters.
Capiche?
Wolfowitz rebirth just proves what we all ready knew; nothing succeeds in the Bush Administration like failure. We don’t need no competence!
Make that “…lost BLACK sheep…”
Actually, Wolfie may not be competent, but he is reliable. Clearly he’s being brought into State to take the reins from Condi, who is simply out of her depth, or, worse, might be wavering in her commitment to the Cheney/neocon agenda.
These are days when the admin. needs men who will look squarely at something that is “white” and declare it “black.”