In case you were wondering why it is important to shine a whole lot of sunlight on the crony-driven mendacity within the Beltway, and why accountability for crimes and corruption is an important part of governance, I’ve got a lesson for you. From Craig Unger’s Fall Of The House Of Bush:
…When Reagan took office, Ledeen was made special assistant to Alexander Haig, Reagan’s secretary of state. Ledeen later took a staff position on Reagan’s National Security Council and played a key role in initiating the illegal arms-for-hostages deal with Iran that became known as the Iran-contra scandal….
To old hands in the State department who had survived the Iran-contra scandal, the appearance of Ledeen on the scene was like a recurring nightmare. The reappointment of Elliott Abrams earlier in the year was bad enough, but then came Ledeen with Ghorbanifar right behind. "One of the truly remarkable elements of the neocon story is their addiction to Ghorbanifar," said a State Department official. "It is part of their ‘we are smarter, you are stupid’ attitude." The key players in Iran-contra were back in business. (pp. 234-235)
If you were wondering why we seem not to have learned a thing from history, it’s because we keep recycling the same nefarious egomaniacal ideologues who place self-interest ahead of logic and reality. Craig Unger illustrates so much of this in his book — from neocons to "Christian" conservatives on a power-hungry crusade for publicity and access to the hate-mongers that fill the radio and airwaves.
It deserves a much, much wider read — especially by the media who keep allowing these "very serious people" on their shows and on their pages without giving their craven past, odious behind-the-scenes machinations and illegal schemes enough contextual background for readers who haven’t been paying attention.
This is going to be a helluva book salon this afternoon. Do hope you can join us at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT, with John Anderson hosting…
Related posts:
- FDL Book Salon Welcomes Mark Klein, Author of Wiring Up the Big Brother Machine
- FDL Book Salon Welcomes Jill Richardson, Recipe for America: Why Our Food System is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It
- FDL Book Salon: Idiot America with Charles Pierce
- FDL Book Salon Welcomes John Geyman, M.D. : Do Not Resuscitate
- FDL Book Salon Welcomes Nomi Prins, It Takes A Pillage
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Watch that first step…
This is why we need to keep pushing investigations after the change of an administration – to drive stakes into the hearts of these vampires so they don’t rise from the dead again.
It’s doubtful that Bush will ever be held accountable for what’s happened during his reign. He has always managed to escape responsibility. However, the end of the House of Bush would be a bright spot, perhaps the the only one, in his legacy.
” the media who keep allowing these “very serious people” on their shows and on their pages without giving their craven past, odious behind-the-scenes machinations and illegal schemes enough contextual background for readers who haven’t been paying attention.”
can we start a movement demanding the media require talking heads from govt. to state their work history, previous affiliations with illegal shenanigans and administrations, memberships in political organizations like they ask ‘normal’ folks to do on talk panels, etc.?
personally, there is only way to keep these criminals from resurecting themselves yet again as soon as the majority of us forget about the crimes they committed
that is to jail them
bring them to the bar of justice for their crimes against our government, her constitution and the people of this country
they must be tried, if they are found guilty they must be punished with the full measure indicated by our law
this is the only thing that will serve as some kind of inoculation in the future
I’m with myiq2xu on this, these people need to be vanquished. On a related subject, I hope Jose Padilla and his mother are successful in their suit against Yoo, private citizen.
(myiq2xu, if your IQ is 2x mine, that’s pretty damn impressive).
I get so frustrated when every time we shine light on the scourge created by this White House…it tends to grow and there isn’t enough bleach to get rid of them or it.
Yeah, I get the sense lately that Bu’ush is now tiring of his biggest playtoy, and is maybe ready to move on and ruin something else — maybe MLB as Commish.
He’ll once again leave the mess behind for others to deal with.
I agree, Perris. Look at all the election law violations that have been uncovered. Yet almost no criminal charges have been filed. They might think twice if they knew it meant jail time.
Yeah, I get the sense lately that Bu’ush is now tiring of his biggest playtoy, and is maybe ready to move on and ruin something else — maybe MLB as Commish.
owww – just got a visual of how he’d punish all of those baseball steroid-abusers…
I always thought that Daddy Bush would step in and fix things. He always did before. The legacy of the Bush family is now mainly the legacy of the Decider and Jeb can’t escape that. I guess Daddy Bush is just too old. I’m glad that he’s not senile so that he can see what he created.
Yeah, he’d make ‘em listen to his speeches
After the 2004 election, I told anyone that would listen that Bush would destroy this country. I misunderestimated him. He’s pretty much set the whole world back.
Unger’s House of Bush House of Saud is on my coffee table. If the public were aware of one fourth of the Bushista corruption, nefarious relationships and back-room dealings in that Book, Dubya would never have been able to steal the 2000 election. In fact, his father GHW would never had been elected either for that matter.
Someone said on the previous thread that a levee was breached in CA. I can’t find anything on that. Anyone else?
Yup. And that’s precisely why Big Media shunned that book and will largely shun this one: Because anyone with an IQ sufficient to read will realize that the Bush Family’s rise could never have happened without a compliant media.
I’ll never forget Jimmy The Fixer Baker being brought in to clean up the Florida election fiasco.
Even worse when you realize the Bushists had a plan to argue the exact opposite…..That it would be wrong to allow the man who recieved MORE votes to be rejected from the Whitehouse.
-G
Nevermind.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/wea…..index.html
Solai — yes, it just happened:
Levy break
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/wea…..index.html
Mom had some teevee news on this morning when I stopped by to check on her. People were being informally interviewed regarding their choices in Presidential candidates. It seemed real, but it had to be rigged. People were saying that they were conflicted between wanting Barack Obama or McCain.
I have a feeling that it is bigger than just poppy bush pushing these goons on us. Sometimes seems there is a invisible evil hand in guiding things.
Although it’s not in any news story that I can find, the Dow Jones IA dropped like 700 points in the last 6 days of trading. It would seem that Wall Street is about to get a taste of it’s own ‘race to the bottom’ capitalism.
Good mornin’ America, How are ya?
I’ve been looking also and can’t find anything. Hmmmm.
Also, OT, sorta, this link http://www.BCImpeach.com was in my email this am.
This might have been shared here earlier, but as I am working again, I’ve missed most of this week at the Lake.
I have always thought that the return of Ledeen, Poindexter and others to the ranks of those that serve within the government makesa very strong case for applying retroactive impeachment. Impeachment not only removes an individual from their current position but also forbids that individual from “holding any position of trust, honor or profit under the United States” in the future. Many of these a**holes actually go back into situations where they lobby and profit from contracts issued by the United States, they obtain broadcasting licenses (eg. Ollie North) or even run for Congress. At some point we have to make sure they don’t return again. Stick a stake in these vampires!
Also wasn’t Ledeen somehow involved in “Iranian exiles” in Rome back around 2001…doing a covert action that so drove the fear into George Tenet that he told Cheney to quash these activities? Anyone recall that? Since when has Tenet reacted in such a way with Cheney before or since? Yt it’s never been specified what Ledeen was doing. Was this related to the forgeries of the Niger documents, as some have suggested…or perhaps it was an effort to create a “false flag” by smuggling nuclear or other WMD materials into Iraq from Iran/Turkey to trigger a “justifiable response” by Bush?
The Huckster should make a dramatic, emergency trip to CA and pray the storm away. Let Mitt or McCain top that!
Solai, I left you a message epu’d on prior thread (and one misdirected to you, too – klutzy am here)
Time for Bush (MBA ‘75 Harvard) to call for more tax cuts for his cronies. That’s his only solution.
I was just wondering how many people that would include? For instance, has anyone actually set about counting the number or people implicated in Hugh’s list? As a matter of logistics, how many prosecutions would this be, how long would it take, and how many prosecutors would be needed to handle the load? Also, what happens to regular day to day business while all this is taking place? Just asking? Personally, I’d love to see it happen.
Kay, do you know if there’s anything like the BCImpeach in Maine? I haven’t found anything. Toma Allen is full of sh*t on this, full of “it’s not the time, too disruptive” bs excuses. I have told him i won’t vote for him again, and that’s hard to do since he’s dumb enough to run against collins now (I mean, that’s hubris, mainers love her whiney act) and a repub could take his house seat.
Also anybody out there know about someting in DC MArch 14 08? someone posted that here lat week or so ago and i can’t find it. A March?
You nailed it. Clintons learned the game real fast. The Clinton ghw bush junta to far east pretty much revealed a collusion IMHO.
The person to whom that invisible hand belongs: does his name start with D and end with ick, or does it start with K and end in arl? Or are there several invisible hands making things happen behind the scenes?
when it comes to bill clinton, sycophants on the left act exactly like the sycophants on the right. it’s so sad to watch. intellectuals around the world are on this. forensic economists have put together a very sad tale about what the hell has been going on here. follow the money.
did i disappear on your screen
The only reason these criminals are recycled through one administration to the next is because the corrupted and complicit U.S. media allows and encourages the practice. Discredit the U.S. media and much of the problem will go away.
If storms don’t knock out my power, I’ll be online; if I’m not able to get on, I’d like to leave some thoughts — and recommend this book very highly!
– ** The amount of research, the footnotes, the range of people interviewed, and the epic scope of the narrative are impressive. Yet it reads almost like a thriller.
– ** Unger’s explanation of: (a) Israeli PM Rabin’s background as one of Israel’s premier military heros, (b) the maturation of his political views, (c) Rabin’s assassination, and (d) how that event relate(d) to US politics was extremely enlightening. In addition, Unger’s explanation about how the Lewinsky scandal sabotaged Clinton’s ability to work for peace in the Middle East — at a critical moment in history — was absolutely chilling. The timing of the Lewinsky charges against Clinton certainly look sinister in retrospect; the ramifications have been far beyond what Monica’s blue dress suggested. That chapter alone was worth the price of the book.
–** Unger’s ability to help the reader grasp the implications of hundreds — thousands — of federal government jobs shifting in 2000 from Ivy Leaguers over to Heritage University (and Bible College grads) was an epiphany. And not a good one. I knew things had shifted radically; I didn’t realize the scope and speed of the impact on federal government. This is one to flag in badgering the press to do a MUCH better job in 2008 of getting candidates to explain WHO they plan to hire in their administrations (!).
– ** Scowcroft came across as an honorable, principled man, which surprised me. The toxic mix of: (1) the craven conduct of Condaleeza Rice (Scowcroft’s one-time protege), (2) the ruthless machinations of Cheney and the neocons, and (3) GWBush’s psychological issues (reviling any friend of his father’s), underscore how utterly doomed Scowcroft’s efforts were – yet he still acted on principle. Wrenching to read.
– ** Cheney: ruthless, secretive. And then, along came lil’ ol’ GWBush… I don’t want to say anything that would spoil the book for other readers. But it’s riveting.
I hope that there will be some discussion of what I see as a key theme in the book: extremeists everywhere making life hell for more balanced, sane folk who are able to ‘live and let live’. The willingness to ‘live and let live’ is clearly not good enough for the Osama bin Ladens, and the neocons and other extremists of the planet. In a globalized world, everyone is impacted by extremism. The thesis certainly holds up in this book. (A thesis also developed by John Dean’s splendidi books, and Sidney Blumethal’s, and others…)
In case my power goes out, I want to thank FDL for recommending this excellent book.
Anyone who has never fully appreciated what a convoluted mess Papa Bush 41’s Iran Contra tangle was would do well to hunt down a copy of Leslie Cockburn’s “Out of Control”. Leslie Cockburn had been a line producer for 60 Minutes focusing on the corruption of the Somoza regime. It is quite informative. It also clears up the notion that Bush the Elder had clean hands in the mess. His hands were as dirty back then as Dubya’s hands are bloody now.
Then they just get radio or TV programs (Liddy, North)…..
thanks, Craig, John and everyone, great discussions! i’m relatively new to the political scene and there doesn’t seem to be enough exposing of the important neo-con, religious right agenda. i believe this book will be the ‘missing link’ and will look forward to reading all the enlightening info!