Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Bush's shady appointments
The Felons:
John Poindexter - Convicted on several felony counts in Iran Contra. On Thursday, February 14, 2002, John Poindexter was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the Information Assurance Office at the Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Despite Mr. Poindexter's criminal record of lying to Congress, the President thinks he is "an outstanding American and an outstanding citizen who has done a very good job in what he has done for our country, serving in the military".
Elliott Abrams - Pled guilty in Iran Contra. During George W. Bush's first term in office, he was appointed the post of Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs
Robert Earl - Confessed to destroying national security documents in the 1980's Iran-Contra scandal, Earl was granted immunity from prosecution in return for testifying in the scandal. Now Chief of Staff to Defense Secretary Gordon England.
Richard Perle - Very likely an Israeli government agent, Perle was expelled from Senator Henry Jackson's office in the 1970's after the National Security Agency (NSA) caught him passing Highly-Classified (National Security) documents to the Israeli Embassy. Bush made him Chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board.
John Negroponte - Involved in covert funding of the Contras and covering up of human rights abuses in Honduras in the 1980s while he was Ambassador to Honduras. Bush appointed him as Ambassador to the UN, Ambassador to Iraq, and now Director of National Intelligence. If you've not seen this guy's record from Honduras you should investigate it, it is flat out scary having this guy in charge of all of our intelligence AND law enforcement at the national level.
Otto Reich - The joint House-Senate select committee on Iran-Contra found that Reich’s unit of the State Department had engaged in “prohibited, covert propaganda” on behalf of the Contras and violated restrictions on State Department appropriations. Bush appointed him to Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere.
The Shady Characters:
Paul Wolfowitz - U.S. State Department Director of Policy Planning (part of NSA which coordinated the whole Iran Contra Affair). Bush appointed him first to Deputy Secretary of Defense and now to President of the World Bank.
James G. Roche - Member of Wolfowitz Policy Planning team during Iran Contra. Bush appointed him to Secretary of the Air Force.
L. Lewis Libby - Member of Wolfowitz Policy Planning team during Iran Contra. Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff.
Fred F. Fielding - Deputy to John Dean (Nixon's counsel who was convicted of destroying documents) during Watergate. Appointed by George W. Bush to the 911 Commission.
John G. Roberts, Jr. - White House Counsel during Iran Contra, now nominated for Supreme Court Justice. (edit: now this is upgraded to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court)
