Cheney Group hijacked foreign policy for the worse

[KipWellsFan]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/afdb7b0c-40f3-11d...000e2511c8.html

 

By Edward Alden in Washington

full article

 

Vice-President Dick Cheney and a handful of others had hijacked the government's foreign policy apparatus, deciding in secret to carry out policies that had left the US weaker and more isolated in the world, the top aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell claimed on Wednesday.

 

In a scathing attack on the record of President George W. Bush, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Mr Powell until last January, said: “What I saw was a cabal between the vice-president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made.

 

“Now it is paying the consequences of making those decisions in secret, but far more telling to me is America is paying the consequences.”

 

Mr Wilkerson said such secret decision-making was responsible for mistakes such as the long refusal to engage with North Korea or to back European efforts on Iran.

 

t also resulted in bitter battles in the administration among those excluded from the decisions.

 

“If you're not prepared to stop the feuding elements in the bureaucracy as they carry out your decisions, you are courting disaster. And I would say that we have courted disaster in Iraq, in North Korea, in Iran.”

 

The comments, made at the New America Foundation, a Washington think-tank, were the harshest attack on the administration by a former senior official since criticisms by Richard Clarke, former White House terrorism czar, and Paul O'Neill, former Treasury secretary, early last year.

 

Mr Wilkerson said his decision to go public had led to a personal falling out with Mr Powell, whom he served for 16 years at the Pentagon and the State Department.

 

“He's not happy with my speaking out because, and I admire this in him, he is the world's most loyal soldier."

 

Among his other charges:

 

■ The detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere was “a concrete example” of the decision-making problem, with the president and other top officials in effect giving the green light to soldiers to abuse detainees. “You don't have this kind of pervasive attitude out there unless you've condoned it.”

 

■ Condoleezza Rice, the former national security adviser and now secretary of state, was “part of the problem”. Instead of ensuring that Mr Bush received the best possible advice, “she would side with the president to build her intimacy with the president”.

 

■ The military, particularly the army and marine corps, is overstretched and demoralised. Officers, Mr Wilkerson claimed, “start voting with their feet, as they did in Vietnam. . . and all of a sudden your military begins to unravel”.

 

Mr Wilkerson said former president George H.W. Bush “one of the finest presidents we have ever had” understood how to make foreign policy work. In contrast, he said, his son was “not versed in international relations and not too much interested in them either”.

 

“There's a vast difference between the way George H.W. Bush dealt with major challenges, some of the greatest challenges at the end of the 20th century, and effected positive results in my view, and the way we conduct diplomacy today.”

 

Like Dicky needed more problems

 

full transcript

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c925a686-40f4-11d...000e2511c8.html

 

I think you can watch here

http://www.newamerica.net/index.cfm?pg=event&EveID=520

Edited October 20, 2005 by KipWellsFan

[Balta1701]

Man, thank God this guy was nice enough to tell us this when we still have a chance to remove these guys from office with an upcoming election in the next few months.

[FlaSoxxJim]

More insight into the black depths of Cheney's bionic baboon heart.

 

I'm sure it was Wilkerson's loyalty to Powell that kept him from speaking up earlier, but bettter late than ever

 

Add Wilkerson to the list of former senior officials that decided they wanted to be able to live with themselves and maybe sleeo at night, alongside Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill. Hannah and Wurmser are underlings, but their turning stoolie now still dovetails nicely with the rest of these revelations.

 

The fatal flaw in running a government by means of an inner circle is that when one of the cogs flips it brings tthe whole thing crashing down.

 

Live by the cabal, die by the cabal.

 

All these revelations. . . and Fitzmas is right around the corner. Ah, sweet vindication. It's almost too much for this raving moonbat liberal to take.

[Balta1701]

I'm sure it was Wilkerson's loyalty to Powell that kept him from speaking up earlier, but bettter late than ever

Powell is reportedly quite angry with Wilkerson for coming forward. As Avarosis responds...

 

Powell is upset at him for speaking up because Powell is the world's most loyal soldier.

 

Gag me.

 

Powell wasn't the world's most loyal soldier when he publicly took on his commander in chief in that commander's first days in office in early 1993. And he wasn't the world's most loyal soldier when he savaged that commander in his subsequent memoirs.

 

Colin Powell is many things, including an opportunist who got burned selling his soul to the devil, but a loyal soldier he is not. And frankly, I wonder how upset Powell really is that his close friend is spilling the beans on how all of this mess is NOT Powell's fault.

[southsider2k5]

The fatal flaw in running a government by means of an inner circle is that when one of the cogs flips it brings tthe whole thing crashing down.

 

Live by the cabal, die by the cabal.

 

 

I agree 100%, I only wish that the samething would have happened to Clinton/Gore.

[Balta1701]

More insight into the black depths of Cheney's bionic baboon heart.

Wait, so which is it, a bionic heart or a baboon?

 

"Do you realize that because of you this city is being overrun by baboons?"

"Well, isnt' that the fault of the voters?"

[FlaSoxxJim]

Wait, so which is it, a bionic heart or a baboon?

 

I dunno. I can't keep up from week to week.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/afdb7b0c-40f3-11d...000e2511c8.html

 

By Edward Alden in Washington

full article

Like Dicky needed more problems

 

full transcript

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c925a686-40f4-11d...000e2511c8.html

 

I think you can watch here

http://www.newamerica.net/index.cfm?pg=event&EveID=520

 

 

After reading all that I have just one question. If the Army is "demoralized" and "voting with their feet" then why are re-enlistments running about 107% of plan?

 

Just curious.

[Steff]

After reading all that I have just one question.  If the Army is "demoralized" and "voting with their feet"  then why are re-enlistments running about 107% of plan?

 

Just curious.

 

 

 

Anything to do with the tax-free bonuses, educational opportunities and other benefits...?

 

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

Anything to do with the tax-free bonuses, educational opportunities and other benefits...?

 

 

 

Yes. But if life was so horrible in the military and they were so fed up with it then what would a few thousand extra dollars mean?

 

Tax-Free bonuses are given to soldiers who re-up while deployed in a combat zone.

 

100% Tuition assistance and the G.I. bill come standard and have been for a long time.

[Steff]

Yes.  But if life was so horrible in the military and they were so fed up with it then what would a few thousand extra dollars mean?

 

Tax-Free bonuses are given to soldiers who re-up while deployed in a combat zone. 

 

100% Tuition assistance and the G.I. bill come standard and have been for a long time.

 

 

I have no idea. Just going from what my uncle told me.

 

"Re-up" = "re-enlist" correct..? Those tax bonuses are huge.

 

Decent article with some re-enlistment details.

 

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/v...p-4547341c.html

[Kyyle23]

Im not even going to pretend that I know the way things go in the Army in regards to re-enlistment. But my buddy who is in the 82nd Airborne told me that he was basically forced to re-enlist because of a glitch in the system which required him to do some paperwork that he had no idea about, and his commanding officer did not tell him about. Take it for what its worth, but if thats happening, thats a sham.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Yes.  But if life was so horrible in the military and they were so fed up with it then what would a few thousand extra dollars mean?

 

Tax-Free bonuses are given to soldiers who re-up while deployed in a combat zone. 

 

100% Tuition assistance and the G.I. bill come standard and have been for a long time.

And sometimes bonuses are simply taken away once the poor suckers re-up.

 

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/s...p-4774126c.html

 

LES BLUMENTHAL; The News Tribune

Published: October 16th, 2005 12:01 AM

 

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has reneged on its offer to pay a $15,000 bonus to members of the National Guard and Army Reserve who agree to extend their enlistments by six years, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Seattle).

The bonuses were offered in January to Active Guard and Reserve and military technician soldiers who were serving overseas. In April, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs ordered the bonuses stopped, Murray said.

 

“This is outrageous,” the senator said in a telephone interview. “It makes me angry that this administration has broken another promise to our troops.”

 

Very nice.

[Balta1701]

My question in reply to Nuke would be whether or not the Army is being totally honest when it says it is at "107% of it's Goal" in terms of re-enlistment. We already know that when the Army really started having major misses in terms of it's monthly recruiting goal of over 8000 troops a month, last June it just decided to reduce its recruiting goal to 6700 soldiers per month, thereby leaving it with fewer misses and smaller overall misses being reported in the press.

 

Does anyone know for sure that the military hasn't done the same thing with re-enlistments?

 

Also, to what (if any) extent have stop-loss orders kept this number from dropping?

[kapkomet]

Bush and his followers are nothing but lying cheats, rapers, stealing thugs, who know how to solve all the world's problems but choose not to, kick puppy dogs right in the teeth, drink the blood that comes out of those teeth, and then goes on tv at night to talk about how good the blood tastes.

 

Is that about right?

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

I have no idea. Just going from what my uncle told me.

 

"Re-up" = "re-enlist" correct..? Those tax bonuses are huge.

 

Decent article with some re-enlistment details.

 

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/v...p-4547341c.html

 

Re-up = re-enlist. Yes

 

 

How much money you get primarily depends on your job. If you're in a field that is under-strength and hard to retain then you can really cash in. Over-strength fields you wont get as much but they can still make some decent money, especially if they make the commitment in a combat zone. Thats where the tax free deal comes into play.

 

It doesn't surprise me that people are staying in in greater numbers though because the military is finally realizing that if you want people to do dangerous work then you have to give them greater incentive to stay on. Also, in addition to paying out larger bonuses to troops they are also talking about making the GI Bill benefits transferrable to your spouse and kids.

[Steff]

I really don't think anyone knows the true #. My uncle - career AF - agrees the numbers are up.. 107% up.. his # definitely wasn't that high.

[Steff]

Re-up = re-enlist.  Yes

How much money you get primarily depends on your job.  If you're in a field that is under-strength and hard to retain then you can really cash in.  Over-strength fields you wont get as much but they can still make some decent money,  especially if they make the commitment in a combat zone.  Thats where the tax free deal comes into play. 

 

It doesn't surprise me that people are staying in in greater numbers though because the military is finally realizing that if you want people to do dangerous work then you have to give them greater incentive to stay on.  Also, in addition to paying out larger bonuses to troops they are also talking about making the GI Bill benefits transferrable to your spouse and kids.

 

Thanks. My uncle knows a lot, but not all, of the army works. His best friend is Army (he's AF) so that's where he gets his info from.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Bush and his followers are nothing but lying cheats, rapers, stealing thugs, who know how to solve all the world's problems but choose not to, kick puppy dogs right in the teeth, drink the blood that comes out of those teeth, and then goes on tv at night to talk about how good the blood tastes.

 

Is that about right?

Not sure about all that. But I'm sure the Guardsman could have used the $15K they were promised.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

My question in reply to Nuke would be whether or not the Army is being totally honest when it says it is at "107% of it's Goal" in terms of re-enlistment.  We already know that when the Army really started having major misses in terms of it's monthly recruiting goal of over 8000 troops a month, last June it just decided to reduce its recruiting goal to 6700 soldiers per month, thereby leaving it with fewer misses and smaller overall misses being reported in the press.

 

Does anyone know for sure that the military hasn't done the same thing with re-enlistments?

 

Also, to what (if any) extent have stop-loss orders kept this number from dropping?

 

 

Here's the thing though. The annual goal for recruiting new soldiers rose from like 70,000 a few years ago to nearly 80,000 now. Nobody talks about the fact that we have raised the bar for recruiting in order to grow the size of the Army by 30,000 troops. They also fail to mention that even though the higher targets havent been met that we are still bringing in more people each year than we were before.

 

Also, stop-loss orders have nothing to do with re-enlistment. Thats apples and oranges. The number that Stop-loss has an effect on is the final end strength or total number of troops in uniform.

Edited October 20, 2005 by NUKE_CLEVELAND

[southsider2k5]

I really don't think anyone knows the true #. My uncle - career AF - agrees the numbers are up.. 107% up.. his # definitely wasn't that high. 

 

I don't think he was saying they were 107% up, I think Nuke was saying it was 107% of the goal, which means they hit their goal plus 7% over that number IIUC.

[southsider2k5]

Bush and his followers are nothing but lying cheats, rapers, stealing thugs, who know how to solve all the world's problems but choose not to, kick puppy dogs right in the teeth, drink the blood that comes out of those teeth, and then goes on tv at night to talk about how good the blood tastes.

 

Is that about right?

 

And remarkably it is many who also use the "just a blow job" mantra like it is going out of style.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

I don't think he was saying they were 107% up, I think Nuke was saying it was 107% of the goal, which means they hit their goal plus 7% over that number IIUC.

 

 

Thats exactly what I meant.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

Not sure about all that.  But I'm sure the Guardsman could have used the $15K they were promised.

 

Are you saying that guardsmen are being cheated out of something they were promised?

 

Evidence please.

[FlaSoxxJim]

And remarkably it is many who also use the "just a blow job" mantra like it is going out of style.

You equate an extramarital blowjob with the s*** Cheney's office is "allegedly" involved with that led to knowingly ovberstating the case for war and the tresonous outing of a CIA operative?

 

Alrighty then. god love ya'. :rolly

Edited October 20, 2005 by FlaSoxxJim