Shorter GOP: It's Okay if Maliki's Govt Supports Insurgents, So Long as It's Not OUR Money

by emptywheel

I'd like to return to an interchange between Waxman and Condi from the hearing today. Condi made a verygenerousoffer to let Waxman's committee review documents pertaining to corruption. Waxman pointed out that that offer did not allow the committee to discuss what it discovered in those documents publicly.

He raised the example of whether Iraqis were laundering money for use in militias. And Condi admitted that some of the corruption in Iraq contributed to funding militias. "Particularly in the south."

Someone must have been reading the blogs, because the Republicans (in a pretty smart strategy) saved some time for their designated attack dogs, Shays, Cannon, and Davis at the end so they could clarify what Condi meant with that answer (Darrell Issa must be busy in California trying to dilute that state's electoral votes while Rome burns, because this is usually his role on Oversight). At least Davis and Cannon (and I think Shays, though I was in the other room) got Condi to clarify that US money isn't going to Shiite militias who kill our troops. Iraqi money does.

Frankly, I'd sure like to see the accounting (though Condi correctly pointed out that State Department's relevant budget never goes directly to Iraqis, so it really doesn't fund Shiite militias). But consider where that leaves the Republicans.

We are currently providing a great deal of military support for a government that supports militias--Condi says--that our arch enemy (unless you're Ollie North or Poppy Bush) is also supporting. We're supporting Maliki's government which in turn uses corruption to support pro-Iranian factions.

And that's okay for the Republicans, so long as Maliki isn't launder our own money to support the Shiite militas. Mostly because they have no choice. Stopping such a practice would effectively admit that the war has completely backfired, making our arch enemy (unless you're Ollie North or Poppy Bush) stronger.

Comments

[leon]

The May 15th Prophecy has accurately predicted the situation in Pakistan.

The May 15th Prophecy has been the only source that have given detail with 100% accuracy of what is really happening in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and the greater Middle East

You should do a Goggle search of the “May 15th Prophecy” or go to
http://lastdaywatchers.blogspot.com/

[BillE]

Leon -- That's nuts the Vile Creature has been revealed his name is Bush.

[Darclay]

How can Condi say it is not our money that is funding militias. Just because it does not flow directly from us does not mean that it did not derive indirectly from us.
What law is condi citing that corruption can not be discussed in a public forum. By God it my tax money, it certainly does not fall under the pervue of State Secerets that I can see. This is digusting behavior by an Adminstrative offical.

[John Lopresti]

It is instructive, perhaps, to read in parallel Steve Bradbury's 2004 olc justification of an individual right to arm bears, and the more recent tale of the slippage which is the morph from conscriptive to majority mercenary military. I would be interested in Rice's reflections on ways to improve diplomacy, as the course of social unrest in the past six decades globally seems to have lessened efficacy of diplomats. I would ask how much of the mercenary tasking is non diplomatic bodyguarding. In the end I think Rice is paying for the heedless vision of her seniors in the administration; and I would hope her imaginativeness, such as it is, need not retreat back to the knowns of iron curtains and bamboo curtains. Maybe reading a little history of how the Arabs seeded the Enlightment in Europe by bring back the Greek classic works on democracy will help alleviate the malaise this clumsy global politik seems to have engendered. It seems civil societies have the capacity to outgrow eradicative strategies, even the one planned at ToraBora, or, rather, the one unavailable in 2003 but maybe in r+d.

[Dismayed]

Seems that I remember there were BILLIONS of dollars of US greenbacks that just vaporised in Iraq -- Oh, but none of that has been used to fund insurgency. Get real.

And when are we going to quit letting then call this and insurgency. It's a fucking civil war. We have NO control what-so-ever in Iraq. We are their playbook now.

I'm so sick of this political theater. We need to roll some heads in '08.

[Publicus]

If what Waxman sees in those documents reveals violations of the Constitution, no law can stop him from speaking out publicly. The Constitution trumps any private agreement about keeping secrets.

In fact, it is the duty of any Congressperson, Senator or President to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.