Bush Administration Insiders Expose An Agenda For War With Iran
In a recent Esquire interview former top level Bush administration officials from the National Security Council Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann laid out how the Bush administration systematically and purposefully sabotaged diplomatic relations with Iran in an effort to bring us to the brink of war with them.
In the days following 9/11 back channels were used to open talks with Iran about pursuing Al Qaeda and targeting terrorist organizations in the region. Despite the talks going exceedingly well behind closed doors, the Bush administration including the President himself targeted Tehran at every opportunity publicly for criticism and rhetorical lambasting. While behind closed doors Tehran was talking about full cooperation on the nuclear front, George W. Bush publicly linked them to terrorist organizations and included them in his “axis of evil”.
In an excerpt from the Esquire article Hillary Mann talks about the talks with Iran following 9/11:
“But the important thing is that the Iranians agreed to talk unconditionally”, Mann says. "They specifically told me time and again that they were doing this because they understood the impact of this attack on the U.S., and they thought that if they helped us unconditionally, that would be the way to change the dynamic for the first time in twenty-five years."
Within weeks of offers of full cooperation on American terms Bush included them in his “axis of evil”. This clearly shows that the administration did not want to work with Tehran on the post 9/11 plans for the war on terrorism. Tehran offered tactical support and intelligence but was repaid with allegations of their involvement in the sponsorship of terrorism.
During the negotiations, Iran had made clear their willingness to cut ties to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in an effort to foster amity with the U.S.
In another excerpt from the Esquire article Mann recalls a defining moment in the relations between the Bush administration and Tehran:
Then came the moment that would lead to an extraordinary battle with the Bush administration. It was an average morning in April, about four weeks into the war. Mann picked up her daily folder and sat down at her desk, glancing at a fax cover page. The fax was from the Swiss ambassador to Iran, which wasn't unusual -- since the U.S. had no formal relationship with Iran, the Swiss ambassador represented American interests there and often faxed over updates on what he was doing. This time he'd met with Sa-deq Kharrazi, a well-connected Iranian who was the nephew of the foreign minister and son-in-law to the supreme leader. Amazingly, Kharrazi had presented the ambassador with a detailed proposal for peace in the Middle East, approved at the highest levels in Tehran.
A two-page summary was attached. Scanning it, Mann was startled by one dramatic concession after another -- "decisive action" against all terrorists in Iran, an end of support for Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, a promise to cease its nuclear program, and also an agreement to recognize Israel.
This was huge. Mann sat down and drafted a quick memo to her boss, Richard Haass. It was important to send a swift and positive response.
Then she heard that the White House had already made up its mind -- it was going to ignore the offer. Its only response was to lodge a formal complaint with the Swiss government about their ambassador's meddling.
The article goes on to cite numerous occasions where the Bush administration had opportunities to build peace on American terms with Iran but chose not to do so. It seems clear that this administration has their sights set on conflict and nothing will deter them other than removal from power. The vision for a “New American Century” held by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and other current and former administration officials seems to be the driving force behind all international policy concerning the Middle East. With more than a year to go before the next election one has to wonder what lies in store for America and our allies in the near future.
To read more of the Esquire article click on the link http://www.esquire.com:80/features/iranbriefing1107
Troy Wilson-Ripsom - Staff Writer | Give your feedback on this article. | Visit Troy's blog at http://reform-america.blogspot.com | Visit Troy's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/reform_america
Racism Rears Its Ugly Head At The Justice Department
In comments made to the National Latino Congress regarding the proposed requirement for photo identifications cards for voters in Georgia, John Tanner the head of voter’s rights section of the Justice Department’s civil rights division said that hardships brought to elderly people were less burdensome to minorities because "Minorities don't become elderly the way white people do. They die first." This statement has brought furious responses from minority groups and civil libertarians alike.
The comments were made to support the call for photo identifications being required at the polling places on voting day. Opponents of the measure and others like it complain that elderly minority people often don’t have driver’s licenses or state photo identification cards or the means to obtain them due to their age and poor access to government agencies such as the DMV. Many proponents of the planned requirement for photo identification at the polling booth claim that the inconvenience to the elderly is justified because of the increased assurance against voter fraud. While both arguments have merit there is no proof evident that either side is completely right or wrong in their assumptions about the impact such a policy would have.
The larger issue that Tanner’s comments raises is the tolerance of clearly racist and uninformed generalized statements made by government officials while in the course of performing their public duties. Democrats in Congress have called for Tanner’s dismissal but the Justice Department has thus far stood by their man. In response to a letter sent to the department by Presidential candidate and Illinois Senator Barack Obama calling for the removal of Tanner from his current post Justice Department spokesperson Brian Roehrkasse said, "John Tanner is a dedicated career civil servant who has worked for decades to protect voting rights. Under Mr. Tanner's leadership, the Voting Section has doubled its production in lawsuits, from an average of eight new cases a year to 16 new cases. It has brought over twice as many lawsuits under the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act in five years as in the previous 32 years combined... including the first cases in history on behalf of Filipino, Vietnamese and Korean voters."
It could appear by this type of response that as long as you put up the appearance of being an advocate for people your actual words don’t matter to this administration. Despite his racially charged comments, the Justice Department has indicated no intention to take any action to discipline Tanner for his offensive words or to make any efforts to distance the administration from the sentiment behind them. This type of action or lack thereof fuels increasingly frequent charges of an administration that is biased against certain segments of the population and that they carelessly disregard the needs of all but those that support their agenda. While this country was founded on the idea of "We the People" the actions and/or statements of some within the administration give the impression that people within the current administration see it more as a government of "We the White and Powerful People".
Obviously an entire administration cannot be judged by the actions of one department head but when put into context of the overall record of the administration including questions of discriminatory practices following hurricanes Katrina and Rita it leads many to the conclusion that the administration leans towards elitism and a disregard for the minorities and poor within America's borders. The rhetoric of inclusion and actions often perceived as exclusionary seem to be in conflict with each other much of the time.
Troy Wilson-Ripsom - Staff Writer | Give your feedback on this article. | Visit Troy's blog at http://reform-america.blogspot.com | Visit Troy's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/reform_america
