The unraveling of the Cheney cabal

[cal04]

The "Cheney cabal" that Lawrence Wilkerson, aide to (former secretary of state) Colin Powell, has recently accused of "highjacking" US foreign policy, might eventually be brought to light, now that one of its chief architects, I Lewis "Scooter" Libby, is facing a public trial and the prospect of a stiff sentence. He has been indicted on three counts of perjury and lying under oath about the disclosure of the name of an undercover Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent to the media.

Those who read James Mann's highly underpublicized, but excellent book, The Rise and Fall of the Vulcans, have known about the power that the neo-conservatives (aka Vulcans) wielded in President George W Bush's White House. The indictment of Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, only confirms the essence of that cabal. What is still to come out are its details.

The real plan to invade Iraq was originally hatched in 1991, when then-president, George H W Bush, was at the helm. Libby was only one of its planners. The "big enchiladas" were Cheney, who then served as secretary of defense, and Paul Wolfowitz, who served as under secretary of defense. Current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld became an active participant as someone who was then outside the government. Their plan to oust Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait was reportedly far riskier than the one promoted by then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell. Bush Senior apparently vetoed the Cheney et al's plan and gave a nod to Powell's.

The neo-conservative architects of the invasion of Iraq were "deeply disappointed" when Bush Senior decided against the hot pursuit of the retreating Iraqi forces from Kuwait. They knew they had lost only one battle. They shelved their original plan, but only to use it in the future.

http://atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GK01Aa03.html

[Missy M]

1. What a 'sick' bunch of people the "Cheney cabal" is made of......

they must be brought down for the good of the country.

[leveymg]

2. The "unfinished business" motive for invading Iraq dovetails w/ the PNAC

inspired neocon plan for knocking off Israel's unfriendly neighbors. The 1997 "A Clean Break" plan by Feith, Wurmser and Perle was envisioned as "Securing the Realm" for Ariel Sharon's Right-wing new order. A way of once and for all replacing the social-democratic Labour Party with Likud. One-two-three it called for regime change in Iraq, Syria and then Iran.

The Iraq war was the Israeli Right's big chance to get the United States to do Likud's dirty work, and among the neocons around Cheney in Washington, as a way of cementing their brand of One Party dictatorship in the United States.

Great minds think alike, don't they?

[No Exit]

7. Very interesting!

Now it's up to us to stop them from further destroying US by using us to invade Syria and Iran.

I don't know how we're going to stop those insane invasions. I just hope we do. (Of course, we've already breached the Syrian border!)

[rodeodance]

8. the door opened and in they jumped!!

[Octafish]

3. DU researchers, heads-up!

An excellent overview, with names and more stuff of interest.

An excerpt:

A war that was carried out with no regard for world opinion or international law has created such a quagmire for the US that it simply has to extricate itself by eradicating the Iraqi insurgency. However, that eradication will come with a human cost that no US administration will be able to pay. How long can the Bush administration prolong its staying power in Iraq at the same rate of American casualties? The answer, simply, is not very long. That very fact may be good news to those who wish America ill, but certainly not to those who worry about its long-term implications for Iraq, the Middle East and the US.

Thanks, cal04!

[cliss]

4. I will repeat: not very long.

We will be out of Iraq, whether the White House wants to or not. It's not a question of fading support, the ever spiraling deaths of U.S troops, not to mention the Iraqi deaths.

It's about money. Or the lack of it.

We went out and borrowed the money to fund this war. Not one dollar is from current funds. It was all borrowed from the future.

One day our creditors will simply be unable or unwilling to lend us any more money to finance our wars of aggression.

Isn't it amazing that no amount of demonstrations, not Cindy Sheehan, no pleading, praying, world opinion which is so against this war. None of them will stop them but MONEY will.

[petgoat]

5. Osama bankrupted the Soviet Union in Afghanistan's 10-Year War

And the same thing is going to happen to us in Iraq.

[classysassy]

6. History

is a great teacher,but the insane rethugs never learn.The $$$$$$$$$$$(greed)never ends with those mad men and women.