brought up Michael Ledeen and Manucher Ghorbanifar on Nate Clay

[wli]

I brought up the "Universal Fascism" book, PNAC, AEI, and his and Ghorbanifar's connections to Iran-Contra and other forgeries. I didn't really pass judgment or anything, I just tried to say that fascism was being explicitly discussed in thinktanks with significant influence.

ON EDIT: I got cut off for unclear reasons (either time or they thought I was a crank). I didn't manage to get in the suspected connections to the Niger forgeries, but was trying to at the point I got cut off.

[Wetzelbill]

1. Is Ledeen still trying to go after Iran.... gosh, this guy should

just give it up. Can't stand these weirdos and their fetishes about certain countries.

[wli]

2. well, I was just trying to point out the explicit fascism in some areas

e.g. Ledeen explicitly endorses fascism.

ON EDIT: I didn't have any material on AEI/Iran connections. All I had was the fascism, Iran-Contra, and Niger forgery connections. The Niger forgery connections did not get through. I was cut off before I could mention them.

[Wetzelbill]

3. oh he most definitely does

you got that right. So they cut you off? That sucks. At least you got some of that other stuff in.

[wli]

4. it's not so great a loss

All there really is is an anonymous quote saying that if one guessed Michael Ledeen were behind the forgeries, that one would be "very close." So the Niger connection is pretty sketchy, and the solidly verifiable aspects, which are the connection to Iran-Contra (not necessarily prosecuted but investigated at the very least), the fascism discussion, the PNAC/AEI overlap, and the existence of PNAC and the AEI as conservative thinktanks, all got in.

I also failed to get in anything about the roles PNAC and/or AEI play with the exchange of personnel with elected officials and influence on elected officials, and there wasn't much of a plan there. I have a vague idea they'd never heard of PNAC or the AEI.

I have a vague sort of hope that mentioning Ledeen, PNAC, and the AEI will get the listeners to Nate Clay looking for information about them, and if so, I've succeeded.

[moodforaday]

5. "Enter into evil"

Quote from one of Ledeen's books (Machiavelli on Modern Leadership, 1999):

“There are several circumstances in which good leaders are likely to have to enter into evil: whenever the very existence of the nation is threatened; when the state is first created or revolutionary change is to be accomplished; when removing an evil tyrant; and when the society becomes corrupt and must be restored to virtue…Saving a state that has sunk into corruption is Machiavelli’s most passionate concern…” (pp. 101-102)

more here:
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/MichaelLedeen.html