report on individuals in gov. who profited directly from pushing Iraq war

[G_j]

War Advocates' Gravy Train

An investigative report about individuals in government who profited directly from pushing for war in Iraq.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-advocates14jul14,1,278590.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Advocates of War Now Profit From Iraq's Reconstruction
Lobbyists, aides to senior officials and others encouraged invasion and now help firms pursue contracts. They see no conflict.


By Walter F. Roche Jr. and Ken Silverstein, Times Staff Writers


WASHINGTON — In the months and years leading up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, they marched together in the vanguard of those who advocated war.

As lobbyists, public relations counselors and confidential advisors to senior federal officials, they warned against Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, praised exiled leader Ahmad Chalabi, and argued that toppling Saddam Hussein was a matter of national security and moral duty.

Now, as fighting continues in Iraq, they are collecting tens of thousands of dollars in fees for helping business clients pursue federal contracts and other financial opportunities in Iraq. For instance, a former Senate aide who helped get U.S. funds for anti-Hussein exiles who are now active in Iraqi affairs has a $175,000 deal to advise Romania on winning business in Iraq and other matters.

And the ease with which they have moved from advocating policies and advising high government officials to making money in activities linked to their policies and advice reflects the blurred lines that often exist between public and private interests in Washington. In most cases, federal conflict-of-interest laws do not apply to former officials or to people serving only as advisors.

Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, said the actions of former officials and others who serve on government advisory boards, although not illegal, can raise the appearance of conflicts of interest. "It calls into question whether the advice they give is in their own interests rather than the public interest," Noble said.
..more..

[G_j]

1. kick for an excellent article n/t

:kick:

[redqueen]

2. KICK

:kick:

[G_j]

3. "despite the violence and instability"

<snip>
Since the start of the war, despite the violence and instability in Iraq, they have turned to private enterprise.

The group includes:


- Randy Scheunemann, a former Rumsfeld advisor who helped draft the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 authorizing $98 million in U.S. aid to Iraqi exile groups. He was the founding president of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq. Now he's helping former Soviet Bloc states win business there.

- Margaret Bartel, who managed federal money channeled to Chalabi's exile group, the Iraqi National Congress, including funds for its prewar intelligence program on Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. She now heads a Washington-area consulting firm helping would-be investors find Iraqi partners.

- K. Riva Levinson, a Washington lobbyist and public relations specialist who received federal funds to drum up prewar support for the Iraqi National Congress. She has close ties to Bartel and now helps companies open doors in Iraq, in part through her contacts with the Iraqi National Congress.

Other advocates of military action against Hussein are pursuing business opportunities in Iraq. Two ardent supporters of military action, Joe Allbaugh, who managed President Bush's 2000 campaign for the White House and later headed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Edward Rogers Jr., an aide to the first President Bush, recently helped set up two companies to promote business in postwar Iraq. Rogers' law firm has a $262,500 contract to represent Iraq's Kurdistan Democratic Party.

..more..

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[G_j]

5. and this is related to war profiteering (subject of article)

how? :shrug:

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bread_and_roses]

10. You think this is news?

Unlike lock-step right-wingers, many if not most people here actually read multiple news sources and follow events in Congress...and in the world. Many here have criticised Democrats for supporting the war. And criticized Clinton for various policy decisions.

Nothing in those quotes makes what is happening now acceptable or ethical - not the deaths of Iraqis, nor the deaths of Coalition troops, nor the torture of prisoners, nor the war-profiteering.

A politician's label doesn't make his positions right or wrong - the merits and ethics of the position do. But making determinations of merit and ethics requires more than the one brain cell needed to recognize "Democrat" or "Republican."

[Eric J in MN]

8. Dick Cheney's name is a glaring omission from that article (nt)

nt

[G_j]

9. I think that is because

the report is specifically looking at "lobbyists, public relations counselors and confidential advisors to senior federal officials".

[G_j]

11. iraq revenue watch

http://www.iraqrevenuewatch.org/

[flewellyn]

12. This raises a question for the LA Times and other media...

WHERE THE BLUE PEEPING HELL HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN!?

This has been known for YEARS. Only NOW you're reporting it?

Sorry, I think our collective disgust with the state of the media in this country is well known, but I still felt it needed saying.