WABC Radio: Will Bush smear Kerry with UN Food for Oil Bribery Charges?

[Karmadillo]

I was listening to WABC radio tonight while working (I know there's no good reason for doing that but on the plus side, I did get to hear Paul Alexander try to compare (seriously) the Indumbent to Shakespeare's Prince Hal). The big story, courtesy of the always pointless Paul Gigot, was the UN Food for Oil contretemps in which French officials are accused of taking bribes from Saddam Hussein meant, in part, to encourage French support in the Security Council (Times link below). The discussion (I'm being generous in calling it that) focused on how the Indumbent should tie Kerry to this "scandal" since the "french speaking" challenger's "global test" requires the US to work in concert with the "corrupt" UN and, of course, the (evil) French.

This strikes of desperation, but Alexander was babbling on about the Cambodia and Swift Boat smears before the media gave them so much free play, so maybe he and Gigot have some idea of the straws the Indumbent is going to try to grasp tonight.

The other possible straw, by the way, is an allegation by some goof from FOX that there are tons of newly discovered documents that indicate Iraq really did have weapons of mass destruction and they'll be translated soon and verified and and and, anyway, released before the election, maybe, but they wouldn't be released just because of the election, but because they would be the truth and and and anyway they went on about this for some time as if it were a legitimate topic, but I think even the Loser will think twice before resorting to magic documents.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/08/international/europe/08france.html

PARIS, Oct. 7 - France reacted cautiously on Thursday to suggestions by the top United States arms inspector for Iraq, Charles A. Duelfer, that French officials and business executives had accepted bribes from Saddam Hussein as the dictator sought to ease crippling United Nations sanctions against his country.

"It would matter to check the veracity of this information very precisely in that we understand that these allegations against businesses or individuals were neither verified with the people in question nor with the authorities of the concerned countries," said a French Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hervé Ladsous, during a regular briefing here.

The accusations, contained in Mr. Duelfer's report on the state of Iraq's weapons programs before the American-led invasion, suggest that payments to French officials and businessmen may have been more extensive than earlier claims. An Iraqi newspaper, Al Mada, reported in January that a former French interior minister, Charles Pasqua, and several French businessmen received vouchers giving them the right to buy millions of barrels of Iraqi oil at discounted prices under the United Nations oil-for-food program. Bernard Guillet, an adviser to Mr. Pasqua, has said the vouchers were given to people from the former interior minister's European parliamentary district who were interested in doing business with Iraq.

But Mr. Duelfer says that the payments to French officials also included cash intended to encourage France's support for Iraq in the Security Council. He cites a 1992 Iraqi intelligence report that claims in 1988, Iraq's ambassador to Paris, Abd-al-Razzaq al-Hashimi, handed $1 million to Pierre Joxe, then France's defense minister.

more...

[aquart]

1. Anyone who speaks French is a traitor, now?

These people are INSANE.

[Momof1]

2. Kerry: OH bribery, lets talk about Tom DeLay

What did he say for that pesky prescription fiasco of a law?

FAA out for the terrorists? or the Texas dems?

[KharmaTrain]

3. Shit Or Get Off The Pot...This Debate Is On DOMESTIC Policy

Sorry, Bunnypants blew the Security/Leadership debate. He even tried a Mulligan. No more do-overs.

Let the kool-aid drinkers deny and pretend there are still some weapons...it's all they have to legimize an illegal invasion and the blood is on their hands.

If this topic comes up, I hope Kerry points out we have TWO weapons inspectors whose jobs were to find the WMD and both not only came up empty but proved there was no IMMINENT threat, the sanctions of the 90's worked and what was a danger was bombed into rubble in '98 when Clinton launched surgical strikes across the country.

[Mojambo]

4. Actually, I think this debate is on both

the next one is exclusively domestic policy.

[radfringe]

5. dahh rules

http://www.s5000.com/what_the_huck/591/bush_kerry_debate.php

---snip---

The debate between Kerry and Bush will again last for 90 minutes, and is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. EST. The questions can be on any topic. But according the to the agreement between the Bush and Kerry Campaign for this debate there must be as many questions on foreign policy and homeland security asked, as there are questions about economic and domestic policy. Personally I’m a little tired of all the rules both John Kerry and George W. Bush have come up with for these debates. There should be no rules on what questions can be asked, or how many questions on any topic can be asked. If George W. Bush or John Kerry isn’t prepared to answer any question put to them, then they don’t belong running for President of the United States.

---snip---

The way it’s going to work is the audience will submit questions to the moderator, who will then choose who participates.

---snip---

According to the rules for this debate both George W. Bush and John Kerry agreed that there would be at least 16 questions asked. Kerry and Bush will alternate answering the questions first. Here is a rule that I’m sure will come as a surprise to all of you. If the person asking their question changes it, then they will be cut off and asked to leave the venue.

[NewJeffCT]

6. OK, just go back to Halliburton

Bribing officials in Nigeria, doing business with terrorist states like Iran & Libya...

[RafterMan]

7. Prince Hal?

Prince Haliburton.

[Karmadillo]

9. Funny

n/t

[Pepperbelly]

8. neither bribery nor cheating merit a single death to stop them ...

much less thousands upon thousands of deaths and billions upon billions of treasure.

[Justice]

10. Primary Evidence on Oil for Food comes from Chalibi

the guy who was so trustworthy about the WMD.

The documents that support the claims have not been seen or authenticated by any impartial party. Why? They are still in the control of the Finance Committee in Iraq which is controlled by Ahmed Chalabi.

Chalibi won't turn over the documents on oil-for-food claims to the independent commission headed by Volcker.

Here is what the heritage foundation thinks of volcker -- hmm, really makes you wonder about the political slant of all of this: http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/wm569.cfm

Then there is this piece on Faux. It is really ironic, because these guys are talking about mistakes at the UN and the need to uncover them and deal with them -- and at the very least there needs to be a major shakeup. Imagine that by these two republican senators. Funny how they don't apply that same standard to the Bush Administration and the wrong decision to go to war, the poor execution of the war and the post war period! http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,132832,00.html

"The problems at the United Nations have led some to question its value." Shays and Coleman (both republicans) believe UN has a role.

Shays: “I think we need the U.N. But we need it to be an honest institution,” “When there are mistakes made, you have to uncover them and deal with them....at the very least, a major shakeup needs to take place. “The U.N. is so important, we’ve been willing to look the other way when we see things we don't like. I think the Oil-for-Food program busted that.”

"Coleman said "United Nations had redeemable qualities... the investigation would lead to greater transparency and more credibility for the world body.... I’m not willing to kind of cash it in … they’re not the Evil Empire, the United Nations,”

[mumon]

11. Good post.

There is good reason to listen to WABC: know your enemy.

On the Iraq weapons for food thing, that doesn't justify- after we knew- the lies about Iraq.

BTW, see my blog today about Paul Bremer's lies, and follow the links to download Sun Tzu's "The Art of War."

All you need to know about Iraq & the Kerry campaign.

[Karmadillo]

12. I have to admit I've never looked at "The Art of War."

Thanks very much for the link. Good blog, by the way.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. I'll check out your blog later this evening

but I was just telling a friend Kerry was very much following The Art of War

[Karmadillo]

13. Kick just in case this turns out to be right.

And to give me a chance to write oil for food instead of food for oil.