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Bush Appoints Iran-Contra Figure To Head Up Iraq "Intelligence"
Probe
Author Dilip Hiro On Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Collapse
of American Power in the Middle East
Is Washington Backing Another Coup in Haiti?
Bush Appoints Iran-Contra Figure To Head Up Iraq
"Intelligence" Probe
INTRO: We take an in-depth look at Judge Laurence Silberman,
the man President Bush appointed as co-chair of the commission
to investigate intelligence failures prior to the Iraq invasion.
Silberman is a longtime Republican operative who is said to
have orchestrated President Reagan's "October Surprise,"
overturned Oliver North's Iran-Contra conviction and helped
pursue sexual misconduct allegations against President Clinton.
President Bush last week appointed a commission to investigate
intelligence failures prior to the invasion of Iraq. Critics
see the move as little more than window dressing since the
commission will have no subpoena powers and won't report until
2005 - after the presidential election.
The impartiality of the commission has also come into question.
The co-chairs named to head up the inquiry will be federal
appeals court Judge Laurence Silberman and former Virginia
Democratic Senator Charles Robb.
Judge Silberman has been described as a longtime Republican
operative and is widely thought to have helped orchestrate
Ronald Reagan's1980 "October Suprise" when Reagan
secretly made contacts with the Iranian government before
he was elected.
It is alleged that President Reagan sent Silberman in the
fall of 1980 to make sure the Iranians weren't planning to
give up the US hostages taken at the American embassy, thus
creating an "October surprise" that would help reelect
Jimmy Carter. Silberman was rewarded for his role in Iran
with the judgeship that later allowed him to overturn the
conviction of Oliver North for his role in the Iran-Contra
affair.
During the 1990s, Silberman advised Republican activists
on strategies to pursue sexual misconduct allegations against
President Clinton.
Yesterday, Nevada Senator Harry Reid asked President Bush
to rescind Silberman's nomination saying in the Senate that
"it's been acknowledged by most everyone that he is one
of the most partisan people in our community."
- Gary Sick, served on the National Security Council under
Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan. He is the acting director
of Columbia University's Middle East Institute within the
School of International & Public Affairs. He was the
principal White House aide for Iran. He is the author of
All Fall Down: America's Tragic Encounter With Iran (Random
House, 1985) and October Surprise: America's Hostages in
Iran and the Election of Ronald Reagan (Random House/Times
Books, 1992).
- Jim Lobe, journalist with the Inter Press Service.
Author Dilip Hiro On Operation Iraqi Freedom and
the Collapse of American Power in the Middle East
INTRO: We take a look at the U.S. occupation of Iraq with
Dilip Hiro, a longtime journalist and the author of 25 books
including the newly published "Secrets and Lies: Operation
Iraqi Freedom and the Collapse of American Power in the Middle
East." [includes transcript]
It has been nearly one year since the U.S. began its invasion
of Iraq. In this time, U.S. forces have failed to produce
any weapons of mass destruction in the country - the stated
reason for going to war against Baghdad.
Former chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq David Kay has
resigned saying "it turns out we were all wrong, probably,"
about the perceived Iraqi threat. CIA Director George Tenet
spoke out, saying Iraq never posed an imminent threat to the
United States.
Meanwhile the bloody occupation of Iraq continues. According
to the Pentagon's own figures, some 530 U.S. troops have died
in Iraq. Thousands have been wounded.
There are no solid estimates of the number of Iraqis who
have been killed since the start of the invasion. The website
Iraqbodycount.net estimates that up to 10,000 Iraqi civilians
have died.
This week has seen one of the bloodiest 24-periods since
the fall of Baghdad, with over 100 Iraqis being killed in
a series of major suicide bombing attacks that targeted new
Iraqi Army and police recruits.
- Dilip Hiro, longtime journalist and the author of 25 books
including the newly published Secrets and Lies: Operation
Iraqi Freedom and the Collapse of American Power in the
Middle East (Nation Books). Other books include "Iraq
and Iran After the Gulf Wars" and "Iraq: In the
Eye of the Storm."
Is Washington Backing Another Coup in Haiti?
INTRO: Up to 40 people have been killed in Haiti as anti-government
gangs and militias work to overthrow the government of Jean
Bertrand Aristide. We discuss the causes of the recent violence
and examine what role the U.S. is playing in the current events
in the country.
If it weren't for the occupation of Iraq, perhaps official
attention in Washington would be focused south on the island
nation of Haiti. Anti-government gangs and militias are working
with opposition groups and former army officers in an effort
to overthrow the government of Jean Bertrand Aristide. There
is concern that Washington is once again working behind the
scenes to foment a coup.
The Haitian President said yesterday he will not step down
from office, telling reporters "I will leave the palace
Feb. 7, 2006"-that is the day his mandate as president
ends. For weeks, Haiti has seen armed gangs attacking government
forces and supporters in various towns and cities across the
country. Pro-government supporters have been defending Aristide.
There have been a series of armed battles that have resulted
in at least 40 deaths. Haiti has no army and has a dwindling
police force numbering only a few thousand.
If the violence escalates, there are fears that Haiti could
experience another mass exodus of people taking to boats to
flee the country. And many are beginning to question exactly
what role the US is playing in the current events in the country.
This week the Bush administration stopped just short of calling
on the Aristide to resign. State Department spokesperson Richard
Boucher told reporters, "We recognize that reaching a
political settlement will require some fairly thorough changes
in the way Haiti is governed."
Another senior official told The Baltimore Sun, "When
we talk about undergoing change in the way Haiti is governed,
I think that could indeed involve changes in Aristide's position."
- Dr. Paul Farmer, author of "The Uses of Haiti"
and " Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and
the New War on the Poor". Farmer helps run clinics
in Haiti.
Link: http://www.pih.org
- Jean Jean-Pierre, is a journalist who has written for
the Village Voice for more than a decade. He was born and
raised in Haiti.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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