Mr. John Bolton, please stand up.
Since Mr. Bolton is currently in the news, his nomination being held up in committee by Republicans no less, I thought I'd make him the first dot. As one can tell from the news, this guy seems to be controversial. So was Alberto Gonzalez, the counsel who wrote that we were not constrained by the Geneva Conventions in certain conditions. Now Mr. Gonzalez, on the backs of the moral majority pro-life zombie brigade, is the Attorney general of the US. Didn't I say once I wouldn't kill characters? I think I just killed a whole group of them. Actually I was quoting part of a radio dj's title for the neocons, and I left out some. Back to Bolton. This controversial guy that was called a "kiss-up and kick-down" kind of guy by a fellow conservative. It seems that the allegations holding Bolton up are his attitudes and actions towards other government employees, particularly intelligence analysts. Which, if it underscores an attitude about intelligence and it's handling, could be troublesome. But if Cardinal Ratzinger can become the Pope when he was once in the Nazi Youth and army, then Bolton could have just as easily received some anger management therapy. Maybe from Jack Nicholson? After school, Bolton served in law offices, and his first apparent government work was during the Reagan administration. According to the International relations center, after joining the Reagan administration in 1981, Bolton quickly gained a reputation as being one of the new breed of New Right lawyers who operated at the second tier of the State Department and gained top policy positions in the Justice Department. Bolton gained entry to the Reagan administration through strong support from Senator Helms and from New Right strategist Richard Viguerie and his influential Conservative Digest. During Reagans second term, Bolton began working together with a team of Federalist Society lawyers under Attorney General Edwin Meese. With Federalist Society members and activists in top policy positions, the Justice Department for the first time came under the ideological influence of the New Right.1
The chief goal of the Federalist Society has been to roll back the purported hold of the liberal establishment on the judiciary and legal profession. Federalist Society members also oppose liberalism in the international arena in the form of international law and multilateral governance.
During the Iran/Contra scandal investigation, there was a whole lot of stalling going on at the Justice Dept. When requests for documents were made. It seems that on the Contra side, there was some evidence that the Contras were dealing drugs. This allegation was substantiating by the CIA Inspector General stating they suspected the Contras were dealing drugs while doing business with the US. That revelation though, came out years later. And the man running the interference for the Republicans? None other than John Bolton. "Payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies." That quote is from the Senate Committee Report on Drugs, Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy chaired by Senator John F. Kerry. The Report goes on to say, "The Justice Department was slow to respond to the allegations regarding links between drug traffickers and the Contras. In the spring of 1986, even after the State Department was acknowledging there were problems with drug trafficking in association with Contra activities on the Southern Front, the Justice Department was adamantly denying that there was any substance to the narcotics allegations. At the time, the FBI had significant information regarding the involvement of narcotics traffickers in Contra operations and Neutrality Act violations." What a great way to start a political career. What can we see so far? Well, it is apparent that there is not much room for multilateral cooperation, which we'll also see later in Bolton's comments about the UN. It is also apparent that Bolton has a very narrow ideology.
After Reagan and Daddy Bush, Bolton was out of work. So he joined the Manhattan Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. It was at the AEI that he advocated the withdrawal of America from the ABM treaty, and postulated that the UN posed a grave threat to the United States. Then in the year 2000, he was tapped to be a senior member of Bush' legal team after the election. So what has Mr. Bolton accomplished since then? Stay tuned as we list his attitudes and comments! Same Gonzo time (PST), same Gonzo channel! Peace!
The chief goal of the Federalist Society has been to roll back the purported hold of the liberal establishment on the judiciary and legal profession. Federalist Society members also oppose liberalism in the international arena in the form of international law and multilateral governance.
During the Iran/Contra scandal investigation, there was a whole lot of stalling going on at the Justice Dept. When requests for documents were made. It seems that on the Contra side, there was some evidence that the Contras were dealing drugs. This allegation was substantiating by the CIA Inspector General stating they suspected the Contras were dealing drugs while doing business with the US. That revelation though, came out years later. And the man running the interference for the Republicans? None other than John Bolton. "Payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies." That quote is from the Senate Committee Report on Drugs, Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy chaired by Senator John F. Kerry. The Report goes on to say, "The Justice Department was slow to respond to the allegations regarding links between drug traffickers and the Contras. In the spring of 1986, even after the State Department was acknowledging there were problems with drug trafficking in association with Contra activities on the Southern Front, the Justice Department was adamantly denying that there was any substance to the narcotics allegations. At the time, the FBI had significant information regarding the involvement of narcotics traffickers in Contra operations and Neutrality Act violations." What a great way to start a political career. What can we see so far? Well, it is apparent that there is not much room for multilateral cooperation, which we'll also see later in Bolton's comments about the UN. It is also apparent that Bolton has a very narrow ideology.
After Reagan and Daddy Bush, Bolton was out of work. So he joined the Manhattan Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. It was at the AEI that he advocated the withdrawal of America from the ABM treaty, and postulated that the UN posed a grave threat to the United States. Then in the year 2000, he was tapped to be a senior member of Bush' legal team after the election. So what has Mr. Bolton accomplished since then? Stay tuned as we list his attitudes and comments! Same Gonzo time (PST), same Gonzo channel! Peace!
posted by Gonzo at 19:37
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