Negroponte, and the ripple effect

by Duckman GR

Liberal Oasis has the first real discussion of john negroponte, and what a vile choice he is to be our first Intelligence Tsar, or whatever catchy label we're going to put on him.

"I should have raised my voice louder than I did," [Sen. Tom] Harkin says about opposing [John] Negroponte's nominations. "I've been amazed at how this individual -- from what he did in Central America, where under his watch hundreds of people disappeared -- has moved up.

Indeed, you should've, Tom, as should have others. But LO points out, we're stuck with the bastard.

So how they could they justify bringing up criticisms now?

Without any new reports of troubling actions, it would look nonsensical to suddenly oppose him. The groundwork was not laid.

Now, we will have no choice but to watch Negroponte glide through the Senate for his latest promotion.

Maybe so, maybe so.

But this perfectly illustrates the fallacy of not fighting these freaks, of reaching across the aisle, just to get bitch slapped again and again. They aren't into compromise, only winning at all costs, even if that cost is the Constitution. What Barbara Boxer has started, we can continue.

I propose that instead of "NO" votes, the Senate Democrats abstain, after some serious questioning about his role with the Death Squads of Central America. It's a start, a tie, but you get to live another day. It says, he's yours. We've given him a pass for years, despite the death that follows him. It would make us look foolish to now fight him tooth and nail, since we knew the shades that went with him.

But enough is enough, we will no longer be a part of it. He's yours, george w bush, yours Big Time Dick cheney, yours Kitty Frist, yours denny.

Senator Schumer, hear us. We can't afford these people and their death dealing ways, their lack of moral compasses, ethics, humanity.

David Corn, via Liberal Oasis, writes this piece, well worth reading. The news reports on his nomination don't even mention that he's only been nominated and not appointed, as if his confirmation and the Senate roll in it are done deeds, and they certainly don't mention his dark past in Central America or his role in Iran-Contra. But they should, but I guess we don't want to talk about uncomfortable facts like that. We'd rather go shopping at wal-mart

Comforting thought, isn't it, that this man is going to be heading ALL of our intelligence apparatus? And I understand that he's going to be the one giving bush his PDF's, the ones with titles like "Bin Laden determined to strike in U.S." You think he's going to give bush the truth, or what he wants to hear?

His previous exploits, though, warrant more attention than ever. He has been credibly accused of rigging a human rights report that was politically inconvenient. This is a bad omen. The fundamental mission of the intelligence community is to provide policymakers with unvarnished and valuable information-even if it causes the policymakers headaches. But there's reason to believe that Negroponte did the opposite in tough circumstances. If that is the case, he would not be the right man to oversee an intelligence community that needs solid leaders who are committed to truth-finding. -David Corn-

Yeah, let him sail through the conformation process. Just don't do it with our approval.