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Where in the world is Neil Bush? Bill Berkowitz - WorkingForChange 02.20.02 - Where's Neil Bush these days? He's out making the most of the family name. Currently the chairman and chief executive officer of Ignite! Inc., an educational software company, the president's brother showed up in Saudi Arabia in late January to deliver the keynote address on the concluding day of the three-day Jeddah Economic Forum. And in October, shortly after the United States began bombing Afghanistan, Bush stopped off in Dubai for an international technology conference. In Saudi Arabia, Bush gave the conferees advice on how to press their case in the United States visa via the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a speech certain to raise the hackles of supporters of Israel, Bush maintained that the way to change perceptions in the United States about the Israeli-Palestinian question is for the Arab countries to expand their political lobbying. Bush claimed the American public favors Israel because of intense lobbying of U.S. politicians by Israeli supporters. In his remarks, Bush also called for exploring the roots of terrorism, an idea that might not sit well with brother George. "There could be economic disparities, social unrest or unemployment causing growing dissatisfaction in the region," he said. "But I have been told that the bigger issue is the resolving of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There was only lip service for ending the conflict, but since Sept. 11 there has been a difference. There seems to be a sense of urgency. The difference is public opinion has shifted. Public opinion shapes public policy dramatically. It's true in the U.S., in this part of the world, and elsewhere." According to Newsweek, Bush's visit to Saudi Arabia was sponsored in part by "the Saudi Binladin Construction Group [the family of Osama bin Laden] and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the tycoon whose $10 million offer to help the victims of the World Trade Center attacks was rejected last fall by New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani." (Bill Clinton was also in attendance, raking in some $300,000 for his address. Newsweek also reported Clinton earned an additional $475,000 for speeches in Dubai and Cairo.) Bush didn't only give his opinion about public relations at these appearances. According to Newsweek, he had another agenda: recruiting Middle Eastern investors for his educational-software firm that industry sources say, "may benefit enormously from the new $26.5 billion education bill signed by President George W. Bush." Ignite, his Austin-based firm, "has raised about $18 million since last year, mostly from foreign investors in Japan, Taiwan and the Middle East," said Ignite exec Kenneth Leonard. The company is exploring joint ventures with computer software firms in Dubai and is seeking contracts with the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Education and other foreign governments, said Leonard, who has accompanied Bush on three trips to the Mideast since George W. became president. Neil Bush's October appearance was at Datamatix's six-day Gitex Conference in Dubai. According to reports, Bush "outlined the need for clear vision and policies to support the growth of Information Technology (IT)." He said: "It is important in today's world to bridge gaps in knowledge within and outside communities." The magazine Arab-American Business pointed out that while attending the conference Bush held talks with Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum and Information Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan on the "world economy in light of recent events, as well as higher education in universities." Bush's gory days at Silverado At home, Neil Bush is best known for the role he played in the collapse of the Silverado Savings and Loan Association during the 1980s. For those who may have forgotten the Silverado debacle, reporter Louis Dubose in the Austin Chronicle offers this summary: "In 1990, Neil Bush paid a $50,000 fine and was banned from banking activities for his role in taking down Silverado, which actually cost taxpayers $1.3 billion. A Resolution Trust Corporation suit against Bush and other officers of Silverado was settled in 1991 for $26.5 million . . . A Republican fundraiser set up a fund to help defer costs Neil incurred in his S&L dealings . . . As a director of a failing thrift in Denver, Bush voted to approve $100 million in what were ultimately bad loans to two of his business partners. And in voting for the loans, he failed to inform fellow board members at Silverado Savings & Loan that the loan applicants were his business partners. Federal banking regulators later followed the trail of defaulted loans to Neil Bush oil ventures, in particular JNB International, an oil and gas exploration company awarded drilling concessions in Argentina -- despite its complete lack of experience in international oil and gas drilling . . ." Neil Bush's hand has often reached across national borders. According to a June 2001 story posted at Gully.com, Neil had his fingers deep into the Argentinean pie. Ana Simo reports Bush "jetted to Buenos Aires for a tennis match with [President] Menem the day after the latter was first elected, in 1989. Earlier, Neil had been involved in a failed plan to drill oil in Argentina, to be financed in part with a $900,000 loan from the Silverado Savings and Loan Bank in Denver, of which he was a director." A dreadful coincidence Conspiracy theorists love Neil Bush. In the spirit of "we report, you decide," consider this article about John Hinckley Jr.'s 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan. "Hinckley: Hit Man For The Shadow Government?" claims Neil Bush "told Denver reporters he had met Scott Hinckley [John's brother] at a surprise party at the Bush home January 23, 1981 approximately three weeks after the U.S. Department of Energy [began] a 'routine audit' of the Vanderbilt Energy Corporation, the Hinckley oil company. "In an incredible coincidence, on the morning of March 30, three representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy told Scott Hinckley, Vanderbilt's vice president of operations, that auditors had uncovered evidence of pricing violations on crude oil sold by the company from 1977 through 1980. The auditors announced that the federal government was considering a penalty of two million dollars. Scott Hinckley reportedly requested 'several hours to come up with an explanation' of the serious overcharges. The meeting ended a little more than an hour before John Hinckley Jr. shot President Reagan. "John Chancellor informed the viewers of NBC Nightly News that the brother of the man who tried to kill the president was acquainted with the son of the man who would have become president if the attack had been successful. As a matter of fact, Chancellor said Scott Hinckley and Neil Bush had been scheduled to have dinner together at the home of the vice president's son the very next night." Business as usual Like his brother George, Neil's business failures haven't stopped him from moving on and creating new business opportunities. Bush told Newsweek he hasn't contacted U.S. officials during his recent travels: "There was nothing improper about his seeking business from foreign governments. 'What am I supposed to do? Nothing in life? Every country has a concern about the education of its children -- and I'm happy to cooperate with them. I don't see a conflict.'" Bush also claimed he hasn't talked to the White House about his software company. "I don't get permission from my brother to do business," he said. According to one rival company, Neil Bush is in the perfect position to take advantage of his White House connections. "There's only about four or five [educational-software] firms in a position to take advantage of all this new money [from the education bill], and Neil Bush's company is one of them," a rival told Newsweek. |
