From: All the News That Doesn't Fit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [NYTr] No nukes in Iran, no tapes in Langley, no credibility in the White House
Progreso Weekly - Dec 13, 2007 http://progreso-weekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=269&Itemid=1 No nukes in Iran, no tapes in Langley, no credibility in the White House By Max J. Castro The tattered credibility of the Bush administration -- and of the United States in the eyes of the world -- suffered two massive new blows last week: * A joint report by U.S. intelligence agencies said Iran had stopped its nuclear arms program in 2003, contradicting the report issued by the agencies two years ago as well as repeated U.S. accusations against Iran. * The CIA revealed it had destroyed the tapes of interrogations of alleged terrorists despite advice from the White House counsel and the Department of Justice to preserve them. The intelligence report on the alleged Iranian nuclear weapons program, called a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), contradicted years of charges by the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State. The revelations also come in the wake of increasingly hostile U.S. actions toward Iran as well as alarmist statements by Bush and other American leaders reminiscent of those used in selling the Iraq war five years ago. Although it is unclear exactly when President Bush learned the details of the NIE, it is evident from changes in his rhetoric that he has known for some time about the central conclusion of the report, namely that Iran is not building nuclear weapons. Previously, Bush spoke of the need to stop the Iranian nuclear arms program; more recently, the President has talked of the necessity to prevent the Iranians from gaining the knowledge for enriching uranium. Thus, upon learning that four years ago the Iranians had done what the United States was insisting that they do, the President did not drop his demands and soften his tone. Instead, he moved the goal posts and continued ratcheting up the rhetoric, at one point invoking the prospect of World War III unless Iran can be prevented from obtaining nuclear knowledge. Amazingly, not even the findings of the NIE, which put a lie to the thrust of Bush?s claims, managed to persuade the President to change his tune. News about the suspension of the Iranian weapons program undercut the administration?s drive to harden international sanctions against Iran and took the wind out of the sails of neoconservatives lobbying for a U.S. military strike against Iran. Once again, the world witnessed a case of the Bush administration arguing for aggressive actions against another state based on disastrously flawed information. The second bombshell of the week, the disclosure of the destruction of the interrogation tapes, not only seriously undermines the credibility of the United States abroad but also raises questions about the rule of law at home. The explanation offered by the head of the CIA -- that tapes were destroyed to prevent them from falling in the hands of terrorists who could then take revenge against interrogators and their families -- is simply not credible. Are we to believe that the CIA, which holds countless secrets, cannot keep a set of videotapes out of the hands of terrorists? Are we to believe that instead of destroying the tapes the agency could not have altered them to blot out the faces of CIA officers? What is much more likely than the official story is that the videotapes were destroyed to keep them out of the hands of potential Congressional and Justice Department investigators as well as away from the eyes of the court of international opinion. According to a report in the December 7 edition of the New York Times, ?the tapes were destroyed in part because officers were concerned that video showing harsh interrogation methods could expose agency officials to legal risks, several officials said.? That suggests a strong chance that the tapes were destroyed to conceal evidence of torture and to obstruct justice in order to protect those who carried it out and, especially, those who approved it. Whoever was ultimately responsible for the destruction of the tapes also probably had in mind the example of Richard Nixon, likely to have survived the Watergate scandal if he had destroyed the audio tapes incriminating him. Several investigations are planned into the destruction of the interrogation tapes and other related issues, such as why the CIA did not comply with the 9/11 Commission and federal courts that sought to obtain the tapes. Given the track record of this administration, however, and the tacit or enthusiastic support of members of Congress, including many Democrats, for almost any action rationalized as vital to the ?war on terror,? there is every reason to be skeptical about these latest inquiries. Seven years of scandals and outrages have inured Bush watchers to the deceptions and transgressions that have taken place during this administration. Yet the latest revelations have managed to shock even those accustomed to phantom weapons of mass destruction and twisted exercises in redefining torture. The good news is that we managed to find out that Iran is not building nuclear weapons before the attack was launched to preempt their deployment. The bad news is that the Bush administration continues to act as if nothing has changed. *** http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/121407M.shtml Argentine Leader Riled by US Cash Charge By Bill Cormier and Ian James The Associated Press Thursday 13 December 2007 Buenos Aires, Argentina - Argentina's new president reacted furiously Thursday to accusations by U.S. prosecutors that an intercepted suitcase full of cash from Venezuela was meant to finance her election campaign, calling the charge "garbage in international politics." Aides to President Cristina Fernandez accused Washington of using a "vile trick" to smear her government for its close ties to Venezuela's leftist leader, Hugo Chavez, who is campaigning to reduce U.S. influence in Latin America. Fernandez, one of only two female heads of state in Latin America, suggested the charges might have been directed at her in part because of her gender. "This president may be a woman, but she's not going to allow herself to be pressured," Fernandez said, glaring at the cameras. She denounced the U.S. criminal complaint, but did not address the substance of the charges - that foreigners secretly tried to fund her campaign. Instead, she signaled she intended to draw even closer to Chavez, vowing to "continue affirming our relation of friendship with all Latin American countries and also with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela." Chavez also didn't mention the accusations in a speech Thursday, but praised Fernandez as a "lightning bolt." The charges of a clandestine attempt to contribute nearly $800,000 in August put both the Argentine and Venezuelan governments on the defensive as opponents sought to turn the case into a political liability. Fernandez appeared taken off guard by the charge that surfaced just two days after her inauguration. Her opponents demanded that Argentine authorities take testimony from four men charged in Miami with orchestrating a cover-up with top Venezuelan officials after the undeclared cash was seized by Argentine customs. It's not against Argentine law for foreigners to contribute to a presidential campaign, but it is illegal to do so secretly. It also is illegal to bring undeclared cash into the country. In a Florida court Wednesday, U.S. prosecutors accused the men of being illegal agents of a foreign government and said recorded conversations indicated the scheme reached the highest levels of the Venezuelan government. The Venezuelan-American businessman who carried the suitcase, Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, is not charged and appears to be a key witness in the case. He is named in an extradition request by Argentina, where he is wanted on fraud charges. Fernandez's husband, then-President Nestor Kirchner, said in August that his government had "nothing to do" with the cash suitcase episode. On Thursday, top officials dismissed the claim. Justice Minister Anibal Fernandez called the accusation "an enormous dirty trick." Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo, meanwhile, said Antonini should be extradited. "It now seems the U.S. justice system wants to protect the one who in reality they should extradite," he said. Venezuelan Information Minister Willian Lara denied any link between the money and Chavez's government, saying the four men are not its agents and calling the charges "U.S. propagandistic trash." Lara told The Associated Press that the U.S. is trying to link Venezuela to the case "pulling by the hair." State Department spokesman Sean McCormack denied any political motives: "This is not an issue of U.S.-Argentine relations. This is a matter of U.S. law enforcement enforcing U.S. laws." But McCormack also lashed out at Chavez for doing what the charges suggest. "We have talked about their interference in the affairs of other countries. They have tried to insert themselves into various elections throughout the region and in several cases it has backfired," he said. The money seizure led to the firing of an Argentine official for letting Antonini carry the cash aboard a chartered flight with Argentine officials and employees of Venezuela's state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA. PDVSA's top manager in Argentina also stepped down. The scandal offers a glimpse into the sort of shadowy transactions that have long haunted Latin American governments. Its colorful cast of characters includes members of a new Venezuelan elite that has grown wealthy during Chavez's "Bolivarian Revolution" - a class dubbed the "Boli-bourgeoisie" by his critics. Some of the suspects in Miami have prospered doing business with Venezuela's state oil company, which bankrolls Chavez's government. According to the U.S. criminal complaint, suspect Franklin Duran identified the person who carried the cash aboard the plane as an assistant to PDVSA's chief executive. Both Duran and another Venezuelan suspect, Carlos Kauffmann, are shareholders in the Venezuelan petrochemical company Venoco and have done business with PDVSA. Kauffmann also has a stake in Perforaciones Alborz CA, which has supplied drills to PDVSA. Both men have personal and professional ties to Antonini, who carried the suitcase. The three competed together in the Gumball 3000 road rally in Europe and last year raced two Porsches representing the Venoco team, teammate and investment broker Antonio Pardo told AP. A red Ferrari used by Antonini's team in another race bore a sticker with a logo used by Chavez's government. An attorney for Duran and Kauffmann said his clients are innocent. Duran, who is listed in Venezuela as owner of the arms importer Ruibal y Duran, was investigated by Venezuelan lawmakers in 2003 for allegedly importing 115 Uzis without permission for police in the state of Cojedes. That investigation was set aside without finding wrongdoing. Cojedes state Gov. Jhonny Yanez Rangel has said Duran also sold weapons to Venezuela's Defense Ministry. ------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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