[Nettime-bold] FW: '''Marin hot tubbers,' Iran-Contra ghosts, and other fears of the Bush clan''

["Steve McAlexander" <invictus@sbcglobal.net>]

Posted on Sunday, January 27 @ 13:11:07 EST

 By Larry Chin
YellowTimes.ORG Guest Columnist
(YellowTimes.ORG) - In a rare television appearance yesterday, former
(or some say still current) president George Herbert Walker Bush lashed
out personally at John Walker Lindh, the American who took up arms with
the Taliban. Shaking with rage, the elder Bush spit venomously about how
he has "absolutely no sympathy" for the Taliboy teenager, and how sick
he was of "liberal Marin County hot tubbers."
The former CIA Director veered like a hijacked jetliner into ramblings
about "liberal" critics alleging prisoner mistreatment (we can assume he
was referring to "liberals" like the Red Cross and European government
leaders who have a problem with Guantanamo), and the need to "get tough
and get behind the military" (as if the mass goose stepping isn't quite
"getting" enough for his tastes).

Pure vindictiveness may explain some of the Carlyle Group senior
adviser's lust to see the young Taliboy's neck in a noose. More likely,
Poppy Bush is angry that his son, President W., is being confronted by a
nemesis from his own dark Iran-Contra past: James Brosnahan.
James Brosnahan, former federal prosecutor and former member of the
Lawrence Walsh Independent Counsel team, is John Walker Lindh's
attorney.
Recall that the elder Bush hated no one on earth more than Walsh. In his
book Shadow, Bob Woodward describes how, during the height of the Walsh
inquiry, Bush received a "Lawrence Walsh" doll as a gag Christmas gift
from a member of his staff. Bush slammed the doll repeatedly against his
desk, shouting, "Take that, Walsh!"
Recall that Bush and his minions did everything possible to obstruct
Walsh's investigation. Walsh's team had discovered notes written by
Caspar Weinberger which disproved Bush's claim that he had been "out of
the loop." These notes proved that Weinberger had knowledge of $25
million in Saudi Arabian contributions to the Nicaraguan contras.
Recall that it was Brosnahan who spoke out against White House attacks
against Walsh as blatant obstruction of justice. In a piece written by
Robert Parry (from Mother Jones January 1993):
"It was all so transparent that I was disappointed more people didn't
pick up on the fact that all they were really trying to do was obstruct
the trial of Weinberger. It was going to be a hell of a trial,"
Brosnahan said. V"The full story would have been told, as it pertained
to the [obstruction] counts of the indictment. They [senior Reagan-Bush
officials] couldn't have a trial. The cross- examination of Caspar
Weinberger was going to be an event."
According to Brosnahan, the trial would have shown that Weinberger knew
as early as summer 1985 that President Ronald Reagan had personally
authorized missile shipments to Iran in violation of the Arms Control
Export Act, and that this potentially impeachable act was concealed by
constructing a false record. "The August [1985] meeting [of Reagan's
National Security Council] discussed having Israel send the missiles to
Iran and replenishing them out of U.S. stocks," says Brosnahan.
"Weinberger is responsible for all missiles. The Secretary of Defense is
the guy."
Another guy who stood to lose his exalted standing in Washington if the
trial took place was General Colin Powell, who was Weinberger's
principal aide in 1985. In an affidavit, Powell said he "saw virtually
all the papers that went in and out of [Weinberger's] office" and thus
would have had direct access to the evidence of missile replenishment.
Early in the investigation, Powell gave conflicting accounts of his
knowledge of Weinberger's extensive personal notes, denying knowledge of
their existence (when Weinberger was claiming he didn't take any), and
then saying in 1992 that the notes were no secret and describing them in
detail (after Weinberger was forced to cough them up).
One of the prosecution's star witnesses would have been White House
Chief of Staff Donald Regan, who finally would have recounted the
frantic Oval Office scrambling to contain the scandal in November 1986,
Brosnahan says. "Regan would say that when it broke, he denied things.
But there came a point when he knew it was out of control. At some
point, in December [1985] or January [1986], he wanted to get the whole
thing out."
In his notorious final act as president, George H.W. Bush pardoned
Caspar Weinberger. He also pardoned the rest of his Iran-Contra gang.
Elliott Abrams, his former assistant secretary of state for
Inter-American affairs. Former National Security Adviser Robert
McFarlane. And CIA agents and friends Dewey Clarridge, Alan Fiers, and
Clair George.
In defending John Walker, Brosnahan has vowed to fight the current Bush
administration every step of the way. Brosnahan has many points to
raise. For example, Walker Lindh joined the Taliban during a period in
which the Bush (and Clinton) administration considered the Taliban to be
an ally. And that the Bush administration handed over $100 million in
aid to the Taliban, including a $43 million check in May 2001.
All of which, by objective reason, makes George W. Bush and his entire
administration guilty of the same charges leveled against Lindh,
including "providing material support" and "willfully and knowingly
contributing goods and services to, and for the benefit of, the Taliban"
and "supplying directly and indirectly goods and services to the
territory of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban."
When faced with stress, scandal and opposition, Bush family members
don't like it. They wind up vomiting on the laps of Japanese officials,
or having bruising Pretzel-gate fainting spells. And starting wars.
It is time for all of us to sit back, in our "liberal Marin County" hot
tubs, and witness the spectacle of Bush vs. Brosnahan: The Sequel. And
look out for dirty tricks.
Larry Chin is a freelance journalist.


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