Politicians are simply in the business of selling political
favors. Whether legislating priviliges for or simply
giving public monies to supporters, congress is elected
to dole out the loot.

They're not military planners. They're not economists.
And lord knows they're not "judicial reformers". They
just control access to the huge pot of money that the
government has stolen.

The Andean Regional Initiative, which is sure to pass
the Senate and get signed into law, has pushed this
country within shooting distance of the Columbian civil
war. When the bodybags come home, the politicians
will be "shocked, just shocked" -- and demand further
escalation to "capture the war criminals and terrorists"
responsible.

They can see what they're doing, but what does
mayhem in South America matter when your career is
in Washington?

Only the voters can take congress to task on this. The
public-school educated, just-say-no bleating voters.

I am quite certain that Wellstone isnt the only one who's
visited Colombia.I've heard several of these boastful braggarts
blab about having visited Colombia.This means they touched down
in some US air base,talked to any private defense contractor employee,
or army guy who would talk to him,had his picture taken with some
top brass,and headed back to the states.

You'll note, I said, as they 'need' to be.

Remember the phrase, "Need to know?" Remember how during the wars in Grenada, Panama and The Gulf how the Press was muzzled and herded into 'pools' where they would receive nothing but 'controlled' news? Predigested and sanitized pap meant to take the place of real reportage?

Having learned the paramount lesson of Viet Nam - namely, never let the news media have unregulated access to information, as they might negatively affect public opinion in military endeavors - don't you think they would also try to do this to the politicians?.

And, in the case of Colombia, are doing just that?

(In an aside, I doubt that many of these 'learned' people entrusted with the affairs of state can even find Colombia on a globe, much less spell it's name, properly.)

To my knowledge, only one US Senator, Paul Wellstone, went down to Colombia to see the facts for himself...and got sprayed with the oh-so-safe herbicide that's a nerve agent and possibly carcinogenic to boot. Any other pols who went down there stayed in their air-conditioned hotel rooms being lectured by DrugWarriors. Or, when they did get a chance to go out into the countryside, got the 'Potemkin Village' treatment from the DEA and the Colombians in bed with them.

So far as I know, no one from the US political machine has spoken to any representative of the Rebels...not to mention the campesinos, themselves. Only civilian human right groups have had the guts to brave the very real dangers of travel in a hostile, contested territory to ask the supposed 'beneficiaries' how they like all the efforts underway to 'help' them.

The pols can't be that naive to not recognize a snowjob (no pun intended, given the subject of the DrugWar, allusions to cocaine are not meant) when they see one; they perpetrate the same thing against the American people every time they speak.

You see, the pols are relying upon the experts. The armchair, Foggy Bottom-residing denizens of think tanks - who've never spent a single day 'in country' with their 'ass in the grass', are telling the pols how to make policy.

And who is paying the tab for the think tanks?

The military, who wants a nice little Low-Insenity-Conflict (LIC) to test their latest toys in. And 'blood' the troops. And needless to say, the entire military/industrial complex is behind them, just itching to get those new orders in for those toys.

So, the pols have learned all they 'need to know' from the 'experts'.

I would suggest to all and sundry that they go to their libraries and take out David Halberstam's The Best and the Brightest and see how such reliance upon such 'experts' got us into Viet Nam.

Yep, history does repeat itself. If only history books came with virtual reality projectors, so that you'd feel

[ Post Comment ]

..I find it remarkably astonishing how 15 BILLION dollars can be tossed into the nebulous black hole,,of someyhing called the "Andes Initiative",,with zero accountability,,,no specifics as to what,
"...Colombia's legitimate economic development and judicial reform,,,"could possibly mean,,,
and it seems as if no one is even slightly curious as to what the f*ck is goin' on here!..

...But I guess it should be no surprize,,,after all,, just look at what the government,,under the dubya presiduncy has done already,,,,it gives me the Orwellian Joneses....

Here's some of my favorite dubya quotes for y'all to enjoy...these are actual,,,ya cant make this stuff up....

"The fundamental question is: 'Will I be a successful president when it comes to foreign policy?' I will be, but until I'm the president, it's going to be hard for me to verify that I think I'll be more effective."

I don't remember debates. I don't think we spent a lot of time debating [Vietnam]. Maybe we did, but I don't remember."

"Drug therapies are replacing a lot of medicines as we used to know it."

"The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country."

"People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history."

"I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."

This is who the presidunt iz........Lord ,,,Have Mercy!

"Bush's initial request for Colombian drug-fighting funds was reduced in committee by $55 million. But Republicans resisted further reductions, arguing the plan needed more time to work as the helicopters and other U.S. aid promised to the Colombian military were just beginning to arrive.
"We need to stay the course," said Rep. Benjamin Gilman, a New York Republican. "How can we call this a failure? It hasn't even started in full."

Someone should check Mr. Gilman; I think his flea collar is about to expire.