(AP) In slamming the United Nation’s Deputy Secretary General’s comments as distinctly partisan and inappropriate, Robert Novak failed to mention key happenings just the week prior. He did key in on Mark Malloch Brown’s remarks to two “left of center think tanks, one of them with particularly close ties to the Democratic Party”. Bob seemed particularly upset about Mr. Brown’s criticism of mainland America’s news source being Rush Limbaugh and Fox News, known for their U.N bashing and stereotyping. Heck, even the National Rifle Association recently jumped on the U.N. over its efforts to restrict the illegal sale of small arms.
Mr. Brown apparently noted the similarity between U.N. corruption and that found in the Republican Party. I’ll add corruption found in America’s hallowed halls of government, most of it inspired by corporate and individual greed.
Also not making the news a second time was the June 1 release of the Independent Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission report criticizing the United States role in the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons worldwide. The story lasted mere hours on my internet service providers’ news site and I noted it that day on my blog. Later, I found the actual report and realized why it had been deep-sixed in mainstream America. It also helped explain our U.N. representative’s severe bite to Mr. Brown’s comments. Bob Novak followed up John Bolton’s attack with today’s column. Yesterday President Bush cited any assertion that the United States is making the world a more dangerous place as “absurd”.
What American served on the almost invisible and now discredited report? William Perry was one of the 11 world leaders to craft the Independent Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission report. He served as Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton.
President Bush has already met twice with past Secretaries of State and Defense representing both Republican and Democratic administrations. Does Dr. Perry qualify as one of the esteemed ex-Secretaries capable of advising the current administration? Apparently not, according to the New York Times.
Also interesting is William Perry’s ties to the military contracting industry and to an investment house, Hambrecht and Quist. After leaving the Pentagon in 1997 he rejoined Hambrecht as Senior Advisor. I noted that Frank Carlucci, of The Carlyle Group fame, got an invite to ex-Secretaries confab. Mr. Carlucci is the ex-Secretary of Defense under President Reagan and has the title of Chairman Emeritus with Carlyle. Interesting that one ex-Defense Secretary with an investment house pedigree got an invite, while the other did not.
A 2003 biography shows Mr. Perry also serving on the board of Anteon Corporation, several high tech companies and as chairman of Global Technology Partners. Just two weeks ago, Anteon was acquired by General Dynamics, a huge military contractor. Sec. Perry’s stake in the buyout, 18,500 shares at $55.50 per share (including options) amounts to just over $1 million.
Dr. Perry is chairman of Global Technology Partners, the Democratic version of The Carlyle Group. Both are investment houses looking to make serious money by buying undervalued companies and funding start ups in growth industries. Both have a defense and government contracting focus. The Carlyle Group significantly expanded their interest in health care in the last year. Also on the Global board is Paul Kaminski, another Board member for Anteon. Dr. Kaminski controls just over 41,500 shares (including options) making his merger booty a cool $2.3 million.
Based on what I have learned, both Republicans and Democrats are deeply intertwined with America’s corporate structure, often leading them. Politicians on both sides are shaping policy to further American corporate interests with little regard to its impact on the common citizen. The story is being presented as the United Nations picking the Democrats side, however that is just the street corner skirmish.
The war Bob Novak fails to mentions involves corporate media, defense industry allocations, homeland security needs, public infrastructure investments, even health care insurance and services. The Government Industrial Monstrosity is here. Republicans and Democrats compete to deliver business to their friends and insiders. From security fingerprint identification to your preferred provider organization, the Carlyle Group can meet the government’s needs. People from both sides are sucking the people via their public “service”. It is time to take the leeches off.
P.S. The AP at the beginning of the post represents the author's initials.
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