Poindexter to Quit Pentagon Post Amid Controversy

[gristy]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Retired Adm. John Poindexter will resign his position at the Pentagon after a research project he was overseeing was condemned by Congress as an "egregious error of judgment."

A senior defense official said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Poindexter realized that "it would be difficult" for him to continue in his job after the flap over a plan to establish a futures market that would have allowed traders to profit by correctly predicting assassinations and terrorist strikes in the Middle East. (Related story: Pentagon cancels threat-bet program.)

He said Rumsfeld did not ask for his resignation but that Poindexter was "working through the details" and "expects to offer" it within a few weeks.

MORE

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-07-31-poindexter_x.htm

[Booberdawg]

1. .......

:eyes:

[arcane1]

2. ah, so they only care when they get CALLED ON IT

time for the media to start calling them on ALL of it, dammit!

too bad JP's felonious, lying-to-Congress, Islamic-Jihad, Central-American-Death-Squad history wasn't even PART of the controversy... :eyes:


*searches for home trepanning kit*

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

9. Like Trentie and the GOP's penchant for racism

Same deal.

[arcane1]

10. and Kissenger heading up the 9/11 panel

Changing Total Info Awareness into Terrorism Info Awareness...

etc
etc
etc

[dpbrown]

3. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=43522&mesg_id=43522

[gristy]

5. Not a dup

That report last night, while turning out to be true, was unsubstantiated and no news services picked it up.

[AlabamaYankee]

4. what the article really means

"Rumsfeld did not ask for his resignation but that Poindexter was "working through the details" and "expects to offer" it within a few weeks."

Translation: We're going to lie low for a couple of weeks and maybe the press will kind of forget about this whole thing so Poindexter won't have to resign after all.

Either that, or since he's toast already Rummie will see what else he can pin on him on his way out the door.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

6. Here's an op ed by Joseph Stiglitz in the LA Times this am

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-stiglitz31jul31,1,4162448.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

Maybe the people that were chosen to participate should be investigated since they may have inside knowledge of terrorism.

[tridim]

7. Michael Foster needs to go too

According to Robin Hanson who worked on the project under a DARPA grant, Foster was the program director for both FutureMAP and TIA.

[PaDUer]

8. My, My...

They continue to jump shit one by one...wonder how many have gone into hiding that we're unaware of...

[qb]

11. Poindexter quits over a dumb idea?

I don't buy it. Perhaps he sees an investigation-riddled future for this administration and doesn't want his criminal past to resurface.

[legin]

12. yeah

but is he actually going to quit.

I've been reading quite a few articles in the Daily Telegraph about how Alistair Campbell is sort of briefing people 'off the record' that he will be stepping down, but 'officially' these rhomours are denied catagorically.

Is this a 'mock resignation' given to people to take the heat out of the situation, and a few weeks from now it is just business as normal ?

[larryepke]

13. Don't be surprized...

if he ends up at Halliburton, or one of the other large contractors, and then does the same kind of work for the Pentagon, with no oversight, and for much more money.

[izzie]

14. He got his pension back like North so let him go.

he never should have had that pension back, this guy was top man in the navy and did not know he was doing wrong before or was he just the fall guy for Reagon. I could never get it in to my mind that the top of his class could do what he did.

[izzie]

15. He got his pension back like North so let him go.

he never should have had that pension back, this guy was top man in the navy and did not know he was doing wrong before or was he just the fall guy for Reagon. I could never get it in to my mind that the top of his class could do what he did.

[Dover]

16. Makes ya wonder if these guys were behind the trading that occurred

just prior to the 9/11 terrorism attack. SOME PEOPLE KNEW about that attack and traded accordingly. Why isn't anyone making this connection and resurrecting that story for investigation. Last I heard no one had yet claimed the money made on those trades...which looks VERY suspicious.

Maybe that's why they are so anxious to get this story (and Poindexter) behind them and out of the press.
I wonder who broke the DARPA story? Maybe someone IS opening up the links to the 9/11 trading story.

[yellowcanine]

17. Darn, I was hoping for some twisting in the wind

This is too soon - would have been better if he had been called before the Intelligence Committee and had to defend the indefensible - Congress should not let up - He wasn't the only one involved here. What did Rumsfield know about this and about TIA? Also., does anyone believe Wolfie is squeaky clean on this? Are there some memos somewhere showing he was briefed on this? Oops, forgot, Poindexter learned during Iran-Contra from Ollie and Fawn about the virtues of the paper shredder - Is it too late to send in the FBI? Probably.

[Ouabache]

21. Congress could still call him to testify

even after he resigns/is fired. I think they should. See what else Dr. Evil was hatching in TIA.

[yellowcanine]

18. Well, one down, anyway

Poindexter is only a medium sized fish. Hopefully his departure will grease the skids for some bigger fish. Wolfie would be nice. And I don't even dare dream about Rummy being fired.

[jpak]

19. Poindexter is a sociopathic liar

who hates our system of government

good riddance - and don't come back

[The Night Owl]

20. I will believe it when I see it...

And even then, let us not be so foolish to believe that the Bush administration, like us, rejects Poindexter. I am sure they will keep him on as a "consultant". Remember, according to Ari Fleischer, The White House believes that Poindexter is an "outstanding citizen".

Having said all that, I can't help but laugh aloud when I think about how frosted Poindexter must be right now. I get such pleasure out of seeing these evil New World Order jerkoffs rejected over and over again by the American people.

[Ouabache]

22. WHO HIRED THIS GUY, ANYWAY ?

(Must have been Clinton ?) No? Well then, really, if this administration is being run by all these MBA's like
a business shouldn't they be asking themselves that question ?

Aren't we allowed to ask it if they are running this like a business ?

This big of a screwup in a business would have lots of management asking that question. WHO HIRED THIS GUY, ANYWAY? Who's the idiot who hired this guy anyway?

[gristy]

23. "DARPA" hired him - but that's not really an answer

Poindexter, who served as national security adviser under president Ronald Reagan, was convicted for lying to Congress about secret sales of arms to Iran and the diversion of the profits to fund the contra rebels in Nicaragua. The conviction was later overturned.

He was quietly hired by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in January 2002 to lead a program to come up with ways to track terrorist activities electronically.

http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030731190620.plv6mqwe.html (bottom of article)

[The Night Owl]

29. His conviction was overturned not because he was innocent...

Poindexter's conviction was overturned not because he was innocent, but because he had been offered immunity for the testimony that got him convicted.

Please... When talking about Poindexter's conviction, always mention why Poindexter's conviction was overturned or uninformed people might draw the conclusion that he was wrongly convicted.

[dArKeR]

24. Bush and Rumsfeld signed off on this plan before it was floated.

Investigation!

http://darker0darker.tripod.com/

[kainah]

25. Why all this "he is GOING TO resign"?

Why doesn't he just do it???? As far as I know, the first word of this came yesterday, about this time, when I heard it reported on MSNBC -- "pentagon sources say..." -- and posted it here. Now, 24 hours later, it's STILL being reported as "is GOING TO resign." Why the hell HASN'T he ALREADY resigned????????????

Here's another of "going to" articles from the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/31/politics/31CND-POIN.html?ex=1060315200&en=fb77f8ce57ce5043&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[gristy]

26. He needs the time to "clean up" his office

[Enraged_Ape]

36. He's waiting for LIHOP II to happen

At which point the nation will forget about him, and the Shrubbies will keep him there because they "need" him and his experience. He knows this, you see.

[whirlygigspin]

27. nice

bye bye now.

[rocktivity]

28. Why are they trying to make him sound like a loose cannon?

Nothing gets out of the Bush White House without approval from upper mangagement (read: Cheney/Rove). They never would have taken this public unless they thought it would be well-received. Why is the Bush regime acting as though Poindexter is some lone wolf nut that they have no control over?


rocknation

[DemonFighterLives]

30. Right

Not that they are smart, just devious. There has to be other answers. The whole nation agrees, bye, bye Pointy. But will he go?

[realFedUp]

31. so, same lecture circuit as Bill Bennett?

Rotary luncheon meetings?

[DeathvadeR]

32. Too wierd.....

Either this guy has flipped his wig....or.....He created this whole senerio of online terrorist gaming to mock the current adminstration... or to get out while he still can.

It just doen't make any sense......Its to bizaro world..An online terrorist prediction gaming land...WTF??

[0007]

33. Why did it take so long

to flush this fucking sleezy rat out. What about the rest of the Iran/Contra convicts that junior has appointed?

WHAT the fuck is wrong with this goddamn country?

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

34. On Bush Sr. felon down

how many more to go?

[DinahMoeHum]

35. Sheesh, get the guy back on Felix the Cat where he belongs. . .

n/t

:evilgrin: