Best article on Franklin - Juan Cole

[elfin]

Here is the concluding paragraph of his excellent piece.

"Franklin's movements reveal the contours of a rightwing conspiracy of warmongering and aggression, an orgy of destruction, for the benefit of the Likud Party, of Silvio Berlusconi's business in the Middle East, and of the Neoconservative Right in the United States. It isn't about spying. It is about conspiring to conscript the US government on behalf of a foreign power or powers."

Juan Cole is a UMich prof and mideast expert. Josh Marshall references him frequently.

http://www.juancole.com/

[jean]

1. 'conspiring to CONSCRIPT the US govt on behalf of a foreign power...'

That statement is a killer. bush, in all his likable, easy-going incompetence, let the US and all its resources be used like a tool.

Thank you for the link to Juan Cole's, Informed Comment. The professor's blog truly does educate readers.

[enough]

2. Ties it all together.

MUST READ in its entirety.

Just one short snip>

So it transpires that the Iranians were willing to give up 5 key al-Qaeda operatives, whom they had captured, in return for MEK members.

Franklin, Rhode and Ledeen conspired with Ghorbanifar and SISMI to stop that trade. It would have led to better US-Iran relations, which they wanted to forestall, and it would have damaged their proteges, the MEK.

Since high al-Qaeda operatives like Saif al-Adil and possibly even Saad Bin Laden might know about future operations, or the whereabouts of Bin Laden, for Franklin and Rhode to stop the trade grossly endangered the United States.

snip>

[Octafish]

3. Theirs is the WAR Party.

The BFEE makes money off war.

The Cold War was a BIG money maker.

Vietnam was a money maker

The Soviet-Afghan war was a money maker.

The Iran-Iraq war was a money maker.

The Gulf War was a money maker.

The illegal Iraq Invasion is a money maker.

The war on terra is a money maker.

There are lot more examples that help show where the Peace Dividend goes.