I'll say it again: Why did Dick Cheney do business with Saddam in the 90s?

[elperromagico]

What's the Kool-Aid drinker's answer on that one?

Saddam = Brutal Dictator. But he didn't suddenly become brutal in 2002. He's been brutal for quite some time. He's been a dictator for just as long.

Everyone should think about this situation. An American politician, who was in charge of prosecuting a war against a brutal dictator, turns around after that war - and does business with that same dictator.

Why did the Vice President do business with a brutal dictator?

[Skuk]

1. Saddam is no more brutal than our current leadership

anything he can be accused of doing is applicable to Bushco.

Abu Graib anyone?

[elperromagico]

2. Stop looking at the trees, and maybe you'll see the forest.

The former Secretary of Defense, who was responsible for the prosecution of a war against Saddam, turned around after that war and did business with Saddam.

Now, this same Secretary of Defense is VP. He's pushed for another war against Iraq, a war in which his former company - from which he still receives money - has reaped tremendous profits.

[Seldona]

3. Because he is a soulless corporate jerk.

Sorry to any corporate people out there. I understand not all of you are like this pos.

And the fact that he can claim Kerry would not protect this country makes it all the more insane.

Not to mention that he is slamming Kerry for cutting weapons systems he did not vote to cut, and the fact that Cheney HIMSELF was calling for more cuts on those same systems at the same time.

He was actually slamming Democrats at the time for not supporting his proposed cuts, and people buy this garbage?

Sorry, but as someone who pays attention at least PART of the time, this blatant bastardization of HIS OWN RECORD just about sends me over the edge.

What a husk of a human-being.

[elperromagico]

5. His record needs to be exposed.

The Republicans keep harping on Kerry's record - 20 years of nothing, they say.

Well, even if Kerry's record were a record a nothing - and it isn't - it's better by a damned sight than either Cheney's or Bush's.

[Seldona]

9. Exactly!

I say that to every Repub I talk to about the Swiftboat liars.

Even if EVERYTHING they said about Kerry were true, and I know it isn't at all, it would still be light years ahead of what those 2 cowards in the Whitehouse did!

Seriously I have never seen an interview with one of the Swiftboat liars that asked them that question.

Here is what I would ask.

'OK, let's say everything you say is true about Kerry is correct. So how do you feel about having a deserter in time of war who used his family connections to get into a champaign unit, and a man who had 5 deferments, in office?'

I would give up a years salary to see that.

[Spiffarino]

4. And don't forget Iran

Hallibacon did lots of business with at least two parts of the "Axis of Profit." Some say the information is sketchy on his dealings with North Korea. :evilgrin:

On edit: Can an axis even have three parts?

[A_Possum]

6. Have you got any good links on this?

My mother keeps claiming that the French didn't want to go into Iraq with us because they were violating the sanctions and doing biz with Saddam. She read in this the WSJ back when the war started.

I had thought the the French companies that did this were Halliburton international. I'd love a good link to send to her.

[elperromagico]

7. I'll see what I can find. n/t

[elperromagico]

8. This might help a bit:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1266328,00.html

I'll see what else I can find. There's plenty of stuff out there; it's just a matter of sorting through it.

[Dr Fate]

10. In the Wash. Post too....Cheney duz buisness w/ "Butcher of Bagdad"

Halliburton's Iraq Deals Greater Than Cheney Has Said
Affiliates Had $73 Million in Contracts

The Washington Post
Saturday, June 23, 2001; Page A01

Richard B. Cheney acknowledged that the oil-field supply corporation he headed, Halliburton Co., did business with Libya and Iran through foreign subsidiaries. But he insisted that he had imposed a "firm policy" against trading with Iraq.

"Iraq's different," he said.

According to oil industry executives and confidential United Nations records, however, Halliburton held stakes in two firms that signed contracts to sell more than $73 million in oil production equipment and spare parts to Iraq while Cheney was chairman and chief executive officer of the Dallas-based company.

Two former senior executives of the Halliburton subsidiaries say that, as far as they knew, there was no policy against doing business with Iraq. One of the executives also says that although he never spoke directly to Cheney about the Iraqi contracts, he is certain Cheney knew about them.

http://gwbush.com/spots/postpage.html

[A_Possum]

11. THANKS!

That's great, that's what I was looking for.

And get this!...

"In the first expression of that new thinking, the Bush administration is campaigning in the U.N. Security Council to end an 11-year embargo on sales of civilian goods, including oil-related equipment, to Iraq.

U.S. officials say the new policy is aimed at easing restrictions on companies that conduct legitimate trade with Iraq, while clamping down on weapons smuggling and other black-market activity."

Gee, I guess we weren't too worried about the WMD's in June of 2001.