President Bush plans to nominate
By on Jan 4th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
President Bush plans to nominate
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad to replace John Bolton as the new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, according to ABC News.
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Can’t be worse than Bolton or his moustache!
January 4th, 2007 at 3:35 pmIf this new guy doesn’t have a mustache, I don’t know what I’ll do.
January 4th, 2007 at 3:39 pmUH, doesnt Bush know that Muslims are dangerous and are out to kill all of us. I guess if we fight them there we dont have to fight them here?? Maybe Bush needs to talk to representative Goode about this before he makes a fatal mistake for America.. DUH!!!
January 4th, 2007 at 3:40 pm#1 Condi advised on growing a thick mostache to qualify for the job?
January 4th, 2007 at 3:49 pmDoes this mean Bolton will be the new ambassador to Iraq. Now that would be awesome.
January 4th, 2007 at 3:50 pmUmmm…She already has one!
I though you knew?
January 4th, 2007 at 3:51 pmMy God! What will Zal do when he is sworn in? He’ll place his hand on a Koran!
Quick, let’s have some pig races to protest this!
-Elmer Q. Redstate
January 4th, 2007 at 3:51 pmZalmy Khalilzad is one of the original authors of the PNAC document of Clean Break…securing the Realm.
January 4th, 2007 at 3:56 pmYou know him as our Ambassador to Iraq. Did you know him in his former life? As advisor to Unocal, the Energy giant desperately trying to get the Taliban to dump their deal with Bridas Energy of Venezuela, so Unocal could build the oil pipeline across Afghanistan. The Taliban wouldn’t go for it, even after our last “take our deal and get a carpet of gold, or refuse it and be buried in a carpet of bombs” offer, just weeks before 9-11. What bad luck for Afghanistan that days after Bush signed off on invasion plans for Afghanistan, a bad man in their country attacked us, so we had no choice but to attack and invade.
Then we installed Harmid Karzei. You know him as the Afghani Prime Minister. Did you know him in his former life? As advisor to Unocal, helping his colleague pressure the Taliban to dump Bridas. And his very first ‘official” act as P.M. was signing the oil pipeline deal with…yes, Unocal.
Does this even bother anyone out there?
January 4th, 2007 at 4:01 pmTarazan,
I could have guessed it’s just another PNAC whore.
January 4th, 2007 at 4:01 pmAnd now they all claim of ignorance..’had we knew about this ,we would not have voted for this war’…Senator(Texas-R) Baily Hutchison said that, Senator Kerry said that…Senator Edwards said that..Senator H.Clinton said that…and many others..The fact is they didn’t have the guts to ask the right questions when they were supposed to, before the war began. And now McCain says..he knew the war was going “to be long and tough”…Some in the dministration said the same thing…What happened to ‘We will be received as liberators and with flowers thrown on us by the Iraqis”. and what happened to the ‘cakewalk talk…” before the war?
January 4th, 2007 at 4:10 pmDoes this even bother anyone out there?
Comment by Jersey Jay
That would be a yes Jersey Jay. Moustache man may have been an insufferable bully but this guy certainly has his issues too! Crap.
January 4th, 2007 at 4:13 pmfor some reason my second-to-last comment has not posted. Are references to Wikip*dia not allowed?
I recommend looking up this guy’s bio – not pretty.
January 4th, 2007 at 4:19 pmI believe that the only, and I mean ONLY, reason that this was announcded today (of all days) was so that President Bush could steal some of the press spotlight from Speaker Pelosi’s big historic day. There was no reason why Bush couldn’t wait until tomorrow to announce this, but he’s such a petty, petty little man. Add this to the list of reasons why President Bush must go (childish behavior).
January 4th, 2007 at 4:21 pmcheck out a great blog about this issue!
January 4th, 2007 at 4:42 pmi’ve noticed that too, margaret…
wiki links are deleted more often than not… interesting…
jersey jay’s info is chilling… not surprising…
January 4th, 2007 at 4:48 pmwhat are the approval procedures? …
Jersey Jay,
Yes, it has bothered me since I first heard Randi Rhodes talk about it a while back. I’ve heard that Karzei denies that he ever worked for Unocal, but if he was actually working on their behalf, then I could see why he would deny working for them. I believe these are known as “weasel words.”
January 4th, 2007 at 5:04 pmwhat are the approval procedures? …
Comment by katy — January 4, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
Confirmation by the Senate is necessary. By the way, the link between Unocol and these two “gentlemen,” then the events of 911, are part of the reason I was opposed to going into Afghanistan in the first place. Something wasn’t adding up and was damn fishy. Let’s not forget two other WH announcements today: Negroponte being nominated as Deputy Secretary of the Dept. of State, and Harriet Meirs resigning. Leaving that open slot for ambassador to Iraq…don’t be shocked if the Bush administration offers it to Lieberman. Also don’t be surprised, if that happens, if Lieberman accepts. This administration is scared to death of the Dems having the majority in the Senate.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:09 pmkaty, margaret,
Yesterday, Nico told some of us on another thread that they were having problems with posts behaving strangely (my words, not hers) and that they were trying to figure it out. Maybe the program they’re using to run the blog has problems with links within the posts (I use the “
January 4th, 2007 at 5:09 pmFunny how the architects of the Iraq War just won’t go away:
See: Zalmay Khalilzad and Paul Wolfowitz, “We Must Lead the Way in Deposing Saddam,” Washington Post, November 9, 1997.
See also: Zalmay Khalilzad, “Air Strikes Aren’t Enough in Iraq,” Wall Street Journal, March 5, 1999; “It’s Not Too Late to Topple Saddam,” Wall Street Journal, February 25, 1998; “How to Coerce Saddam,” Wall Street Journal, February 3, 1998; Zalmay Khalilzad and Paul Wolfowitz, “Overthrow Him,” Weekly Standard, December 1, 1997; Zalmay Khalilzad, “The US Failure in Iraq,” Wall Street Journal, September 10, 1996; “Six Steps Against Terror,” Weekly Standard, August 5, 1996.
Bruce Jentleson, in With Friends Like These: Reagan, Bush, and Saddam, 1980-1988, described Khalilzad as a “major dissenter” on Reagan’s “tilt” toward Saddam, calling instead for his ouster.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:09 pmI wonder what Virg Goode ol’ Boy thinks of a Muslim in the UN position? Might just make him soil his nice white robe with the KKK logo.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:11 pmHow about nominating someone outside of bush’s cabal
January 4th, 2007 at 5:23 pmuh, wayne… i think you need to check out NICO’s bio:
January 4th, 2007 at 5:31 pmhttp://thinkprogress.org/about … heh…
And Abizaid and Casey are out, too.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:32 pmPetreus is in and Allman is in.
Sorry, that’s Fallon, not Allman.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:33 pmoh my, impeach… that will be a very interesting turn… ouy…
January 4th, 2007 at 5:34 pmHmmmm – saw original post posted then in a blink it was gone. Perhaps our web friends at TP are being very cautious these days? Upon further thought it had occurred to me that the info included in the invisible post might be considered ‘uncomfortable’ by some. Check out his bio and see for yourselves.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:42 pmNot surprising to read the bio information. I wouldn’t trust anyone Bush recommended for any post, especially right now because he’s getting more and more desperate to hang on to his little fantasy. The Democratic leadership should take the advice and consent duties extra seriously and present Bush with a list of candidates they would advice Bush to select from.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:42 pmNico,
I apologize SIR, for getting your gender confused again (I know, I’ve done it before.) You are the only one I know with a variation of the name Nicholas who spells it that way, and for some reason, I don’t recognize it as that. (I keep thinking it’s a nickname for Nicolette, as in Nicolette Larson, the late singer.) My ignorance has no excuse; I can only offer my sincere apologies and a promise not to do it again. I ask forgiveness.
January 4th, 2007 at 6:07 pmCan’t stop thinking about this – thinking that perhaps once again masterful strategy may be at work. Dems might have to confirm him or appear anti-Muslim.
Times like this I just hope that Dems learn and improve THEIR strategy!
January 4th, 2007 at 6:11 pmReally?
Why? Because he’s done such a good job as ambassador to Iraq?
Why can’t Bush just give Khalilzad a medal and be done with it?
January 4th, 2007 at 6:22 pmIs it any surprise that appointment after appointment from the Shrub, all have one thing in common? No…not competence, but allegiance to corporate power/big business. gotta get rid of this belligerant little turkey who continues to cater to “his constituents”. Assume you heard that quote at the billion dollar(slight over statement) a plate banquet?
Thank you Jersey Jay for the background info.
PatrioticNaturalistFreethinker (PNF)
January 4th, 2007 at 7:03 pm(was compelled to do that to offset poster 28 signature)
Khalizade – isn’t he an Islamofacsist?
January 4th, 2007 at 8:15 pmZalmay is a PNACer. One of those who signed their confession of committing 9/11/01 before it happened.
Any questions?
January 5th, 2007 at 1:14 amWill this new guy continue on with the task of destroying the UN ala Bolton? First destoy UN, then World Court, Geneva convention, and we will have Bush World.
January 5th, 2007 at 6:39 am,
Profiles
Khalilzad, the most senior Pashtun-American and highest-ranking Muslim to serve in the Bush administration,[3] became the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan in November 2003. He headed the Bush-Cheney transition team for the Defense Department in 2000 and has been a Counselor to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. [4]
He is a member of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) and was one of the signers of the January 26, 1998, PNAC Letter sent to President William Jefferson Clinton.
In September 2004, Khalilzad was charged with trying to influence the October 9 Afghan presidential elections. “Several [Afghan presidential] candidates … maintain that the U.S. ambassador and his aides are pushing behind the scenes to ensure a convincing victory by the pro-American incumbent, President Hamid Karzai,” reported the Los Angeles Times. One candidate, Mohammed Mohaqiq, said Khalilzad had asked him and others to withdraw from the race: “They have been doing the same thing with all candidates. That is why all people think that not only Khalilzad is like this, but the whole U.S. government is the same. They all want Karzai — and this election is just a show.” [5]
Khalilzad denied the charges, but the Los Angeles Times noted: “Khalilzad has been nicknamed ‘the Viceroy’ because the influence he wields over the Afghan government reminds some Afghans of the excesses of British colonialism. … Delegates to gatherings that named Karzai interim president in 2002 and ratified Afghanistan’s new Constitution last December also accused the ambassador of interfering, even of paying delegates for their support.”
Joel Brinkley summarized Khalilzad’s network in the Bush administration as follows:
“Mr. Khalilzad, a protégé of Vice President Dick Cheney and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz since long before Mr. Bush took office, served as a senior director on the president’s national security council staff during the early years of Mr. Bush’s first term
January 5th, 2007 at 9:48 amVery informative, al.
January 5th, 2007 at 10:02 am^exactly….good comment Al…
face it, Control in the middle east is paramount in profit….
not necessarily cheaper, sustainable gasoline, or world peace, or prosperity for America.
in order to accomplish these, domestic energy would be condusive..
But no, the US will continue to try to swindle other nations with threats of violence, war, and Puppet Governments abroad…
its a cryin damn shame..
January 5th, 2007 at 10:02 amMy major question is this…
Its abundantly obvious that Domestic Petrol Production is often limited (in a very un-capitalistic manner) in order to favor foreign oil..
I just don’t see how private investment could do this…something Bigger is going on..
its easy to say that the straw-man will be used to lasso Opec, and make massive profit…
as a venture capitalist, I would be far more interested in bringing Unesco in Domestically for shipping…
of course, when you own the shipping, the drilling, and the refineing, it does make sense, its ridiculously profitable..
as a venture capitalist, I don’t think in tearms of monopoly, their illegal in the private sector, and the rule of the 500’s, and no-bidders I’ve contributed too..
“Millitary Industrial Complex” is the right word, good going Dwight..you coined something important..
and now, how to fight it, define it, and undermine it…
January 5th, 2007 at 10:10 am