One of Ronald Reagan's great undoings as President was the fact that a gang of neocons managed to penetrate his Administration at the second and third tiers, particularly at the Defense and State Departments, and as "consultants" to the National Security Council. End result: Iran-Contra and other debacles that left a black scar on the Reagan legacy. Although an independent prosecutor, Lawrence Walsh, was appointed to fully investigate the illegal arming of the Nicaraguan Contras and the covert shipping of ballistic missiles to Iran, some via Israel, few of the culprits were actually indicted and fewer were convicted.
The reason for dredging up this bit of ancient history is the fact that one of the nastiest of the Iran-Contra criminals, Elliot Abrams, is under consideration for the powerful post of Deputy Secretary of State, according to a January 25, 2017 Washington Post column by Josh Rogin. I do not use the word "criminal" rhetorically. Abrams was one of the few Iran-Contra players to be convicted, albeit of a misdemeanor crime of misleading Congress. He actually lied to Congress, which was a felony, but he struck a plea agreement with Special Prosecutor Walsh and got the reduced penalty in return for a promise to cooperate. That October 1991 deal had been preceded in July 1991 by a similar plea deal by Alan Fiers, the CIA officer who was also a key player in the illegal arming of the Nicaraguan Contras. Abrams headed the Restricted Interagency Group, which coordinated the secret war in Central America between the White House, the CIA and the Pentagon. Other members of the RIG were Lt. Col. Oliver North and Fiers.
Abrams is neocon aristocracy. Before he joined the Reagan Administration, he worked for Senators Henry Jackson and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. His father-in-law was Norman Podhoretz, editor of Commentary magazine and a co-founder of the American neo-conservative movement along with Irving Kristol.
Although his misdemeanor convictions deprived Abrams of a post in the George H.W. Bush Administration, he was a co-founder of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC), which produced the neocon blueprint for the George W. Bush Administration's endless regime change wars. He was appointed by Bush 43 to a top post at the National Security Council, where he was in the middle of the promotion of the disastrous Iraq invasion of March 2003.
Any appointment of Abrams to a top post in the Trump Administration, especially a post as powerful as Deputy Secretary of State, who effectively runs the day to day affairs of the U.S. diplomatic corps, would be a disaster. An even larger disaster, to be avoided, would be the flood of neocon ideologues into key State Department posts if Abrams were to get the job. Open the door a crack and the stink bugs swarm in. They never travel alone.
No doubt, Bibi Netanyahu, who is preparing his first visit to Washington since the Trump inauguration, is crossing his fingers, and perhaps even praying that Abrams gets the job.
jayinbmore
you are behind the times. NSA now collects US domestic comms on the flimsiest of excuses in the GWOT. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 05 February 2017 at 12:20 AM
ked
Yes, but not if you are a sworn civil servant or soldier. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 05 February 2017 at 12:22 AM
I'm also curious about this ilk thing. Could you describe your own ilk so I can compare it to my ilk and all the other ilks? Or can ilks only be a feature of ilks other than one's own? I'm afraid all this ilkism is confusing to me. Please advise.
Posted by: ked | 05 February 2017 at 12:24 AM
Thanks for the clarification. I wasn't aware that was happening. I did see something about a SEAL Team convoy flying a political flag from a military vehicle driving through KY a few days ago. I suppose it's hard to suppress our theatrical tendencies.
Posted by: ked | 05 February 2017 at 12:35 AM
Bush II made the enemies of Israel also US enemies.
Of the seven countries on that list, he destroyed one called Iraq - with marginal help from Poland, UK, Georgia, Spain and a few other boot-lickers as the old saying goes.
Obama destroyed, together with EU, another one on that list, Libya and wounded Syria.
Obama tried, together with EU, to wreck Iran as well through Economic War, but failed; ergo JCOPA, the cease-fire deal.
Trump has gone further and designated the inhabitants of those states also as enemies of the United States; both Obama and Bush II professed friendship towards Iranian people, for example. And he has expressed a public desire to resume war against Iran by discarding JCOPA.
There seems to be a remarkable amount of accidental continuity in the United Foreign policy. It reminds me of the comment about Kosovo in a Bush I speech which was followed by Clinton with war against what was left of Yugoslavia.
The question in my mind is if Trump is going to go to war with Iran? Or escalate in Yemen? Or Sudan?
After all, Sudan, Iran, Syria, Yemen are still left standing.
Posted by: Babak Makkinejad | 05 February 2017 at 12:58 AM
I hope you recall me writing on this forum some time ago that the Fortress West has decided that Shia Muslims are its enemies and Sunni Muslims its friends.
Abrams is just stating the common consensus.
Posted by: Babak Makkinejad | 05 February 2017 at 12:59 AM
This is, in my estimate, just self-promotion of the neocons. We saw exactly the same when they tried to plant Bolton into the Trump administration.
Josh Rogin is a neocon fabulator. He has just been caught making up other #fakenews about the Trump administration.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/washington-post-steve-bannon-sean-spicer_us_58965b8ce4b0c1284f26473f
Andrea Mitchel, wife of Greenspan and herself neocon connected (see her role in the Plame affair), repeated the Rogin rumor on Twitter. That confirms my hunch that this is just an advertising campaign for Abrams.
Tillerson would be nuts to accept a neocon as deputy. They are generally bad for business. Totally not his style.
Posted by: b | 05 February 2017 at 01:02 AM
Kagan went "all in"for Clinton and has permanently ruined any chances of influencing Trump. Trump, it appears, holds deep grudges.
Posted by: Old Microbiologist | 05 February 2017 at 05:29 AM
Trump can sideline all of them by releasing all the radar data (which we have at least 3 differents sources of plus satellite imaging) and transcripts/voice recordings of the control tower for MH-17 showing very clearly it was the Kiev government who shot down the plane and actively covered up by the US. If everyone can recall, the intent was to clear an escape corridor for the encircled Kiev forces, which worked as planned.
Trump's failure to reassure Poroshenko in their phone call must be rankling the neocons to no end. What he didn't say was more weapons and more support but what he did say is the US would work with all sides to reach a peaceful settlement. Couple that with his O'Reilly interview about lack of US innocence when it comes to killing and McCain/Graham might just have an cranial aneurysm.
Perhaps few notice that any visit by McCain to Ukraine is shortly followed by some atrocities.
Posted by: Old Microbiologist | 05 February 2017 at 05:36 AM
Do you read what Tyler writes?
Posted by: raven | 05 February 2017 at 06:38 AM
raven
Yes and because of his difficulty in living with my admonitions says he is taking a break for a while. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 05 February 2017 at 08:24 AM
Well, I going to do my level best to adhere to your guidelines.
Posted by: raven | 05 February 2017 at 10:09 AM
@ Old Microbiologist
Reason his wife Victoria Nuland (who was just promoted to the level of Ambassador within Foggy Bottom) was asked to clear her office . She did resign before T-Rex came in.
Had HRC won, both the social worker and Victoria would have been given key positions within DOS.
Posted by: The Beaver | 05 February 2017 at 10:17 AM
@ Babak
It is going to be Yemen because of the UAE who want control of the ports along the coast of Yemen.
Posted by: The Beaver | 05 February 2017 at 10:21 AM
Why the Abrams and Kagans of the world aren't jobless and shunned is beyond me--no, not really. I know why.
If there was any justice in the world they would be changing bedpans at a VA hospital.
Posted by: iowa steve | 05 February 2017 at 11:05 AM
ked, great way to deal with matters.
Posted by: LeaNder | 05 February 2017 at 11:25 AM
ked
You are being facetious. My "ilk" are the people who, like me have backgrounds in the military and intelligence services. Don't be sophistic here. It is not appreciated. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 05 February 2017 at 11:52 AM
LeaNder
What? you think ked put me down? pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 05 February 2017 at 11:53 AM
raven
Thank you. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 05 February 2017 at 11:55 AM
UAE, UAE?
Those 300-pound men controlling ports in Yemen?
With what soldiers? Pakistanis? Or Cameronians?
Bringing the "Zangi" back?
I do not think so.
Posted by: Babak Makkinejad | 05 February 2017 at 12:04 PM
@ Babak
The mercs of Erick Prince !
Posted by: The Beaver | 05 February 2017 at 12:14 PM
"Trump can sideline all of them by releasing all the radar data (which we have at least 3 differents sources of plus satellite imaging) and transcripts/voice recordings of the control tower for MH-17 showing very clearly it was the Kiev government who shot down the plane and actively covered up by the US."
Yes, this should be done anyways for public transparency, because if the Nouveau Khans can get away with this act, what horror will they try to double down on next before being stopped?
Posted by: Thomas | 05 February 2017 at 12:19 PM
"14 Hawk SAM's and over 200 Hawk spare parts."
Only for the Iranians to discover they were useless and had been double crossed.
Posted by: Thomas | 05 February 2017 at 12:20 PM
Thomas
I was in the midst of that as a JCS "planner" and on the committee that approved the release from DoD stocks. It was not the intention of the US to sell them defective equipment. You omit mention of all those improved TOWs. I think you have gotten hold of some Iranian propaganda. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 05 February 2017 at 01:53 PM
It's a constructed consensus, Babak, and it never ceases to amaze me that you seem eager to accept it as an historical inevitability.
The Sunni Muslims were not friends while their countries or governments were being attacked and destroyed. The Shia Muslims were not enemies while the Shah was in power.
I wrote here several times that once the limitation on any possible nuclear program was in place, "Fortress West" would act to role back Iran's ballistic missile capabilities. Not because they represent any threat to the US, not because the program isn't a reasonable program of self-defense, nor because Shia are "enemies", but simply and solely because these conventional arms challenge the military superiority of Israel.
The current role of Iran in Iraq is actually beneficial to American interests. If Americans choose not to align with Iranian interests due to Israeli belligerence, why should you fall for the ruse that it is inherent religious animosity?
Unless you are happy to sing the same siren song as Abrams.
Posted by: Castellio | 05 February 2017 at 02:57 PM