WP: White House Wants Baker to Head Iraq Reconstruction

[Melinda]

The White House hopes to persuade former secretary of state James A. Baker III to take charge of the physical and economic reconstruction of Iraq as part of a broad restructuring of post-war efforts, administration sources said today.

Under the plan, L. Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator in Iraq, would focus on rebuilding the country's political system. The new structure is still in the discussion stages, and a source close to Baker said he has not accepted the job.

The sources said one hurdle is determining whether Baker or Bremer would have the final word, and they said that question is unresolved. The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University referred questions to Baker's law firm, Baker Botts LLP in Houston. Baker did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

The negotiations reflect a growing realization within the administration that the post-war plan was inadequate and that simple patience, the White House's initial prescription, will not do. Bremer said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that progress has been made in restoring services and creating a government, but he said the effort could last for years.

Full article

Deja Vue, eh?

*emphasis mine

[Loonman]

1. Holy shit, the gangs all here!

:wow::wow::wow::wow::wow::wow:

[otohara]

8. Oil Fields On Every Corner

in every neighborhood. A virtual maze of pipelines, zigzagging thoughout Iraq.

[tomp]

but then, who will spearhead...

...the theft of election 2004?

[FlashHarry]

35. Just add Scowcroft as NS Advisor

And you've got a freakin' reunion!

[Pallas180]

37. Yeah, they are mentioning Scowcroft for some investigation.How did

you know?


:puke:

[salmonhorse]

2. Baker is in a better position...

...to manage Carlyle's porfolios at large ~

[Tinoire]

45. BINGO!

(Sorry to be tacky- reposting from an earlier post in another thread)

Bush Sr. was CFR. JAMES BAKER IS 100% CFR. George Bush Jr's administration is almost 100% CFR. ((And no one really believes Jr is running this show do they?)) The James Baker Energy Plan that laid the ground-work for the invasion of Iraq was for/by the CFR and their sister committees...

CFR
Bilderbergers
Trilateral Commission
Illuminati
Carlyle

All of the stories that have been exploding this week are ALL related to the goals of the first three organizations. The 4th group is just a loose cast of actors and the 5th is no more than their investment house.


----------------------------------------------

Strategic Energy Policy Challenges for the 21ST Century
Report of an Independent Task Force

Cosponsored by the
James A. Baker III Institute
for Public Policy of Rice University
and the Council on Foreign Relations

http://www.cfr.org/pdf/Energy_TaskForce.pdf (pages 46-47)

The United States should conduct an immediate policy review toward Iraq, including military, energy, economic, and political/diplomatic assessments. The United States should then develop an integrated strategy with key allies in Europe and Asia and with key countries in the Middle East to restate the goals with respect to Iraqi policy and to restore a cohesive coalition of key allies. Goals should be designed in a realistic fashion, and they should be clearly and consistently stated and defended to revive U. S. credibility on this issue. Actions and policies to promote these goals should endeavor to enhance the well-being of the Iraqi people. S sanctions that are not effective should be phased out and replaced with highly focused and enforced sanctions that target the regime’s ability to maintain and acquire weapons of mass destruction. A new plan of action should be developed to use diplomatic and other means to support U. N. Security Council efforts to build a strong arms-control regime to stem the flow of and controlled substances into Iraq. Policy should rebuild coalition cooperation on this issue, while emphasizing the common interest in security. This issue of arms sales to Iraq should be brought near the top of the agenda for dialogue with China and Russia.

Once an arms-control program is in place, the United States could consider reducing restrictions on oil investments inside Iraq. Like it or not, Iraqi reserves represent a major asset that can quickly add capacity to world oil markets and inject a more competitive tenor to oil trade. However, such a policy will be quite costly as this trade-off will encourage Saddam Hussein to boast of his “victory” against the United States, fuel his ambitions, and potentially strengthen his regime. Once so encouraged and if his access to oil revenues were to be increased by adjustments in oil sanctions, Saddam Hussein could be a greater security threat to U. S. allies in the region if weapons of mass destruction (WMD) sanctions, weapons regimes, and the coalition against him are not strengthened. S till, the maintenance of continued oil sanctions is becoming increasingly difficult to implement. Moreover, Saddam Hussein has many means of gaining revenues, and the sanctions regime helps perpetuate his lock on the country’s economy.

Another problem with easing restrictions on the Iraqi oil industry to allow greater investment is that GCC allies of the United States will not like to see Iraq gain larger market share in international oil markets. In fact, even Russia could lose from having sanctions eased on Iraq, because Russian companies now benefit from exclusive contracts and Iraqi export capacity is restrained, supporting the price of oil and raising the value of Russian oil exports. If sanctions covering Iraq’s oil sector were eased and Iraq benefited from infrastructure improvements, Russia might lose its competitive position inside Iraq, and also oil prices might fall over time, hurting the Russian economy. These issues will have to be discussed in bilateral exchanges.


Also see: "The spies who pushed for war"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=18394&mesg_id=18394&listing_type=search

This smoking gun ties right in to the thread about the Klayman papers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=20394


and the Enron, Iraq, Cheney and the California Energy Swindle
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=64416&mesg_id=64416&page=

[Zo Zig]

59. Authors(one of them)

Ken Lay page 114 or 115 of Task Force Doc.
I'm SHOCKED.

[Emboldened Chimp]

3. Where will he find the time?

He's so busy defending the Saudis against the 9-11 families, it's a wonder he'll be able to fit this into his schedule.

[arcane1]

12. hopefully, now that he's above ground in the news...

some of his slime will rub off in the local papers, too?

one can hope

[davidinalameda]

4. at least it will get him out of the country for the 2004 election

nt

[meegbear]

6. LOL!!

I guess Iraq will have a * friendly government now.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

5. It should go as well

as his management of Poppy's 1992 campaign.

[nannygoat]

10. And Selection 2000...

James Baker is one slimey, evil SOB, isn't he? He makes my skin crawl.

[hang a left]

7. I don't know how to link news

and other stuff. But you have to read www.yuricareport.com 's Fraud In The White House

[BrotherBuzz]

34. You do now!

I read the Yurica report last weekend and would recommend everyone do the same. It is a clear, linear account of the crap that has been happening in this nation and does a good job of connecting the dots. Just understanding that a mother and daughter team (both senior citizens!) put together this report, with good links, makes me happy to know that there is hope for us afterall. If two ladies in their 60s and 80s can do something so definitive and effective we should be inspired and energized in our work toward the same goal.


http://www.yuricareport.com/About%20Us/About%20Us.htm

This web site is all about making a difference. If someone were to ask, could two women senior citizens change the course of the political atmosphere in America today? I would say, ÒNot a chance.Ó Yet after I built this web siteÑafter I looked at the Òimages for a corrupt time,Ó I began to believe that with your help we can change the course of history. IÕm not saying that my mother and I are special. WeÕre not. We are a mother daughter team. IÕm the daughterÑKatherine YuricaÑ(the two painted photos on the left). My mom, Kelly Leosis, is on the right. SheÕs in her eighties. IÕm sixty-five.

Kelly works as the editor of the Yurica Report and I do the investigative analytical work. I also am the artist, designer and writer on this web site until we can attract other writers and other artists to join us in a quest to save the values that we hold dear and true.

Kelly was educated at UCLA with a B.A. in psychology in 1949. I was educated at East Los Angeles College where I was elected the first woman student body president and earned an A.A. degree in English. I received my B.A. in English literature at U.S.C. I also attended the USC School of Law, where I was elected the first woman class president in the U.S. In 1966, I began the study of art in Mexico. I was shaken as an artist as I saw what others did not see: America was in trouble. Specialization was creating an airless vacuum where responsibility could not grow. Viet Nam began with a lie and ended with young and beautiful soldiers coming home in body bags. We learned nothing as a people.

Today, thereÕs a foul wind in the air. America stinks of open hatred, arrogance, greed and a lust for power. ThereÕs a smug complacency brought about, no doubt by a sense of personal comfort that deludes millions into thinking that because they belong to the ÒinÓ groupÑhellish results will be visited only upon another class of Americans.

So they live without protest, watching the Republican party become the instrument of the religious right, letting freedoms be torn away from the clothÑthe very fabric of our country, and they say nothing. They will endure any hardship so long as they do not have to take a stand against the violent and corrupt among us. Satisfied with the twists and turns this country has made in the last two years, the fiddlers fiddle, while America burns its resources, its dollars, its credibility, its young men and women, and the very heart of our Constitution.

With your help, we can and will change the winds blowing in this nation. Liberty and freedom belong to all Americans, not just to a selected elite. Rush Limbaugh and his ilk have spread poison all over America. ItÕs a worse poison than anthrax or nerve gas. Those poisons will only kill our bodies, but the poison of the right wing talk show hosts and the religious right can and does enslave the souls of a free people and destroys all that is good and pure and noble in this land.


My dear reader, I donÕt have the foggiest notion of what to say to you that would cause you to help us by participating with us: read our articles, send us emails and let us know your opinions, tell all your friends to come and see what weÕre doing, volunteer for an assignment, or if you have worked as a reporter, write a story for us. If you canÕt think of a thing, then send us your prayers or best wishesÑwe can and will thrive on them. A little light displaces a lot of darkness.

[Tinoire]

46. Amazing report. Second your recommendation!

The whole house of cards is falling down, down, down!

[concord]

52. "A little light displaces a lot of darkness."

Excellent site. Thank you Brother :)

[0007]

57. The dots have been connected

'Tis now time to throw these thugs out of office and into the Hague.

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. Hasn't that old bastard fucking died yet??

I figured after his "victory" in Florida, he was calling it a day and preparing for a nice, long eternity in Hell :grr:

[ignatius]

18. Don't you know only the good die young, and evil

lives forever.

[Rose Siding]

11. At first, I thought the title referred to a "baker"

They have a veteranarian running the hospitals. I just thought, Oh, this is too much!

[Melinda]

13. SIMPLE PATIENCE" was the PLAN?!?!?? ARGH!!~ Daddy, make it stop!!!!

I feel like I am living in bizarro world!!

[TacticalPeek]

14. Man, this is just way toooo blatant!

Can they ring the bell any louder?

I know the press has a dozen deep, fat veins they're busy mining on this thing, but jeeez...

It's time for the damn oil stories, bigtime.

Thar's Pulitzers in 'em thar hills.

Maybe the Saudi scandals will dovetail into oil madness...would be a nice hook.

[fairfaxvadem]

15. proving once AGAIN...

that these people are on a continuous loop...they have no new ideas, no new people to bring in, nothing original, just the rehashed, warmed over, corrupt bunch.

Talk about your "usual suspects"....

[newyorican]

16. For 4 decades, when repukes are in trouble...

they roll out Baker, the "fix-it" man. :puke:

This is probably out of his league also.

[Q]

20. There can't be a criminal enterprise without criminals to run it...

- It's not an accident that Bush* is bringing in all the Corrupt Ones from the Reagan era. These are people with the proven ability to lie, cheat and steal in order to enrich themselves and keep their mouths shut at the same time.

[young_at_heart]

24. I'll never forget the "fix it man" in Florida

I still marvel at his cold ability to spin and deflect and of course, his greatest asset...ATTACK. He is amazing!

[maryallen]

38. Yes, Bushie's calling in the A-TEAM:

"Billie-Joe-Bad-Ass" BAKER!!!

[htuttle]

17. Now I know that they are desperate

When they haul Baker out, that means they are out of ideas.

[fob]

23. My thoughts exactly...

The Cigarette Smoking Man Returns!!!

[DemoTex]

30. Desperate and shameless.

Quintessential BFEE.

[aquart]

49. They had ideas?

Fantasies, maybe. But ideas?

[w13rd0]

19. Jesus...

...now the Iraqi's will NEVER experience democracy. Everyone knows you call in Baker when you want to stop the counting of votes...

[fertilizeonarbusto]

21. LOL

touche!

[JaneQPublic]

22. I'm guessing Baker would be in charge of setting up Iraqi ELECTIONS?

And you thought Iraqi elections were a sham before! Wait until HE runs roughshod over their democratic electoral process the same way he did Florida's.

[PurityOfEssence]

25. Sure, let's have him cap off his privileged career of hate with a disaster

It's amazing how the wealthy have such a poverty of ideas. What a truly mean, greedy, vicious prick this specimin is. You couldn't create a more hated face for the white conquerers than this one with a thousand focus groups. He'll be loathed.

Let's get the plutocrats in for the feeding frenzy.

[aquart]

50. In the MidEast, they act on their loathing.

Oh, I do so hope he takes the job.

[Barrett808]

26. So his firm can defend the Saudis from 9/11 litigation, while...

...he fixes the Iraqi political scene. The ubiquitous James Baker, Bush family fixer.

[TacticalPeek]

27. baker's obviously there to minister to the oil patch...

As I understand it, Bremer insured that the Iraqi Council promised not to nationalize the oil industry before he would allow it to form, even delayed a few days past the announced formation date to get this hitch tied down tight. Maybe the PTB got nervous and sent big jim to make damn sure their interests are protected.

Just yesterday there were reports of multiple big oil companies expressing hesitation about "exploiting" there until the security improves.

First Garner, then Bremer, and now Baker.

I think they fear the US may leave sooner than they planned, so get it while the gettin's good.

Unreal.

[DrWeird]

28. Well, Nixon's dead and Satan's busy.

nt

[knowledgeispower]

31. Oh so true

At first I laughed. Then on reflection I nearly cried.

[PurityOfEssence]

33. tee hee hee

And he's such a sweet, sweet man.

Thanks, I needed that...

[booksenkatz]

29. OH MY GOD.

Of all the members of the Bush cabal, this creature is the slimiest one of all. He makes my skin crawl. He positively drips everything I hate most about the GOP. This news makes total sense... the top criminal for the Iraq handjob. You couldn't pick a better person to take charge of what's going on over there!
:puke:

edited to add: I posted before reading the other replies... funny how many of us used a variation of the word "slime" or the idea of his making our skin crawl, LOL!

[hatrack]

32. I guess the mushy, putrid, worm-ridden apple . . .

. . . never falls very fall from the Baker Botts/Harken/PNAC/AEI/Carlyle Group tree.

There's a surprise - NOT!

[Pallas180]

36. The brazenness is unbelievable. This guy represents Saudis against

the 9/11 Survivors.

Totally incredulous.

[David Zephyr]

39. James Baker Can Smell the Money, Taste the Money.

Oh, yeah.

[ChillEB]

40. I CANNOT BELIEVE they'd be this BLATANT?!?

These assholes actually have the AUDACITY to just come right out and say: "We're putting the CARLYLE GROUP in charge of Iraq"?!?

This is even WORSE than the audacity of putting KISSINGER in charge of the 9/11 investigations.

People. I see this move as a VERY SERIOUS sign. The BFEE ALREADY has the 2004 election rigged. Period. There is just NO WAY they could be SO BOLD as to give no-bid rebuilding contracts to Halliburton, and then months later put the Carlyle Group in charge of running the country of Iraq. Lets not forget that they also officially took charge over Iraq's oil revenues in the meantime, and stated they intend to use these revenues to pay American companies to rebuild.

I mean, if ANY reasonably notable reporter would just come out and openly and seriously speculate that the BFEE have conducted this war to enrich themselves, while our soldiers continue to die ?!? If someone would just 'connects-the-dots' for the American people (i.e. Cheney-->Halliburton, and Bush-->Poppy-->Carlyle-->Baker) on something like a 60 Minutes ?!? I mean, the dots are CLEARLY there, the case could be made EASILY at this point (NO WMD, the forged Niger documents, the OSP and other intel distortions, and now the 9/11 report says NO Iraq/Al Qaeda ties) that the war appears to be based on lies, AND that any profits that do arise from the war are going to go straight into the pockets of people VERY close to the Bush Admin!

Bushco cannot depend on the possibility that this Baker appointment won't absolutely blow up in their faces in the way I've just described. If 60 Minutes did this story, and did it well, Bush's numbers would drop to 30% overnight. MANY Dem's in Congress WOULD start talking impeachment. How can the Bushies risk being SO OBVIOUSLY corrupt?

The only answer I can see: The election is already taken care of...

[Melinda]

42. Eyup, they own the world now, don't they?

Your post and this thread needs to be read and read and read again, so.....

:kick:

[aquart]

51. Hope Carlyle really pours the bucks in that caverous hole.

And bring in all their mercenaries.

The Iraqis are gonna need some target practice.

[David Zephyr]

55. They Are Without Shame Because They're Never Challenged.

I blame our Democratic Leadership for 2 years of letting Bush push them around on everything. Remember, almost every Democrat voted for the Patriot Act and most voted for the Iraq War.

When Bush has had no opposition at all, he is encouraged to go further and further.

This is what pushed me over to support Dean.

[TankLV]

61. Forget about connecting the dots...

it's almost like they're laying out breadcrumbs in a nice path for all the pigeons to see!

I can just hear them over an evening's drinking game:

The amerikan sheeple are so stupid, I bet we could...

and then they just propose one atrocity after another.

Let's fly some planes into the WTC...

...and blame Clinton's penis...

...and threaten against investigations...

...and blame Clinton's penis...

...send anthrax to ONLY our enemies...

...and blame Clinton's penis...

...bankrupt the country by transfering it's wealth to each of us DIRECTLY...

...and blame Clinton's penis...

...LIE to invade a country...

...and blame Clinton's penis...

...and anne coulter call for killing any democrats and liberals - ON TV!...

Oooo! Oooo! Oooo! ..... Car 54 Where Are You?!

[ewagner]

41. I can just see Iraq's first election

(Baker).."The votes have been counted once, the votes have been counted twice............":evilgrin:

[demgrrrll]

43. Whew, I was waiting for Baker to appear as a sign that they are really

really in trouble. I don't know if the fixer can fix this one.
I doubt it.

[ChillEB]

63. I can almost HEAR the Media-Whores now...

Rapturously referring to the Jimster as the GOP's "problem-solver", trying to convince us all that he's a brilliant paragon of fucking virtue.

Not ONE of the MW's will DARE to mention the direct link from Uncle Jimbo to Carlyle to Poppy to 'the death tax repeal' to Duh-bya.

W and Poppy are sending in the Bakemeister to make extra-sure that Unka Dick's cronies don't clean up TOO many of the war spoils. I will be interested to see if Bunkerboy comes out of his hidey-hole to comment on this attempt to cut into his piece of the action? It would be SO FUNNY if he did! I'm sure my laughter would soon dissolve to tears as I watched the MW's react by not even airing the Dick's statement of dissention on the Baker nod, and knowing full well that it's because the bushies told them that they better not else there'll be hell to pay...

[leesa]

44. It's a Bush Crime Family reunion!!

But who's defending the Saudis against those terrible 9-11 victim's families????

[lanlady]

47. so much for bringing in the United Nations

n/t

[aquart]

48. What a lovely idea.

Why I can hardly think of anyone I'd rather have swallowed in that maw.

[Pepperbelly]

53. Baker is to Bush as Wolfe was in Pulp Fiction ... nt

:D

[jeanmarc]

54. Excellent analogy!

Pretty fucking please, with sugar on top, please make these people stop hating us and wanting us out of THEIR country.

[ChillEB]

65. The Cavalry!

"You sendin the WOLF? DAMN, Neeeegro! Thaz all you had ta SAY!"

"Yeah, you HAPPY now, muthaf***er?"

[0007]

56. What a guy!

1. Juice with the Supreme Court -

2. He says the government shouldn't overreact to corporate scandals. He led the campaigns of the last four Republican presidents. He watched the September 11 attacks at the Ritz-Carlton with the Bin Laden family. He's defending the Saudi's against a trillion-dollar lawsuit brought forth by the September 11 families

3. Best buddy Henry Kissinger -

4. Carlyle's Senior Counselor -

http://www.hereinreality.com/carlyle.html

I hope the democrats jump on this one.

[kainah]

58. The story has been replaces

with a much softer one, downplaying Baker & he's no longer in the headline. Check Josh Marshall for some details of the change.

Uh-oh, boys and girls, it looks as though the press is reverting to form!

[TankLV]

60. Bringing "honor and dignitude" to his admin I see. NOT!

Is there ANY present of former criminals that DOESN'T sponge off our dollar for this abomination of a group that ever was?

After the "help" he did during the selection 2000...this could get VERY unglier yet!

[jamesinca]

62. James Baker, crap what next?

He is the laweyer on retainer by Bush. He is the lawyer that is defending the Saudis from law suits coming from the WTC attacks. Can we find somebody less appropriate.

Why does Bush use all of his dad and Ronnies friends? He went to Yale, was a Skull and Bones, does he have any friends in high or should I say low places. All of those years in Ivy league schools and he is still just the funny looking kid down the street with no friends.

[General Discontent]

64. LOL! Was Kissenger booked?

n/t



D Wolfman

[proud patriot]

66. Isn't Baker 's law firm representing Saudi's against the 911 families ?

:shrug: this is so typical ...