Rice, Goss, Wolfowitz, Bolton, Gonzalez, Negroponte -- which is worst?

[Zan_of_Texas]

THIS THREAD - NOW OPEN for your choices as to which of these appointments is the worst, and why.

I'm not one to flail around wildly with overstatement. But, can anyone think of a half-dozen presidential appointments made around the same time that are a worse bunch?

It occurs to me that Dubya operates like he has been treated -- if you fail, someone bails you out. Time after time after time. All you have to do is be loyal. Incompetence and criminality are either ignored, or cause for promotion.

It also occurs to me that if anyone had any doubt that this administration does not fear the ballot box, this set of six is one more piece of evidence that they're not worried about any elections. These six choices fly in the face of reason, public opinion, world opinion, resumes of the six, and reality.

[liberal N proud]

1. This country could probably survive one or two of these assholes

But all combined plus the other morons in the white house and congress combined. WE ARE FUCKED!

[Zan_of_Texas]

14. Mug shots of the vile six.

RICE GOSS WOLFOWITZ
BOLTON
GONZALEZ NEGROPONTE

http://www.theage.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1054406185324_2003/06/03/04n_wolfowitz,0.jpg

[Dhalgren]

2. It's a "murderers row"

of incompetence, thuggery, and venality that rivals any list you might want to make. Uggh! I need some fresh air...

[Spinzonner]

3. ooh, it's so hard to choose

[Demit]

4. Each one worse than the other. But--

If I had to choose, I'd say the Attorney General. He has the most power to interpret/apply the rule of law for the United States government. The citizens' respect for the law could be very seriously undermined by his real actions and his bully pulpit. Then there goes one of the underlying principles of our country.

[Solly Mack]

5. Couldn't pick one...they are all bad

and really for the same reason

Bad for America. Bad for the world.
All murderers and torturers..whether they be actual, accessories or accomplices...

[spindoctor]

6. Porter Goss by a nose length

He might become to the CIA what JEH was to the FBI.

We live in the culture of incompetence.

[punpirate]

7. That's a tough one...

... but I'd have to go with Bolton. Not that he's individually the worst of the bunch, but for what he is and what he can do in the UN. He'll end up being a nasty little bull in what is a very large and somewhat delicate china shop.

The others are alternately sinister, duplicitous, zealous and toadying, but we knew that already and can expect the worst of them, which is sort of a continuation of the prior appointees.

But, Bolton is a real thumb in the eye of the UN, and it shows that Bush (or more likely, Cheney) intends to run roughshod over the Security Council as often as possible. Whether it will be so bad that they'll be forcing the General Assembly to throw out Annan and replace him with John Ashcroft, I don't know--but I expect shit as bad as that to happen.

Truthfully, Bolton makes Jeane Kirkpatrick look like Miss Manners.

[peacetalksforall]

8. It's an impossible choice. These are not just promotions of loyal

liars, thieves, destroyers, deflectors, destroyers who are NOT Americans...these people represent an atrocious layer to the dis-reality being spewed by this cabal and pnacers. By putting so many people in charge over us, they create just the kind of question you asked...which is better, which is worse...which only benefits the cabal/pnacers = it puts the idea in some heads that they are all not bad.

They are TOOLS OF TAKEOVER and they are hell bent on creating as much chaos as possible by breaking as many rules as possible.

TOOLs have unique and separate purposes. May they all get thrown out, lost, or sold at a garage sale.

[Zan_of_Texas]

9. I didn't mean to imply any were even close to acceptable.

I guess I was looking for analysis, which some of you supplied, on how these awful appointments would play out.

I think Gonzalez may have the most power to do bad domestically.

But, the reaction of the world to Bolton and Wolfowitz may hasten the tanking of the country economically, as other countries finally throw in the towel and start to punish us economically.

And, it seems clear Bolton is in place to turn the UN into an even weaker entity, with no power.

[peacetalksforall]

13. I'm not knocking your question...I just regret the dis-reality that they

have created, in general.

[leveymg]

10. It's like picking among the potted meats in a can of Spam

Disgusting.

:9 :eyes: :puke: :hurts: :+ :evilgrin:

[indepat]

11. They all are, each in his/her own way(s)

[davekriss]

12. Way back at the start of the first GWB misadministration

Let's start with Elliot Abrams, one you forgot to list, and the conclusions we can draw from the fact that the GWB administration made him the NSC's Director of the Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and International Operations (he has since been "promoted" to another position). The appointment was an "in your face" act of pure arrogance, a slap to the face of the world, and a signal of things to come.

Elliot served the Reagan administration first as Assistant Secretary of State for Humanitarian Affairs and later as Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs. He was, if I recall, convicted (then pardoned) for perjury during the Iran-Contra affair. He directed U.S. policy in Latin America during the time when we illegally attempted (and succeeded in) overthrowing the Sandinistas, funded the death squad military in El Salvador, provided Honduras with support while its infamous Battalion 3-16, a U.S. trained death squad, committed atrocity after atrocity. The El Mozote Massacre occurred under his watch as well as (I think) the assassination of Archbishop Romero (or was that at the end of the Carter administration?). At best, we can judge Elliot as highly ineffective and incompetent; at worst, complicit in the evils of the day. As I often say about Bush himself, the truth surely lies somewhere in between -- but note that there is NOTHING positive on this continuum!

So GWB, in the early days of his administration, appoints Elliot Abrams as Director of the Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and International Operations. This marks the GWB administration as either highly incompetent in not properly vetting a man much of the rest of the world considers a war criminal, or complicit and condoning of the policy, actions, and consequences -- the evil, as any of us could argue -- of U.S. Latin American policy in the eighties and early nineties. The truth lies somewhere in this continuum, but again it shows nothing positive.

Of course, the Reagan thug on the ground was John Negroponte, Ambassador to Honduras from 1981 to 1984. He pulled a Sgt Shultz "I know nothing, I see nothing!" when challenged by human rights group about U.S. complicity with the death squads of General Alvarez and of course of the doings of Battalion 3-16. When Negroponte was appointed ambassador to Iraq I envisioned death squads taking out troublesome insurgents and terrorizing innocent citizens, after all it is his MO. Now that he's appointed internal intelligence czar I truly fear Bush is ready to fully unfold his plan for latinization of America and we might someday soon see mothers marching in candlelight vigils for their "disappeared" sons and daughters.

Wolfowitz is hardly a picnic. Along with Scooter Libby (another one forgotten from your list), he drafted for Dick Cheney Defense Policy Guidance of 1992. It pretty much looked like a harsher "Rebuilding America's Defenses". In fact, the opening paragraphs of the PNAC document include the DPG by reference and praise it as an honorable document. All wars and rumors of war, imperial outreach and cold imposition of American military might to preserve advantage in world markets.

Then theirs Tanker Condalezza. And Gonzalez, the Machiavellian madman who soon no doubt will issue the edict, "off with their heads!" for anyone with any arbitrary difference from the Rovian conception of the Master Race. There's no way to choose from this rogue's gallery! They all emerged from the 15th level of Dante's Inferno, that unique spot just below the anus (truly) of a brooding and sour Satan.

All you Christians out there, pray that God turns these men and women away from their blood lust and greed to a vision of peace where the U.S. leads by the power of its ideas and not by the barrel of a gun. Pray for peace, justice, and compassion.

[Zan_of_Texas]

15. Yeah. I was trying to keep it recent.

Abrams is certainly in the class of the vile, but the six above all just got new jobs.

Going back, why, there's Henry Kissinger, appointed to head up the 9-11 Commission (he backed out, but he was appointed).

Chalabi, to head up Iraq (he apparently wanted too much of a cut on the oil, so the admin forced him out for awhile, until he came to his senses).

Any of the contested federal judge appointments. (Are you just WAITING for the Chief Justice appointment?!?!)

And, the illustrious original cabinet appointments.

Here's just one example. (But, see, there is too much material. I was trying to keep this thread focused on recent appointments. But, I'll digress.)

GALE NORTON. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR.
She apprenticed with James Watt at the Mountain States Legal Foundation. This was founded by Joseph Coors, who became its first chairman, with Watt the first executive director. Coors was also investing in the Heritage Foundation. She received nearly $800,000 from energy industries during her 1996 run for the U.S. Senate in Colorado.

Elected Colorado attorney general in 1991. Declined to sue tobacco companies until the last minute. In 1994, the largest contribution to her re-election campang came from Philip Morris. Declined to defend state affirmative action; spent $700,000 defending CO's decision to drop its women's softball team, in violation of Title IX. But, defended Amendment Two FOUR times, and then took it to the Supreme Court. That amendment would ban anti-discrimination laws that protected gays. Under Norton's direction, CO spent over a million dollars defending the law before it was finally struck down.

In the multi-billion lawsuit Cobell v. Norton, a federal judge declared (I believe in September 2002) Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Indian Affairs boss Neal McCaleb “unfit” to manage millions of dollars in Indian trust accounts and cited them for contempt of court.

[davekriss]

18. Thought Elliot Abrams...

...and Scooter Libby were still employed by Bush, which is why I mentioned both.

But, yeah, just to mention two unemployed thugs, Bush attempted to appoint Kissinger, and had Poindextor around for a while, but they do not hold positions presently.

I'm with you; keep it current. There's enough infamy with your current list of rogues to keep us all busy watching our backs (and wallets and privacy and liberty and our nation).

[porphyrian]

16. How do you pick the ugliest piece of shit? - n/t

[Roland99]

17. Negroponte overall...but Wolfowitz is most evil at the moment