Sources: Bush to name Negroponte intel chief

[Q]

Sources: Bush to name Negroponte intel chief

Updated: 09:59 a.m. EST (14:59 GMT) February 17, 2005

President Bush plans to name John Negroponte, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, as his choice for the newly created post of director of national intelligence, congressional sources said today. Negroponte has been the top U.S. diplomat in Iraq since June. He was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2001 to 2004.

http://www.cnn.com/

[CWebster]

1. CNN most likely overlooked the fact

that Negroponte got off on a technicality during Iran Contra.


"Negroponte’s role is best documented for his term as ambassador to Honduras, a country dominated by US corporations and completely dependent on the US government politically and militarily. The US ambassador in Tegucigalpa is the de facto pro-consul who makes or breaks presidents and generals. At Negroponte’s direction the Honduran military provided protection and assistance to the Contra terrorists. With his tacit permission, if not active encouragement, the Honduran military carried out systematic murders of refugees from war-torn El Salvador and among its domestic opponents in Honduras itself.

During Negroponte’s tenure, US military aid to Honduras grew from $4 million to $77.4 million. Maintaining this aid required the US Embassy to regularly certify that Honduras was in compliance with human rights requirements set down in American laws. Although Jack Binns, who preceded Negroponte as ambassador, had warned about the repressive measures undertaken by the military-controlled regime, Negroponte consistently denied the existence of death squads, political prisoners or politically motivated killings by the Honduran Armed Forces.

He worked closely with General Gustavo Alvarez Martinez, chief of the Armed Forces in Honduras, to send Honduran soldiers to the US-run School of the Americas, where they were trained in psychological warfare, sabotage and many types of human rights violations, including torture and kidnapping. In 1983 the US government awarded the Legion of Merit to General Alvarez."



http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/aug2001/cont-a01.shtml

[charlie]

2. Oh, swell

The man who couldn't find death squads in Honduras is gonna "manage" intel for (on) the American public. So, at last count, 3 of the top domestic officers in the country are guys who believe torture ain't no thang. Gee, if I were crazy, I'd think Bush has got something special in mind for us.

[Padraig18]

3. "The man who couldn't find death squads in Honduras..."

...working for the man who couldn't find oil in Texas. How.... 'poetic'

:eyes: