We all knew the Republicans were depraved, evil SOBs per their recent murder of 1 million Iraqis but now a document has come out which reveals a pattern of such behavior; Reagan Republicans of yesteryear, who were obviously just as depraved as George W Republicans of today, prioritized trade with Saddam Hussein over punishing him for gassing the Kurds:
Declassified U.S. government documents show that while Saddam Hussein was gassing Iraqi Kurds, the U.S. opposed punishing Iraq with a trade embargo because it was cultivating Iraq as an ally against Iran and as a market for U.S. farm exports.
According to Peter Galbraith, then an idealistic Senate staffer determined to stop Hussein from committing genocide, the Reagan administration "got carried away with their own propaganda. They began to believe that Saddam Hussein could be a reliable partner."
http://www.cnn.com/...
Here's the document itself:
Date: March 3, 1988
Subject: Iraq's Foreign Policy: Deeper into the Mainstream
Summary: Anticipating an end to the Iran-Iraq war, a State Department official is optimistic that continued ties between the United States and Iraq will lead Saddam Hussein "deeper into the mainstream." The author concludes that "fears of Iraq's aggression seem exaggerated." Two weeks later, Iraqi forces attack Kurdish civilians in Halabja with poisonous gas.
Date: December 29, 1988
Subject: Export-Import Financing for Iraq
Summary: In the closing days of the Reagan administration, the State Department's top human rights official argues that continued financial aid to Iraq "can simply not be squared with our worldwide human rights policy." However, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy counters that U.S. financial ties with Iraq have "far greater use with Baghdad as a carrot than as a stick." A year and a half later, Iraq invades Kuwait.
http://www.cnn.com/...
I won't hold my breath that justice will ever be served to these thugs but at least a pattern of behavior is emerging of the evil committed at the hands of Dick Cheney Republicans for "trade." (Or rather whoring for companies that contribute to Republicans.)