Little recognised but truly inspiring is the ultraliberal Bush II
Felon Job Placement Program which takes convicted felons off the streets and puts them in the corridors of power. The program has had mixed results, with some already under investigation for repeated offenses.
Bush II must be an inspiration to criminals everywhere that they can be tomorrow's leaders! Who better to preach patriotism, democracy and human rights than those who committed espionage, perjury, fraud and covered up torture and massacres?
There were 32 convicted felons in the Reagan/Bush I administrations (1 for Clinton - involving football tickets). By the end of the Reagan administration alone more than 138 officials had been investigated, indicted or convicted of crimes. Bush I pardoned 7.
In this list of the Bush II Felon Job Placement Program the convicted criminals appear in bold type and those merely investigated or indicted are italicized. This list is not comprehensive. Bush II's Felon Job Placement Program may be more widespread and generous than the estimate here.
Here's a handy
summary of prosecutions and
background details for those too young to remember Iran-Contra or those too old to remember clearly.
Eliot Abrams: Elliot has been promoted from the National Security Council where he was director of the office of democracy, human rights and international operations to become newly appointed deputy national security advisor with a focus on promoting global democracy and human rights. Elliot plead guilty to covering up human rights violations including a massacre of 1000 civilians by lying to the US Congress (pardoned by Bush I). Eliot will now spout the importance of human rights and democratic process to those nations less enlightened than the USA. In the interim Eliot was on the payroll of the conservative Hudson Institute which produces a steady stream of hard right ideological publications.
Richard Armitage Investigated but not indicted or convicted in Iran-Contra. Armitage is notorious for his leadership of the Laos and Vietnam "Operation Phoenix" drug and weapons operations and assassin teams, and involvement in Iran-Contra similar operations. Dick is now Deputy Secretary of State in the Bush II administration. Dick was a board member for CACI, now notorious for outsourced torture at Abu Ghraib prison.
Stephen Bryen: Stephen narrowly escaped indictment in 1979 for offering documents to Mossad in Washington which were later recovered with his fingerprints. He was appointed in Bush II to the China Commission. He is also involved with JINSA, the Likkudite think tank which also boasts Ledeen, Feith and Cheney as supporters.
Douglas Feith: Doug was investigated by the FBI in the Reagan administration for leaking secrets to Israel. Despite this worrying faux pas Doug was appointed by Bush II to the number three job in the Pentagon as Undersecretary for Policy. He was directly responsible for the cooking of intelligence to order to promote the Iraq War through his Office of Special Plans and for post-war planning of the occupation which has been so successful for Iraqis. His office is now under investigation for leaking secret documents to Israel.
Manucher Gorbanifar: Never indicted for his role in handling weapons and cash for Iran-Contra, he has been working with Ledeen and Bush II to fabricate intelligence for regime change in Iran while also serving as a "back channel" to Iranian mullahs. He is now promoting war against Iran using the same friends and the tried and tested model of fabricating a threat that worked so well with Iraq. Since he is skilled at playing both sides, he wins regardless of the outcome.
Porter Goss: While not officially on record as investigated or indicted, Goss was connected to Iran-Contra through his operation and ownership of properties in Florida and Belize used for murky purposes in the 1970s and 1980s before entering politics and election to Congress. One of the CIA's original Project Forty assassins, Porter is now Director of Central Intelligence.
Michael Ledeen: Investigated by the FBI for leaking secrets to Israel while consultant on terrorism to the National Security Council in the Reagan administration, Ledeen resigned under pressure. Michael was appointed by Feith in Bush II as a consultant to Feith's Office of Special Plans which fabricated the intelligence for the Iraq War.
John Negroponte: As US ambassador to Honduras, John worked closely with CIA-trained Battalion 316 in its kidnappings, torture and assassinations and then covered up their crimes. He was investigated but not indicted. John's got another chance to prove his commitment to human rights and democratic government as Ambassador to the emerging democracy of Iraq. Several Hondurans who would have been embarrassing if forced to testify to John's confirmation hearings were hastily deported when he was appointed UN Ambassador in the first Bush II administration.
Richard Perle: Perle was reprimanded in 1969 for receiving classified material from a CIA agent, and subject of an FBI investigation in 1970 for providing classified security information to the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Bush II appointed Perle to the Defense Policy Board where he has been a principal in promoting the Iraq War. Perle is again under investigation for leaking defense secrets to Israel.
John Poindexter: The rear admiral was convicted of five felony counts of false statement, destruction of documents and obstruction of justices. The convictions were overturned on the basis that John's immunized testimony may have influenced witnesses at his trial. John co-founded a software company and eventually went on to become Senior Vice President at Syntek Technologies, helping to develop the Genoa surveillance system that will be used by the Pentagon's Information Awareness Office, of which he is currently the director. Just call him Big Brother.
Otto Reich: A Cuban-American who served during Reagan/Bush, Otto was head of the Office for Public Diplomacy running "Operation White Propaganda", which the House Foreign Affairs Committee censured for "prohibited covert propaganda activities" including pressuring the US media to plant ghostwritten articles and editorials written by OPD staff and assigned to tame experts and pundits. Tainted pieces frequently appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post and he reported that, "Everyone at CBS has been cordial and cooperative." Otto made extensive use of PSYOPS personnel in the Department of Defense in influencing US media. Mr Reich is now White House special envoy to the Western Hemisphere and is busy talking up action against Cuba and Venezuela, having failed in his first attempt to orchestrate the overthrow of the hugely popular Hugo Chavez. Don't hold his past against him - Otto might be telling the truth this time!
Felons still awaiting rehabilitation:
Thomas G. Clines: Clines plead guilty in 1983 to overcharging the U.S. government by $8 million in a deal with Richard Secord and convicted in Iran-Contra in 1990 of four tax avoidance felonies. He was a drug runner and arms dealer in various operations with the CIA in Laos, Vietnam, Egypt, Libya, Honduras, Nicaragua and Iran with other figures from Iran-Contra including Secord, Shackley and Armitage. Before Vietnam he was on a CIA team which tried to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba. Last sighted in London where he coordinated operations for Nugan Hand Bank. Current whereabouts unknown.
Alan D. Fiers, Jr: CIA Central America Task Force chief. Plead guilty to two minor misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress about efforts to aid the Contras. Pardoned by Bush I in 1992. Lives in Arlington, Virginia. After leaving CIA joined WR Grace Corporation, then MEGTEC and then Sequa (on merger).
Clair E. George: Convicted in 1992 of seven counts of perjury, false statements and obstruction before Congress. Pardoned by Bush I. Consultant to Feld Entertainment where he spied on journalists and conspired to destroy them if they threatened the Feld image.
Robert C. "Bud" McFarlane: The former National Security Advisor plead guilty to four misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress. Pardoned by Bush I. Now chairman of Global Energy Investors he wrote a WaPo op-ed piece puffing the CIA reorganization in 2004. Given his history of corrupt practices in Iraq, one can safely assume he will join the Bush II administration. Bud is also director for the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, and co-founder and vice-chair of the America-China Society. He also serves on the boards of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the White House Fellows' Foundation.
Richard R. Miller: Plead guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the USA by using a phony tax-exempt charity to raise money from wealthy donors in exchange for meetings with President Reagan. The funds went into weapons purchases for the contras. Current whereabouts unknown.
Oliver North: Oliver North's convictions included destroying evidence, accepting bribes, and obstructing an investigation. Oliver then went on become chief executive officer of Guardian Technologies International, a Virginia-based manufacturer of protective equipment for law enforcement, but is best known as a corporate media talking head who sometimes subs for Rush Limbaugh.
Richard V. Secord: Plead guilty to one felony count of fraud against the USA while under indictment for 15 charges. President George W. Bush is using the same lawyer in the criminal Plame investigation. Dick is now Chairman of the Board and CEO of Computerized Thermal Imaging.
Casper Weinberger: Indicted by a grand jury in 1992 for concealing thousands of pages of handwritten notes which prosecutor Walsh later confirmed would have implicated many other unindicted co-conspirators. Pardoned by Bush I before the case went to trial. Weinberger is now chairman of Forbes.