Neocons and the Military-Industrial Complex

[Classical_Liberal]

by Carl Bloice; Left Margin; September 05, 2003

It's been my experience that a lot of people have trouble dealing with the idea that those most anxious to wage war are usually tied directly to the weapons manufacturers. Maybe it's because it just seems just too venal to contemplate. Then, there is the tendency of the major media to keep its head in the sand about the matter -- which may or may not be tied to the ample advertising revenue the aerospace and munitions makers throw around. Still, there is a direct, easily documented link between the 'neoconservatives' who have pushed our country into quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq and the armaments industry.

Today the 'military-industrial complex,' about which departing President Dwight Eisenhower warned, has a bigger hand in shaping and directing U.S. foreign policy than at any time in history. The operatives who have taken charge at the Pentagon, usurping the role once played by the State Department, and the think tanks and institutes to which they are linked are generously supported by the gun, missile and bomb makers.

Take Richard Perle. There had been some speculation that 'The Prince of Darkness' was laying low. That was after he was charged with double-dipping by serving on a government body that deals with military procurement while on the payroll of defense contractors and openly advising businesses on how to profit from the war in Iraq. In June Newsweek said he and some other key neoconservatives had "withdrawn from public view." ........

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=40&ItemID=4138