Bush sending Negroponte to Pakistan/India re Mumbai. Obama sending Kerry.

[blm]

That's GOTTA piss off the Bushboy.


New Delhi: Keeping up the pressure on Pakistan to extend a crackdown on terrorist groups operating from its soil after the Mumbai attacks, the US will send deputy secretary of state John Negroponte to Islamabad this week, as India prepares to receive a special envoy carrying a message from US President-elect Barack Obama.

Pakistan, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that it would not hand over any suspects in the Mumbai bombings to India and warned that while it wanted peace with its neighbour, it was ready for war if New Delhi decided to attack.

Negroponte, who will head to Islamabad on Friday, will likely travel to New Delhi afterwards to brief the Indian establishment about Pakistan’s actions, according to a US official who didn’t want to be named.


>>>>

Obama’s special envoy John Kerry will reach New Delhi on Sunday with a message of grief and ministrations for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Mumbai terror attacks.

Kerry’s presence in the Capital will be significant not only because he will take over as chairman of the US senate foreign relations committee, but because this is the first direct signal that the presumptive Obama administration is serious about looking at terrorism in the framework of India-Pakistan relations as well as in terms of domestic power politics between the elected government and the army establishment in Pakistan.
>>>>

[EFerrari]

1. If Negroponte is going, it's dirty.

And I hope it pisses Bush off royally. TG for John Kerry. :)

[The Doctor.]

17. Expect to see people turning up executed in the streets.

Negroponte tends to leave a trail of that sorta thing.

[blm]

35. well....once a BFEE thug, always a BFEE thug.

,

[bdamomma]

21. death squad negroponte.

oh oh, he will stir up some trouble.

[Cha]

2. Kerry will be brilliant!

Obama knows where best to utilize the amazing Democratic Capabilities.

[snowbear]

45. Definitely!

.
.

Stay safe Senator Kerry !! ~~~~~~

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

3. So, Obama sends a man of integrity and Mr Bush sends a killer. Got it. nt

[jillan]

4. Be safe Kerry!

I am so glad that he is getting a head start on this.

[Starry Messenger]

5. I finally feel like I can celebrate the new century.

Brains are back in charge. Sigh of relief. Be safe John Kerry.

[xxqqqzme]

6. India requested death squad training!?!?

just curious - what other reason could negroponte have?

[blm]

8. Pakistan has long been central to BFEE dealings over the last few decades. Read the BCCI report

for a refresher.

Plenty of Dubai's money came through there.

BFEE being what is, they have always played India and Pakistan off each other, because their fascist agenda NEEDS regional fear and distrust to be stoked regularly.

[LooseWilly]

12. I think the death squad training is slated for Islamabad...

The New Dehli stop is probably just because they have better stocked bars there.

[ClarkUSA]

7. I love the idea of Kerry as President-Elect Obama's trusted diplomatic "special envoy"...

I love how Team O is relying on loyal friends like JK to do the delicate work of special envoy. I find this move and Susan Rice's
request to have her own transition team to mean that Team O has no intention of letting the Clintons dominate Foggy Bottom.

[Kahuna]

42. So do I. I really was hoping he would be the SoS nominee. nt

[robertpaulsen]

9. Obama's choice gives me hope, Dumbya, as usual, gives me heartburn.

He's still got another 40+ days to screw things up. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[babylonsister]

10. Love it! Check mate, and with Kerry! nt

[Karenina]

38. Likee muchee! Good move.

:toast: But not quite checkmate.

[starroute]

11. Kerry was the guy who blew BCCI wide open

Kerry knows a lot about covert dealings in that part of the world -- and if these attacks are connected in any way (as has been suggested) with mafioso and drug-trafficker Dawood Ibrahim, then that means we're looking at people and groups that come directly out of that BCCI milieu of 20 years ago.

Negroponte, on the other hand, was part of Iran-Contra, which puts him over on BCCI's side of things. So we've got kind of a classic White Hat-Black Hat contrast here. Interesting indeed.

[blm]

13. Exactly. What a matchup. And undergod knows, Pakistan has always been a key player

in the BFEE's criminal operations and BCCI dealings.

[karynnj]

19. The real shame was that none of the leaders

back the incredible work he did on the Contras and BCCI. If they would have had a fraction of Kerry's courage and integrity - they could have fought the people behind those crimes - instead of trying to stop Senator Kerry.

Kerry has been the chair of the Near East and South East Asia subcommittee, so he likely knows everyone it is important to know in both countries.

[blm]

22. Dems who HAD power used it to try and STOP Kerry's investigations. They sided with BushInc then

and some of them are continuing to protect the fascist agenda of BushInc, even today.

[karynnj]

23. Exactly, on BCCI, he was called by both Jimmy Carter and Jackie Onassis

to get him to abandon the effort, but he knew it was important to do what was right - and it led to the closing of OBL's bank. Carter called because Bert Lance was one of the people caught up in it. Kennedy's call was because of Clark Clifford. They were very short sighted in not realizing that this was something that couldn't be ignored even if "our people" were involved.

[blm]

24. Yes...but then, I don't believe Carter was aware of the BIGGER picture at the time because Bush1

was successfully hiding much of his global operations, and Jackson Stephens certainly wouldn't have spilled the beans to Carter.

I believe the coopting of some of Carter's people and Clifford was deliberate to ward off scrutiny by the Dems unwilling to cross those relationships. Kerry didn't play that game and it has cost him dearly politically, even as the too few and aware open government Dems applaud his dogged efforts from the sidelines.

[karynnj]

28. I think you are likely right about Carter not knowing the international pieces

but it still does not excuse using his influence as an ex-President and still a power to some degree in the Democratic party to stop an investigation of corruption - just to save someone you are loyal to. ( I think the strategy of BCCI was to co-op powers in both parties to ward off any investigations, because doing so you attacked some of your own people. Almost parasitic, if you think of it.) The thing that surprises me is that the people who argued for years that Kerry was too overtly ambitious (like other people who run for President aren't) ignore that he was political enough to know that these investigations came with great cost and little political reward.

[blm]

29. I'm with you, I absolutely DON'T excuse it. I just see it as necessary to point out who

exactly controlled the flow of information at the time. Bush had his operatives deeply embedded at CIA working on matters that most of the CIA and Carter's administration had no clue about likely till it was too late.

[BrotherBuzz]

14. So, like, wasn't this Condi Rice's job?

Did she fall flat on her face a la Karen Hughes? :shrug:

[karynnj]

20. I think her current job is trying to re-write history to convince us that Bush did

a good job - I certainly hope she fails at that.

I would assume the Pakistanis and Indians will listen more to Kerry, who represents Obama and who they know than someone they likely don't know representing the guy who is a lame duck.

[Orsino]

33. Well, her spelling is probably the best of that bunch. n/t

[stillcool]

15. That makes me feel hopeful!

[globalvillage]

16. Excellent.

So, Sen Kerry will be in Poland for the climate talks, then Afghanistan (I think), and India. I believe Georgia and Russia are also on his schedule.

Boy, the SFRC is going to be busy this session. Safe travels (and Happy Birthday) to Sen. Kerry!

[karynnj]

18. I think Pakistan was already on the schedule too

(Kerry joked in a Boston Energy forum of visiting all the good cold weather spots in December - Poland,Russia, Georgia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. ) that SFRC really will be busy - he also mentioned wanting to investigate international tax havens like the Cayman Islands, which he described as an international issue and an issue of tax fairness. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5ZlrbkdBNk )

He will be incredibly busy just on this committee, not to mention his big high speed rail bill.

Safe travel and lots of success, Senator Kerry - and happy 65th birthday.

[blm]

36. I heard he's added more stops to the trip. Sounds like something's up.

Not that the media is bothering one bit about this.

[YvonneCa]

41. That's right! Happy Birthday, Senator !! n/t

[beachmom]

25. Nic juxtaposition, BLM.

The more I hear of Kerry's influence on the Obama Administration, the more assured I am.

[blm]

34. Thanks....and thanks for the heads up on that Kos diary.

Wish it was posted here in GD. The coincidence theorists will NOT be happy to see it, though.

[Tatiana]

26. Thank goodness. This is a good beginning to the new administration's foreign relations.

I wondered if Obama might send Biden, but I think Kerry is the right choice at this time.

[blm]

27. In the senate the last 2yrs Kerry's been in charge of this region for the SFRC. Biden and he

have always been the go to guys on this region, though the corporate media prefers to highlight other names as so-called 'experts' and promotes THEIR outlooks and agendas above the truth.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

30. Very glad that PE Obama has injected a reasonable voice

to help stabilize the situation. It is greatly needed to counter the ineffectiveness of the current regime's response.

[genna]

31. No idea what BCCI and some of the other acronyms used are

but I think Kerry's abilities have been vastly understated.

It took courage to come back from a tour of duty and stand against the policy that sent you. I think his ability to do his duty and be willing to speak sharply to power is undervalued.

He was my favorite (even though I voted for Dean in the primary) for President during the Clinton years. He hasn't been given his full due yet.

[blm]

32. What Kerry did uncovering IranContra and BCCI was far more dangerous to him on many levels

than his time in Vietnam and working to stop that war when he returned.

BCCI matters, if dealt with openly and fully as Kerry requested after his 5 1/2 year investigation uncovered mountains of filthy dealings that required greater attention, would have jailed most of BushInc by the mid90s and easily prevented the growing strength of global terror networks.

[beachmom]

39. Here is some bed time reading for you about Bank of Credit and Commerce:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/

This will get you started:

1. BCCI CONSTITUTED INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CRIME ON A MASSIVE AND GLOBAL SCALE.

BCCI's unique criminal structure -- an elaborate corporate spider-web with BCCI's founder, Agha Hasan Abedi and his assistant, Swaleh Naqvi, in the middle -- was an essential component of its spectacular growth, and a guarantee of its eventual collapse. The structure was conceived by Abedi and managed by Naqvi for the specific purpose of evading regulation or control by governments. It functioned to frustrate the full understanding of BCCI's operations by anyone.

Unlike any ordinary bank, BCCI was from its earliest days made up of multiplying layers of entities, related to one another through an impenetrable series of holding companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, banks-within-banks, insider dealings and nominee relationships. By fracturing corporate structure, record keeping, regulatory review, and audits, the complex BCCI family of entities created by Abedi was able to evade ordinary legal restrictions on the movement of capital and goods as a matter of daily practice and routine. In creating BCCI as a vehicle fundamentally free of government control, Abedi developed in BCCI an ideal mechanism for facilitating illicit activity by others, including such activity by officials of many of the governments whose laws BCCI was breaking.

BCCI's criminality included fraud by BCCI and BCCI customers involving billions of dollars; money laundering in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas; BCCI's bribery of officials in most of those locations; support of terrorism, arms trafficking, and the sale of nuclear technologies; management of prostitution; the commission and facilitation of income tax evasion, smuggling, and illegal immigration; illicit purchases of banks and real estate; and a panoply of financial crimes limited only by the imagination of its officers and customers.

Among BCCI's principal mechanisms for committing crimes were its use of shell corporations and bank confidentiality and secrecy havens; layering of its corporate structure; its use of front-men and nominees, guarantees and buy-back arrangements; back-to-back financial documentation among BCCI controlled entities, kick-backs and bribes, the intimidation of witnesses, and the retention of well-placed insiders to discourage governmental action.

2. BCCI SYSTEMATICALLY BRIBED WORLD LEADERS AND POLITICAL FIGURES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

Much, MUCH more at the link.

[YvonneCa]

40. That is an understatement...

...for sure. :)

[AtomicKitten]

37. It's surreal seeing a 1980s war criminal like Negroponte called upon in this matter.

No doubt his mission statement is quite different than Kerry's, but Kerry's is the one what matters as a representative of the Pres-elect.

1-20-09 can't come a moment too soon.

[Kahuna]

43. Atomic!!!! You're back!!!!!

I'm delighted that you are well and back with us. :hug:

[AtomicKitten]

44. thank you

Still battling the last vestiges of the flu, but every day is better.