Letters to the Editor
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Slime Machine is Up and Running, Sidney?
Wolfowitz reported that he had a relationship (and potential ethics violation) with Ms Ali Riza to the WB board before he took his job in 2005. (She was an employee at the WB at the time). http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21299683~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html
Wolfowitz found his girlfriend another job when he came to the World Bank - what was he going to do? Fire her?
Where is that little salient fact mentioned in this article? It certainly makes the rest of Wolfowitz's actions take a different spin - and makes the whole tone of this article appear to be just another slime bomb from Sidney. Great Work, Salon!
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Getting her another job is one thing.
Geting her a job at a higher salary than the Secretary of State, with a black-market security clearance, is quite another.
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THAT'S Refreshing!
Wow...finally a refreshing article about a Repooplican and his girlfriend. Till now, I thought most Repooplicans chased underage boys. Nice to know at least ONE of them likes women. He's still a pig for using his position to get her a job, but, a heterosexual pig. For them, that's a start!
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Corruption
Hey Georgy boy, wake up! There never was as corrupt an administration as yours. And you got the nerve of talking about praying to god? It seems that your prayers mostly sound like "Dear God , dont let my incompetence and the crookedness of my clique come to the light of day and the knowledge of the American people."
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An apology would suffice
Can't believe everything you hear in the media, but as is often the case with this administration, if the scandal is even remotely true, you'll wish it wasn't.
The US government allowed a lax/breach of security by Mr. Wolfowitz? Hasn't he caused enough trouble? Wolfowitz leaves his top post after a dismal record and gets unprecedented security clearance for a foreign national? Mindboggling!
If Wolfowitz is seeking redemption, he should just apologize...and stay out of government.
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You all sound rather naive
If any of you work in any organization of more than 1000 people odds are someone is corrupt and someone is slowly sleeping their way to upper middle management. None of this is terribly remarkable to me and the very fact that she is earning only $240,000 when any revolving door tool worth his or her salt could get twice that on K Street tells me this is a nothing-event. Government contracting has made Loudon County VA one of the richest counties in the US in the last 6 years. There are fabulous piles of money to be made on everything from building weapons to minority owned contracts to prune the shrubbery at the Pentagon.
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Ironclad...
...well, he had a few choices when hired, dump his sweetie, don't take the job or yes, fire her!
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Thank you, Mr. Blumenthal
I'm tired of apologists who cite Wolfowitz's intellectual credentials or his idealism gone awry. His handiwork speaks for itself--an ill-conceived war, moronic reconstruction plans (remember the exclusion of countries who didn't support the war from reconstruction bids, everyone?), and his corrupt tenure at the World Bank. Whatever his IQ, he is devoid of moral and emotional intelligence. Thank you for holding his nuts to the fire.
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Incompleteness
It's true, the Busheveks are incomplete people. Specifically, they are missing 1) the aspect of their personalities which would allow them to stand up for, negotiate, or if all else fails, fight for what they believe in - lacking that piece, they do everything in secret then lie when discovered, and refuse to talk to those with whom they disagree (lack of diplomacy in this case is not strength, it's a personality dysfunction). 2) the apsect of their personalities which would allow them to understand what it's like to be someone else - consequently, empathy and compassion are not possible for them, nor can they imagine how others will see their actions. Coupled together you have an adminsitration full of people who can't see how or why the "rules" should apply to them, who will reflexively lie about their actions and seek to destroy (in underhanded ways) anyone who exposes their misdeeds. Wolfowitz's romantic problems, of course, demonstrate all of the above, but sadly, are also representative of a great deal of the management of America's business executives at this time.
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Calling Special Forces
A high-ranking official of an international organization with ties to the U.N. is having an illicit affair with a native and citizen of a country that has been a state sponsor of terrorism for decades.
Said official arranges for his terrorist-national concubine a high-paying job with access to government secrets regarding national security at the U.S. State Department.
Said terrorist-national concubine receives highest security clearance for the Pentagon - in a time of war - in violation of all national security laws and rules for such clearances.
There are hundreds of people being tortured at Guantanamo for far, far, far less.
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So, the question is...Who did the security clearance (Top Secret) investigation and where is it?
Yep, there is a paper trail and the agency (FBI-?) that granted the TS clearance should have at least a copy of it in their files. They can be pricey for the agency also ($5,000 - $20,000) depending upon the location of references, neighbors, former employers, verification of citizenship, and educational credentials, etc. As a US citizen anyone can file a complaint with the Inspector General (IG) for the State Department or with the Pentagon IG,..."Given these circumstances, the inspector general of the Defense Department should be ordered to investigate how Shaha Ali Riza was issued a Pentagon security clearance. And the inspector general of the State Department should investigate who ordered Riza's building pass and whether there was a Pentagon credentials transmittal letter." So, who is Riza's loyalty with?
I say turn the hounds loose.
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I've got an idea for Mr. Wolfie
Let's haul him back to the White House and put him back to work there with the provisions that he receives no pay and has to work only on Iraq. He has to go to every funeral, visit Walter Reed daily and go to Dover and check in every casket that comes back..do all that nity-gritty paperwork that will just drive him nuts.
He as to drive himself. No limo. Just an old Chevy.
And he has to stay at that job until the war is over even when administrations change. On the first day of every month he has to make a "death call" to a new widow or mother/father and tell them the news in person.
Last, everyday at 6pm when he gets ready to go home, one citizen, picked at random, will get the honor of walking up to him and punching him hard right in the nose. That last duty will be for the rest of his life.