No Blood For Oil. Well, Unless It Is For Democrats.

The NY Times front-pages a mini-debacle - Peter Galbraith, adviser to John Kerry and Joe Biden, has been getting rich off the advice he has been giving the Kurds:

American Adviser to Kurds Stands to Reap Oil Profits

By JAMES GLANZ and WALTER GIBBS

OSLO — Peter W. Galbraith, an influential former American ambassador, is a powerful voice on Iraq who helped shape the views of policy makers like Joseph R. Biden Jr. and John Kerry. In the summer of 2005, he was also an adviser to the Kurdish regional government as Iraq wrote its Constitution — tough and sensitive talks not least because of issues like how Iraq would divide its vast oil wealth.

Now Mr. Galbraith, 58, son of the renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, stands to earn perhaps a hundred million or more dollars as a result of his closeness to the Kurds, his relations with a Norwegian oil company and constitutional provisions he helped the Kurds extract.

In the constitutional negotiations, he helped the Kurds ram through provisions that gave their region — rather than the central Baghdad government — sole authority over many of their internal affairs, including clauses that he maintains will give the Kurds virtually complete control over all new oil finds on their territory.

If this had been an advisor to Dick Cheney, libs would be leaping from tall buildings (Glenn Greenwald may leap anyway).  Instead, the Times is utterly and absurdly opaque on the Biden connection:

As the scope of Mr. Galbraith’s financial interests in Kurdistan become clear, they have the potential to inflame some of Iraqis’ deepest fears, including conspiracy theories that the true reason for the American invasion of their country was to take its oil. It may not help that outside Kurdistan, Mr. Galbraith’s influential view that Iraq should be broken up along ethnic lines is considered offensive to many Iraqis’ nationalism. Mr. Biden and Mr. Kerry, who have been influenced by Mr. Galbraith’s thinking but do not advocate such a partitioning of the country, were not aware of Mr. Galbraith’s oil dealings in Iraq, aides to both politicians say.

Joe Biden did not advocate partitioning Iraq?  Uh huh, and Dick Cheney never worked for Halliburton.

Meanwhile, back here in reality we are left wondering, if Biden never avocated the partition of Iraq then why did the Times print this guest rubbish from none other than Peter Galbraith back in 2007:

IN a surge of realism, the Senate has voted 75-23 to acknowledge that Iraq has broken up and cannot be put back together. The measure, co-sponsored by Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate, and Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, supports a plan for Iraq to become a loose confederation of three regions — a Kurdish area in the north, a Shiite region in the south and a Sunni enclave in the center — with the national government in Baghdad having few powers other than to manage the equitable distribution of oil revenues.

While the nonbinding measure provoked strong reactions in Iraq and from the Bush administration, it actually called for exactly what Iraq’s Constitution already provides — and what is irrevocably becoming the reality on the ground.

And why did the Times accept this piece in May 2006 from Leslie Gelb and a what I infer is a Biden pretender calling for the partition of Iraq?  Why did they tell us in 2007 and 2008 that Biden favored the partition of Iraq?

Back when Biden-advisor Galbraith was positioning himself to make millions with the Kurds, Biden was advocating the policies that would help Galbraith achieve just that.  For the Times to pretend otherwise is absurd.  The only argument I can imagine them making in support of their burial of the Biden connection is that as of November 12, 2009, Joe Biden no longer advocates the partition of Iraq.  So what?

To their credit the Times does acknowledge that this is a story by front-paging it; after they reprise their own archives it may dawn on them that the story is not limited to one opportunistic "private citizen" but points directly to the judgment of the Vice President.

Comments

[Crooks and Liars. Yep.]

Look, Iraqi Kurdistan was created after the first Gulf Engulfment with the no-fly zones, and the de facto autonomy. I'd have invested there too. But the dishonesty of the reporting is the stunner.
============================

[clarice]

Doing well by doing good is what they call it when Dems are involved. Must I explain everything?

[NK]

Tom, Tom, Tom,... and you to Crooks and Liars, there you go again holding Joe Biden and the NYT to some kind of objective standard of public service and journalistic integrity. Come on, this is the age of HOPE!!! AND!! CHANGE!!! get with the program !!!.... or we have ACORN run re-education camps to re-orient your thinking to that Alinsky true path. Please don't make us have to punch back twice as hard thet way. Just sayin' ... yaknow.

[I got a Doc, his name's Hasan.]

Heh, NK, I'm practicing my Jodies.
===================

[narciso]

I know that he was one of the first to spread awareness of the Anfal including Halabja, but his two books denouncing the Iraq operation, which in part made his little investment possible

[anduril]

Galbraith may well be right about the future of Iraq, but this is a perfect example of why we need laws re Americans acting on behalf of foreign governments or even entities--laws that have real teeth.

BTW, my view is that oil in Iraq is, while not unimportant, a relative sideshow to gas in Central Asia. Anyone who thinks our military presence in Iraq, the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean and Afghanistan has nothing to do with Central Asian gas...well, they haven't been thinking enough. Interestingly, I saw an article yesterday that I didn't bother linking here, but which suggested that in the future an alternative for Europe to Central Asian gas just might be U.S. gas. That's still controversial because of disagreements about just how much shale gas is in the ground, but as other discoveries keep growing it would certainly be an attractive alternative for Europe to gas that is under Russian control or strong Russian influence.

[I give him gas right outa my ass.]

And I still believe that Halabja was an anomaly in the Anfal, and that most of the deaths there were from Persian gas, accidently, more accurately, carelessly. That was a vicious skirmish in the War for Water in the upper reaches of the Tigris. Check out the dam there.

Saddam claimed he first heard about Halabja by reading about it in the newspaper. I think he spoke the truth, that time.
================================

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Army announces Hasan will be charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder. I guess the unborn child doesn't count. It should be 14.

[Jane]

Shouldn't it be treason?

[Hup, to, tree, foah.]

It makes you wonder just where we'd be if Genghis Khan had just had sense enough to 'Drill, Baby, Drill' instead of 'Ride, Baby, Ride'.
=====================================

[I've had basta, don't give me no mas.]

That's capital, I'd guess.
==============

[anduril]

From Wikipedia:

Article III Section 3 delineates treason as follows:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

Me again: the prosecutors may have doubts about the evidence for "levying War" or "adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." Depends on how those are defined (duh!) and what evidence is available. Adam Gadahn made tapes urging support for an enemy, al Qaeda. So far, no tapes by Hasan, and the written evidence might be considered ambiguous re actual adherence to a specific enemy. Could change.

[Jane]

WEll they just found out he was shipping cash to Pakistan. That should give "treason" a boost.

[anduril]

Pakistan is an ally, not an enemy. Will depend on who he was sending it to.

[anduril]

We are talking "proof beyond a reasonable doubt," and prosecutors are loathe to step too far out on a limb when they have perfectly serviceable alternatives at hand. Nor do they like to appear as overreaching--they want the jury to seem them as impartially seeking the truth, rather than piling on charges in a speculative manner regardless of the evidence.

Mind you, I think Islam itself is a crime against humanity.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

13 counts of premeditated murder or treason, either will result in the death penalty. So Hasan is toast. And the Feds move fast. Remember how quickly McVey was put to death? Not only did he commit the murders on Fed property, he did it on an Army base to our soldiers. An act of war. But, remember this is Texas, so even if the Feds weren't involved, the state of Texas would have no problem taking care of this scumbag. Yes, I think his actions make him a traitor without another scrap of evidence. He waged war against the U.S. that morming he opened fire. I also think they don't need to open that can of worms. They've got what they need to obliterate the guy.

[Jane]

Pakistan is an ally, not an enemy. Will depend on who he was sending it to.

Anduril,

Most of us are not idiots, regardless of what you think.

[Jane]

Sara,

My guess is that he will be pleading mental illness, psychosis - which would fit in neatly with Ibama's Eulogy.

A nice rest home is in order. He can convert the other mental patients.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

NY-23: The Race Ain’t Over Yet

the race is too close to call, with recanvassing closing Owens’ margin of victory to just over 3,000 votes.

Hoffman’s concession — based on snafus in Oswego County and elsewhere that left his vote undercounted — set off a chain of events that echoed all the way to Washington, D.C., and helped secure passage of a historic health care reform bill.

Democratic Rep. Bill Owens was quickly sworn into office on Friday, a day before the rare weekend vote in the House of Representatives. His support sealed his party’s narrow victory on the health care legislation.

Now a recanvassing in the 11-county district shows that Owens’ lead has narrowed to 3,026 votes over Hoffman, 66,698 to 63,672, according to the latest unofficial results from the state Board of Elections.

In Oswego County, where Hoffman was reported to lead by only 500 votes with 93 percent of the vote counted election night, inspectors found Hoffman actually won by 1,748 votes — 12,748 to 11,000.

The new vote totals mean the race will be decided by absentee ballots, of which about 10,200 were distributed, said John Conklin, communications director for the state Board of Elections.

Under a new law in New York that extended deadlines, military and overseas ballots received by this coming Monday (and postmarked by Nov. 2) will be counted. Standard absentee ballots had to be returned this past Monday.

Of course, there is something suspicious about these “snafus.”

The district’s second biggest voter turnout was in Jefferson County, where Hoffman also has benefited from a turnaround since election night, gaining about 700 votes. Owens led Hoffman by 300 votes on the final election night tally. But after recanvassing, Hoffman now leads by 424 votes, 10,884 to 10,460.

Jerry Eaton, the Republican elections commissioner for Jefferson County, said inspectors found a problem in four districts where Hoffman’s vote total was mistakenly entered as zero.

How does such a thing happen? I don’t know… but at least it can be fixed.

“We sent a letter to the clerk laying out the totals,” [John Conklin, communications director for the state Board of Elections] said. “The key is that Hoffman conceded, which means the race is not contested. However, all ballots will be counted, and if the result changes, Owens will have to be removed.”

[anduril]

I'm defending the actions of the prosecutors from a perfectly rationale standpoint, which is certainly the standpoint that they're taking in deciding what charges to bring. Take that any way you want. Gathering evidence in Pakistan will be neither quick nor easy, and the prosecutors want to announce charges now.

[anduril]

WEll they just found out he was shipping cash to Pakistan. That should give "treason" a boost.

The fact of sending money to Pakistan is susceptible of any number of explanations and interpretations. The prosecutors are hardly likely to wait on the evidence, if any, that can be gathered in Pakistan before bringing charges.

[Jane]

My point anduril is your need to 1. point out that Pakistan is an ally (duh) and that it depends on who the money was sent to. (Double dun)

Did you lose a pulpit somewhere and decide it was our turn to fill in?

Sorry, that was so snarky but sheesh!

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

According to the Military pay scale, a Major (04) makes $6325.50 per mo. His rent, according to his landlord, was $325 a mo. He had little furniture according to the neighbors, just an ordinary car, nothing fancy, and other than his Muslim garb, he really wouldn't have a big clothing expense, some expense for uniform maintenance, but that would be negligible except right after a promotion requiring new insignia. Where was all that money going?

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

That should have read, "a Major (04) WITH 12 YEARS IN SERVICE...

[Elliott]

Just got back. What thread do you want to hear from me in?

[anduril]

Pulpit? I don't get it.

My reason for pointing out that Pakistan is an ally and that any charging decisions will depend on who the money was sent to was to keep the discussion of possible treason charges close to the definition of treason that the Constitution sets out. You began by questioning the prosecutors' decision: "Shouldn't it be treason?" Of course it shouldn't be treason--yet. If you understood all of that, why would you have questioned the prosecutors' decision as you did? There will be time to do that when all the evidence is in. Until then, I see no reason to question the prosecutors' judgment. Besides, I was writing for readers who might not understand the prosecutorial process.

IMO, you're being way to sensitive.

[narciso]

One assumes he used a bank not a hawala, sending money back to Ramallah would make
some sense, but Pakistan,that's a bit of poser?

[Old Lurker]

Elliott...tell us, tell us!

[anduril]

too

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Go Elliott. Or post on Pete's Facebook page.

[Jane]

I want to hear right here Elliott!

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Elliott:

The Road to Bali thread is brand new, maybe that would be better than this thread.

[anduril]

narciso, that's obviously a flag for investigators, but he could have sent the money to any number of "charities," to support maddrasahs, etc. Whether those are legit charities may be one issue, but proving that in sending money to almost any particular entity over there he had the requisite intent to be committing treason, is much more difficult. You would have to prove--beyond a reasonable--that he understood that the entity he was sending the money to was an enemy of the U.S. as understood by the Constitution. Not such an easy proposition, although with a nutjob like this he might make an open court confession of all this.

[Jane]

Anduril,

It's nice that you have assumed the mantle of explaining things to the unwashed even before anyone asks for clarification. How positively elite of you.

I especially appreciate your deciding that my statement: "Shouldn't it be treason" was my way of "questioning the prosecutors" as opposed to venting my frustration at a mealy mouthed administration that would probably do anything to make sure it wasn't "treason".

Nothing gets by you.

[laura]

Don't forget he also would get some sort of substantial bonus for being an MD.

[clarice]

Post here, elliott, and I'll report it on facebook for you if you'd like.

[anduril]

It's nice that you have assumed the mantle of explaining things to the unwashed even before anyone asks for clarification.

So I have to wait to be asked? And who asked you for your comment: "Shouldn't it be treason?" I took that to be question, not a statement--after all, it ended with a question mark! As it seemed to be an open question--addressed to no one in particular--I took it that anyone was free to respond. Where should I go to read up on the rules of TM's forum?

[matt]

I'm still waiting on Kerry's DD-214. It should be interesting reading after he announced he would release it and never did. Especially in light of the pardon by Carter.

In his meetings with the North Vietnamese in Paris, he would appear to be guilty, as he was still a reserve Navy officer.The UCMJ is clear on the point.

But then, it seems to be a theme with the Left.

[Jane]

Matt,

Wasn't it called a "186" or something?

[Elliott]

It is possible the hearse driver was trying to answer the riddle of whether a person can be late to his own funeral. Whatever the cause, there was a full crowd assembled by the time the service got underway. There were few dry eyes. One of his friends spoke quite movingly, saying of his absence "I think my life will be a little bit less."

It sounded like the minister had worked her way through hit's VIMH posts and I believe she also quoted from Captain Hate's tribute at manchesterbeat. Pete Maclaine spoke as well. He said when he used to go to Peter's house to pick him up and drive to gigs, PUK would threaten not to go if it were raining.

[anduril]

I especially appreciate your deciding that my statement: "Shouldn't it be treason" was my way of "questioning the prosecutors" as opposed to venting my frustration at a mealy mouthed administration that would probably do anything to make sure it wasn't "treason".

No matter the charging preferences of this administration, I see no reason to question the good faith of the prosecutors' at this point. It's simply way to early for a treason charge, IMO. And that was the point of everything that I wrote. It seems like legitimate commentary to me, and it remains a puzzle to me why you took it so personally.

[anduril]

too, again.

[Elliott]

The sound system in the chapel was not up to the challenge of playing the music his friends had brought so that had to wait until the gathering at the Nursery Inn. I think those may be the four songs Clarice received a couple days ago.

His friend Victor has a recording of a song he did with PUK and says he'll send it along. He also told me that PUK took a master's degree in music.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Okay, as far as I can tell from the 2008 pay scales, the incentive pay for a psychiatrist is $15,000 annually. He would have also received a retention bonus of at least a $20,000, $30,000 for a 3 year, and $40,000 for 4 year commitment. There would also be a VSP (Variable Special Pay) for a medical person of his rank of $983 a mo. I'm not entirely clear if this is in addition to the annual incentive pay, I think it is.

He would have also seen his pay increase with combat pay and you pay no income tax while in a combat zone.

And I did not include the allowances he would get for housing, etc. Depending on how the area around Ft. Hood is rated as far as cost of living, that could add substantially more.

[bad]

Don't stop Elliot. Your details of the day's events are wonderful.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Oh, Elliott, then his friends know how much we all miss him. Somehow that is comforting.

[Elliott]

Nursery Inn arranged things superbly. The flowers verner arranged were on display and the food was quite good. I certainly recommend stopping by if you have the chance. Danny, who provided some pictures to manchesterbeat, was taking some photographs today as well so we may have those later. He also thinks he can track down the video of Peter playing at the Nursery Inn 18 months ago.

[clarice]

Please, elliott!

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

He also thinks he can track down the video of Peter playing at the Nursery Inn 18 months ago.

Everyone start praying he tracks it down. I want to hear that jam session the most.

[Elliott]

Another of his friends, a journalist, would send him full transcripts of the interviews he did with musicians. After receiving a few of these, PUK started writing back with his own 'transcripts' of his friend interviewing Mozart, Bach, etc. ("I have all your records!")

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

So PUK was just as puckish with his friends as he was with us? I like that thought.

[Elliott]

I did miss Porchlight's question on his favorite brew. In answer to daddy's question of City or United, Andy tells me he wasn't a sports fan.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

The English are normally rather reserved, although I can't imagine PUK being such. So, Elliott were you welcomed with open arms? Were PUK's friends friendly to you?

[Elliott]

They were exceptionally so, Sara. I cannot thank them enough for the kindness they showed me.

[bad]

Insty just linked this thread.

[bad]

It's such a comfort knowing you were there, Elliott. Thank you so much for all of the info.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Elliott: Next question, are they convinced that JOMers are nuts? :)

[clarice]

Thank you so much, elliott. If there's anything you want me to do while you're gone, email.

[Elliott]

He was also extremely knowledgeable about antiques, I learned today.

[Jane]

How was the beer Elliott?

[Without enough honor in his own time, but still, lots.]

Heh, Peter Lovejoy Pocking. Well he was joyously in love with music and language and the muses.
===============================

[A merrier hour was never wasted there.]

Hmmm, Pucking or Bocking, you pick.
=======================

[clarice]

Yes, elliott. I believe he supplemented his income selling antiques on ebay. He showed me some of the things.
Cathy mentioned how horrible his disease was. I remember chiding him for staying up all night so often chatting with us. For the first time I realized he did that because he was in too much pain to sleepproperly, When he signed off he took sleeping medicine to rest--and I believe often it was mid morning before he did that.
The awful thing about growing old is it's just one loss after another and Peter's is very hard for me to take, even now..

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

I knew that about the antiques but I don't remember how or why I know.

[Elliott]

Next question, are they convinced that JOMers are nuts?

I don't think so. I think his friends recognized his intelligence, humor and incredible facility with the language. As a consequence, even if they didn't discuss politics with him themselves, they can readily understand how he made the impression he did.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Clarice, I'm with you. Another musician friend of mine has kept up on all our PUK efforts and he wrote me this morning that he is worried about how hard I'm taking Peter's death. I just can't get past the tears.

I admit here that I'm wracked with guilt. So often he sent me things to cheer me out of my pain and I had no idea that he was suffering far far worse than I ever have. I feel so selfish. I took all his caring and kind words and pushed for more, without giving him back anything in return.

[centralcal]

Elliott: It is wonderful to have someone like you to report back to all of us. Am at work and reading the thread, and like Clarice, having to fight back tears (lest someone think I've lost my mind over Excel spreadsheets). ::sniff::

[Amusing himself.]

::sob::

Hey, this is supposed to be a merrier hour. I got it. Imagine Peter with the same grin on his face after dashing off a comment that we see in the pictures of him and his axe.
========================

[Jane]

I'm not crying. I'm happy that PUK was so loved by so many and Elliott got to meet a whole bunch of the people who loved him.

That brings me joy!

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Elliott: Will you write up a summary of your day and post it on the Peter Bocking Facebook page, please?

[Old Lurker]

Sara, he would not be happy with you for feeling guilty about that now. His sort of unilateral giving to a friend is exactly what friendship is, to a person of his class. Be sad, for sure, but do not feel guilty for his kindness!

[clarice]

I did not know what his illness was nor how crippling it was. I had suggested that if he wished, I'd try to arrange a gig for him in the summer teaching guitar at Wolf Trap where he could talk about the early Manchester/Liverpool scene and Hit was going to try to extend such a thing to a show in Nashville, but he never indicated any interest in that. Really travel would have been impossible I now realize.

[clarice]

How wonderful is the internet! A musician, crippled by a painful disease thousands of miles away was able to use it to distract from his pain and enlighten and amuse us and make us love him so.

[Elliott]

Jane,

I don't think PUK would like it if I said the beer on draft was not served at the proper temperature.

[Topsecretk9]

Another aspect the NYT's whitewashed -- Galbraith's partner was a Saddam weapons smuggler - so nice to know the Senator form Davos and the Vice Presiden't Iraq advisor is partnered with a weapons smuggler, eh?

The Other Partner in the Galbraith Oil Scandal --

'Abd-al-Haq has appeared on the U.S. radar screen before, as he helped Iraqi president Saddam Hussein subvert U.N. sanctions and import weapons. So now we have Peter Galbraith, who was an outspoken advocate for Kurdish rights in the wake of Saddam's ethnic cleansing becoming a partner with a man who helped arm Saddam. Greed makes strange bedfellows.

LUN

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Thanks Old Lurker. I know you are right. I also know that PUK would be p!ssed as hell if he knew we were crying over him when there is so much OPR (Obama-Pelosi-Reid) to fight against. And so much moonbattery to expose. I know that every goofy news story I read now, I stop and think, "oh PUK would have a field day with this one."

[narciso]

Wasn't another intermediary for Saddam, Nahim Auchi tied to Rezko and a round about
way to Saddam

[Roux]

You really think Greenwald will jump or will it just be one of his sockpuppets?

[Rick Ballard]

Narciso,

Karzai needs to hire you to weave a narrative showing Afghan corruption to be minor in comparison to Chicago.

[clarice]

Wow,ts! That's some addendum.

[clarice]

Piffle, he's want us to cry and rend our garments and put ashes on our heads. "What's the point of dying otherwise?" he might say.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

LOL, Clarice. @@@@@@@@OFL.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

JTTF Had Many Terrorism Dots On Hasan – Why Did We Shutdown Their Efforts To Connect Them?

[Jane]

President Bush is on Fox right now.

[Jane]

It's his first post president speech.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

W is giving a speech on Fox.

[anduril]

I note the first paragraph of the subject NYT story:

Peter W. Galbraith, an influential former American ambassador, is a powerful voice on Iraq who helped shape the views of policy makers like Joseph R. Biden Jr. and John Kerry. In the summer of 2005, he was also an adviser to the Kurdish regional government as Iraq wrote its Constitution — tough and sensitive talks not least because of issues like how Iraq would divide its vast oil wealth.

I hope no one will think I'm treating them like idiots because I've chosen to bold part of the passage--it is, after all, a convenient way to highlight what I find to be an interesting issue.

Granted, Galbraith was an adviser to Democrats. Nevertheless, he was, in 2005, an adviser to the Kurds, and if memory serves me right, George W. Bush was president at that time. So here are the facts: a former Ambassador was advising a foreign entity in negotiations that the U.S. was, at a minimum, closely monitoring. He was pursuing, on behalf of his Kurdish clients, a negotiating strategy that, if successful, would enrich him greatly. My view--the view from my pulpit, that is--is that it was in the interests of the U.S. that American participants in these "tough and sensitive" negotiations, whether they be officials of the U.S. or private advisers to the parties to the negotiations, should preserve a disinterested position, so that no one could say that Americans were enriching themselves at the expense of the Iraqi nation. No matter what the reality of the situation, appearances do matter and these things are so easily misunderstood and misrepresented, are they not?

Question: Granted that this may be a black eye for certain prominent Democrats, in all this, where was the Bush administration, with all their vast intelligence resources--Defense, CIA, State? Was there no one monitoring Mr. Galbraith? This strikes me as a black eye for Bush, as well.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Flashback for the Kurds

Galbraith February 2003 NYT:

Still, seeing the Kurds as an easier mark, Washington sided with Turkey. The Kurds were told that federalism would have to wait for deliberation by a postwar elected Iraqi parliament, in which they would be a minority.

But the Bush administration may have gotten the power calculus wrong. The Kurds have established a real state within a state, with an administration that performs all governmental responsibilities, from education to law enforcement. Their militias number 70,000 to 130,000, and there is a real risk of clashes with any Turkish "humanitarian" force. The democratically elected Kurdistan assembly has already completed work on a constitution for the region that would delegate minimal powers to a central government in Baghdad, and could submit it for a popular vote. Short of arresting Kurdish leaders and the assembly, an American occupation force may have no practical way of preventing the Kurds from going ahead with their federalist project. ...more

[clarice]

I believe Galbraith resigned with nasty words for Bush. Is my memory wrong?

[anduril]

clarice, apropos of what?

[Sue]

The Promised Land. Texas. I like it.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Esposito and his colleagues report that:

• Hasan printed personal business cards emblazoned with "SoA(SWT)" which stands for: "Soldier of Allah: Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala [Glory to God].
• "On Hasan's official Army personnel record, obtained by ABCNews.com., Hasan lists his e-mail address using the first name of Abduwall, instead of Nidal. Abduwalli, in Arabic, means "slave of" the great protector, or God"
• "U.S. officials and analysts told ABCNews.com today that Hasan used multiple e-mail addresses and screen names as he contacted several jihadist web sites around the world."

The bottom line?:

"He was making no secret of allegiances," said former FBI agent Brad Garrett, an ABC News consultant. 

[Sue]

This strikes me as a black eye for Bush, as well.

Of course it does. No one here thought otherwise, I'm sure.

[clarice]

He resigned in 2003:
From Wiki:
"Galbraith was a professional staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from 1979 to 1993, where he published many reports about Iraq and took a special interest in the Kurdish regions of Iraq. In 1987, he uncovered Saddam Hussein's systematic destruction of Kurdish villages and a year later wrote the "Prevention of Genocide Act of 1988" which would have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Iraq because of the gassing of the Kurds. The bill unanimously passed the Senate but was opposed by the Reagan Administration as "premature" and did not become law.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Galbraith as the first United States Ambassador to Croatia. In 1995, he was the co-mediator and principal architect of the Erdut Agreement that ended the war in Croatia by providing for the peaceful reintegration of Serb-held Eastern Slavonia.

From 2000 to 2001 he served with the United Nations in East Timor, where he was head of the UNTAET political section and Cabinet Member for Political Affairs and Timor Sea in East Timor's first Transitional Government. He was East Timor's lead negotiator for maritime boundaries with Australia and produced two agreements, including the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty, that effectively quadrupled East Timor's share of the petroleum resources between the two countries.

He was also a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College, in 1999 and between 2001-2003.[2] In 2003, he resigned from the U.S. government service after 24 years.

[edit] Later career
[edit] Involvement in Iraq and Iraqi-Kurdistan Politics
Galbraith favors the independence, legal or de facto, of the northern region of Iraq known as Iraqi Kurdistan, and has advised U.S. policy makers including Joseph Biden and John Kerry on the splitting of Iraq. In 2005, he was instrumental in drafting and obtaining approval for a constitution for the Kurdish provincial government which gave it gave it full control over its oil profits.[1]

Galbraith's 2006 book The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End, advocates acceptance of a "partition" of Iraq into three parts (Kurd, Shiite, and Sunni) as part of a new U.S. "strategy based on the reality of Iraq", and argues that the U.S.'s "main error" in Iraq has been "wishful thinking."[3]. He has also written extensively on Iraq in the pages of the New York Review of Books.

In November, 2009, it was revealed that he had a financial interest in the oil fields and stood to reap hundreds of millions of dollars due to constitutional provisions he helped draft and his close relationship with the government of Iraqi-Kurdistan.[1]

After playing a key role in enabling the invasion of Iraq, Galbraith first became one of a handful of U.S. officials who worked on writing the Iraqi Constitution, and after he resigned from U.S. government service, he then continuously posed as an independent expert on the region and, specifically, as an "unpaid" adviser to the Kurds on the Constitution. Galbraith was an ardent and vocal advocate for Kurdish autonomy, arguing tirelessly in numerous venues for such proposals -- including in multiple Op-Eds for The New York Times -- and insisting that Kurds must have the right to control oil resources located in Northern Iraq. Throughout the years of writing those Op-Eds, he was identified as nothing more than "a former United States ambassador to Croatia," except in one 2007 Op-Ed which vaguely stated that he "is a principal in a company that does consulting in Iraq and elsewhere." When he participated in a New York Times forum in October, 2008 -- regarding what the next President should be required to answer -- he posed questions that advocated for regional autonomy for Iraqis generally and Kurds specifically, and he was identified as nothing more than the author of a book about the region.

What Galbraith kept completely concealed all these years was that a company he formed in 2004 came to acquire a large stake in a Kurdish oil field whereby, as the New York Times put it, he "stands to earn perhaps a hundred million or more dollars." In other words, he had a direct -- and vast -- financial stake in the very policies which he was publicly advocating in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and countless other American media outlets, where he was presented as an independent expert on the region. [4]"

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

If you were wondering why it took so long for the other police officer's role in the shooting came to light, it turns out he didn't want his name mentioned and to be thrust in the limelight.

Officer Todd is the officer credited with ultimately bringing Hasan down after he'd shot Officer Hunley and she was on the ground.

The Other Hero at Ft. Hood

A truly honorable man, IMHO.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Ugh!

role in the shooting came TO COME to light

[verner]

Elliot, so glad things went well. And please tell me that the roses were perfect and of good quality--cause if they weren't I'm going to let someone have it!

It sounds like Peter had a wonderful send off. And it's great hearing so many details about his life that I hadn't known. I kind of knew he liked antiques (I love them too)and am not surprised he had a masters in music!

When you catch your breath, I would really appreciate it if you could write up a little summary of the day, and either e-mail it to me or post it on facebook.

[Frau Disco-Fieber]

Thank you, Elliott, for everything you've written.

What a grand and glorious being PUK was. I remember when he encouraged a JOMer to hurry up and finish writing; he wanted to see it, he wrote, before the lid was screwed down on his coffin. That was the first time I worried about his age and health. He wasn't old but he wasn't healthy. Looking at photos of him, I know he was happy and he was loved.

[hit and run]

Yes,thank you ever so much Elliott the official JOM Ambassador,even if it takes a recess apppointment to get it through the Senate.

I still haven't closed the PUK thread,still quite sure I never will by choice.

Frau:
I remember when he encouraged a JOMer to hurry up and finish writing; he wanted to see it, he wrote, before the lid was screwed down on his coffin.

I saw that comment in my trek through the archives - a great compliment,richly deserved.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Good at least someone agrees with me:

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison tells NRO:

"Private Velez's family lost two family members at the hands of Nidal Hasan. As a supporter of Laci and Conner's Law, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, I believe the military should, as they have been authorized to do, charge Nidal Hasan with fourteen counts of murder."