Charlie Rose

tartufe  12/23/2008 11:01 PM Report

WORLD’S TOP THREE SCAMERS OF U.S. TREASURY: 1. OSAMA BIN LADEN, 2. NOURI MALAKI, 3. HAMID KARZAI. (HENRY PAULSON HONORABLE MENTION).

OSAMA BIN LADEN

11/01/04 - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden said he is trying to bankrupt the U.S. through its war on terror, a strategy he says felled the Soviet Union two decades ago in Afghanistan, according to a translation by al-Jazeera television of his videotaped statement.

“All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point East to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al-Qaeda, in order to make the generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic, and political losses without their achieving for it anything of note other than some benefits for their private companies,” bin Laden said, according to the al-Jazeera transcript.

Well, the wiley old fox may live in a cave but he’s well on his way. And he even cites the M-I complex - accurately!

NOURI MALIKI (VIA BUSH, CHENEY, M-I COMPLEX OF COURSE)

By Bob Deans Cox News Service Published on: 02/28/08.

The Iraq war will cost Americans between $3 trillion and $5 trillion, including military spending, broader economic costs and decades of benefits and medical care for combat veterans, a Nobel prize-winning economist told the Joint Economic Committee on Thursday.

HAMID KARZAI

“And Afghanistan will not allow the international community leave it before we are fully on our feet, before we are strong enough to defend our country, before we are powerful enough to have a good economy.” Karzai said.

He then added that the world community can’t leave “before we have taken from President Bush and the next administration billions and billions of more dollars.”

“No way that they can let you go.” said Karzai, whose remarks drew laughter.

As of last summer, the United States had spent about $200 billion on the war in Afghanistan, according to congressional officials. Both Bush and President-elect Obama have made continued U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan central to their foreign policies.

HENRY PAULSON - HONORABLE MENTION

By: CNBC.com [28 Nov 2008 ] 01:56 PM ET

Given the speed at which the federal government is throwing money at the financial crisis, the average taxpayer, never mind member of Congress might not be faulted for losing track.

CNBC, however, has been paying very close attention and keeping a running tally of actual spending as well as the commitments involved. And there’s been quite a jump since we last tabulated things two weeks ago.

Try $7.36 trillion dollars. That’s more than double what was spent on WWII, if adjusted for inflation, based on our computations from a variety of estimates and sources.

COMMENTARY

We (Congress/Bush) have given Mr. Paulson a license to steal (TARP).

He has outdone the top three non-resident scammers, and history will wonder (1) how he did it, (2) how he gained the presumptive right(?), and (3) why he was never tried, convicted and incarcerated (for crimes against humanity if nothing else). Of course many other conspirators are due the same attention. Citigroup, a large recipient of TARP funds to rescue their hedge fund operations - the very corrosive part that should be allowed to fail - comes to mind.

It’s obvious that to date the financial wise-guy hedgers got the bailout medicine when excising the putrescent corruption from the financial body before gangrene set in was what was really needed. The really vulnerable and more extensive mortgagee’s crises have gone begging (literally). The predators seem to prevail a la the law of the jungle. Maybe we’re not that much a higher form of animal after all?

Oligarchic governance is a lethal combination. Like a corrupt cop.

Paulson et al should be consigned to living under a Detroit bridge for the downturn’s duration with their victims. Osama bin Laden has to be applauding him and all his ilk - firing his AK47 in the air with great jubilation over the accomplishments of the three non US coconspirators, but doubtless equally exuberant for his unexpected partner and allies “Allie Baba Paulson and his forty plus thieves.”

We’re run by a ship of fools, venal whores and grasping children.

tartufe  12/17/2008 01:18 PM Report

Geopoliticism that I beleive:

1. The creation of Israel was the largest geopolitical blunder since WWII.

2. Israel could well be the lynchpin for self-fulfilling Armageddon so desirable by certain zealotry.

3. Israel zionists would rather risk seeing the end of the world with a state of Israel than its continuation without their desired state.

4. Israel's so-called friendship is costly financially and geopolitically. (Abandon us to highest bidder in NY minute, e.g. to China?)

5. Would risk us going to war on their behalf in a NY minute (with Iran, Pakistan . . .?)

6. In short with friends like Israel . . . .?

ShalomFreedman  12/17/2008 08:55 AM Report

Miliband made a reasonable presentation of the conventional Anglo- American wisdom regarding the world - situation.

I would just like to make one point in regard to the Middle East peace process and what is in my view, a fundamental misconception of Charlie Rose and most of his commentators on the situation there.

The idea that Israel's trading land is going to bring it peace has had two failed tests in the past ten years. Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon only brought a more aggressive Hizbollah. Israel's withdrawal from Gaza only brought more attacks on Israel's southern region. Israel's withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, the West Bank would most likely bring the whole of the center of the country in the range of rocket- fire, and terrorist action.

Charlie Rose and David Miliband also do not seem to understand that the Palestinian Arab polity is divided into two factions , Hamas and Fatah one of whom openly foreswears any kind of acceptance of Israel, and the second of which will agree to a paper peace with Israel only under conditions that will guarantee Israel's destruction.

What happens then when conditions on the ground do not really allow for the kind of progressive action and scenario Foreign Minister Miliband believes the Obama Administration should work for immediately?

Let us hope President Obama will be a bit wiser than those who urge him to force a disastrous agreement which will not be worth the paper its written on, and bring greater danger to America's one true democratic friend in the region, Israel.

REMant  12/16/2008 10:14 PM Report

This interview was interrupted for about 5 mins on both DC channels by a dtv.gov msg, indicating that someone messed up in the transmission. Nevertheless, tho I'd be tempted to say that this seems to be the same old Miliband we saw last time he was here, whose msg I could sum up as getting the US to continue the British imperial presence, I think I detect a new and improved edition. No one can fault either the emphasis on the balance of power(s) or the idea of mutual respect.

He reminds me of Anthony Andrews.

Like all holders of American money it is in China's interest to support our public credit, so I think it highly unlikely that it would dump Treasuries. I don't know about subsidizing our debt any further. I think they would be better off working to develop their home and other mkts, and we would be too. But it is politic to ensure the Chinese of our concern.

Since I mentioned this earlier, I do agree that it's alright to believe in progress, but it is not alright to believe that it is connected to some sort of salvation. I would reserve the word for the latter and consider that the last 60 yrs of European peace a matter of education, one which came at an horrific cost, plus the presence during the while of US troops and weapons on the ground and its nuclear umbrella over.

tartufe  12/16/2008 03:45 PM Report

Hey samm, cut him some slack, he categorically denies the existence of god. He can't be all bad and that has to improve his objectivity.

tartufe  12/16/2008 03:32 PM Report

This guy's good. His youthful looks must be an albatross in his line of work. He lacks the wisdom of solomon that only I (modestly) seem to possess re Pakistan. We need to bail from that region a la Russia cum Britain cum salvation. Elstwise, we're setting ourselves up for a perfect trifecta in chump warfare, all the while bleeding a hemorrhaging treasury in easy largess to all involved (with our own M-I complex first in line). But we're run by a ship of fools. The all too easy plundering of our treasury by the financial wise-guys (Paulson, Bernanke, Rubin et al) without a hint of reparations is a too illustrative of this point. Predatory states and predators are to be expected, but I naively want these guys in irons. Their presumptive entitlement to manipulate the system without even an indignant whimper blows my temperament into a futile outrage. Hitler, Mussolini, Togo must've had it easier than one would think. We're way too easy.

samm  12/16/2008 03:22 PM Report

For interest of full disclosure please mention the guest's Jewish heritage especially as it applies to conversations on the Jewish State of Israel and the Middle East.