~ Thugs in The Bush Administration ~
7/10/01

Inspiration from MSN reports of the recent appointment of Elliot Abrams as well as previous appointments of various nefarious creatures that could scant be considered anything close to human.

Thugs run rampant in Washington DC. Sadly, these days they are as prevalent in the administration as they are on the streets that surround the great city. With his recent appointment of Elliot Abrams, and previous appointments of Theodore Olson and J. Steven Griles, Bush has assembled a troupe of neanderthals who are happy to run roughshod over basic human rights in pursuit of whatever agenda they desire to implement. Unfortunately, our Commander-in-Chief is dumber than a box of rocks and will likely let his dogs have a free run behind the scenes over the next three and a half years.

So, one by one, who are these goats and why should you care?

Elliot Abrams is a self admitted liar who has been banished from the Washington DC Bar. Surely, when President Bush pledged to bring integrity back the the White House he was not talking about Elliot Abrams.

Some background: Mr. Abrams headed the Latin American Bureau of the State Department during the Reagan Presidency. He plead guilty to two counts of lying to Congress for his actions in the contra scandal. Worse, Mr. Abrams was willing to lie to the American Public. When Nicaragua downed a small plane piloted by three Americans hired by the US government, Elliot took to the air waves assuring the public that the government had nothing to do with it. “That would be illegal," he said. "We are barred from doing that and we are not doing it. This was not in any sense a U.S. government operation. None.”

Interestingly he went on to blame just about everyone who disagreed with his assertions for the deaths of the pilots. Mr. Abrams knew full well that the pilots were hired with the assistance of co-conspirator Oliver North, but continued to lie. He told his false story to the House Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs, the Senate Intelligence committee, and for good measure, the American Public a few more times.

Sadly, these are Mr. Abrams good qualities. When the Washington Post and the New York Times broke stories in the early 80's highlighting the mass murder of women and children by US backed forces in El Salvador, our good friend Mr. Abrams rushed to the forefront to discredit the reports. Attacking the reporters as mouthpieces of Communist Guerillas he staunchly denied the veracity of the claims and derided their sources. Nearly ten years later the Salvadoran Truth Commission reported the results of its official investigation which supported the writer's stories.

Abrams praised the Reagan Administration for its work in El Salvador stating, “The [Reagan] Administration’s record on El Salvador is one of fabulous achievement.” A dubious achievement if there ever was one: between 1980 to 1989, government-sponsored assisted death squads killed 41,048 citizens. The figure for the left-wing guerillas, whom the US sought to defeat: 776. (Catholic Archdiocese, San Salvador)

Abrams willingness to lie, cheat, and steal, endeared him to his superiors for whom he would toe the line. He won an official pardon for his crimes from George Sr. and has found a new home in today's White House.

Theodore Olson, your Solicitor-General, also has the requisite lie telling ability to make him a star in the New Bush White House.

Olson was one of the chief scandal mongers during the Clinton years while he worked as a member of the board of the American Spectator. When asked about his involvement in the "Arkansas Project," a conservative project designed to pump out scandals related to then President Bill Clinton, Olson stated, "It has been alleged that I was somehow involved in that so-called project; I was not involved in the project, in its origin or its management." Olson further went on to deny his knowledge of the project until 1998 when he first learned of it and voted to shut it down.

Upon further questioning, Olson changed course and indicated that he, "realize[d] that the allegations concerning the Arkansas Project came to my knowledge in 1997." And when asked about a meeting that he attended in 1993 related to the "Arkansas Project" Olson recanted his previous statement that, "there were none" and replaced it with this bit o' Clinton-speak, "I do not recall the meeting described. I certainly was not involved in any such meeting at which a topic was using Scaife funds and the American Spectator to 'mount a series of probes into the Clintons and their alleged crimes in Arkansas.'"

Ah that's it, I am sure Ted Olson is the integrity that President Bush intends to bring to the White House. A fine fellow he is.

Maybe not. Maybe integrity is J. Steven Griles. Although I doubt we will ever know if J. Steven is the integrity the White House so desperately needs because he refuses to answer questions posed by the media. Unlike Olson or Abrams, Griles largely ignores the media and refuses to comment on allegations that he is the same J. Steven Griles who was charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony in Richmond, Virginia.

Nope, unlike the other Bush thugs, Griles is definitely more low profile. He is happy to acknowledge his close ties to the oil, mining, and electric industries, but don't question him about a possible assault charge. He doesn't like to speak to that issue.

So why should you car if these thugs inhabit Washington DC for the next few years? In all honesty, I don't think you should. I just suggest you be aware of the facts. Research these jokers on your own and know who they are. Because at some point before 2004 you will have to hear one of these talking heads or their lessers popping off in the media about something that is "categorically false...." or "unfounded..." or "that has been alleged...." and you will then realize that this New Bush White House isn't all that different from any Old White House ...

~JM, 7/10/01