Michael Jackson TalkRadio Content

ongressman Henry Waxman, chairman of the oversight committee of the House, has reported that over a 13 month period the US government had shipped over 360 tons of cash to Iraq. Why would the government even consider sending 360 tons of greenbacks into the war zone? Apparently Baghdad and elsewhere were awash with $100 bills. Between March of 2003 and June of 2004, Paul Bremer, the man who headed the Coalition Provisional Authority (which was the first post-occupation government), oversaw the disbursement of $12 billion in cash and reconstruction funds. Anyone know who got what and where they've used these massive funds.? It is even alleged that huge sums were doled out from the back of pick-up trucks. Mr. Bremer has fessed up to making mistakes during his 13 month tenure and that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would have made some decisions quite differently. During Bremer's tenure at the Coalition Provisional Authority his early missteps included the disbandment of the entire Iraqi Armed Forces; this, surely, set the stage for the current and growing turmoil in Iraq. I wonder how deep this corruption runs in that sad country; I'll wager that, as reports will confirm, it does not just ensnare Iraqis of all ranks but includes American soldiers of high rank. The warfare continues to grow and intensify. The death toll mounts. The injured are, by the thousands, in most sad condition. Our President appears, more and more, to entertain the idea that he is rather like Harry Truman. I'd put it slightly differently; if there's to be a comparison made between presidents past and present, I would suggest that Mr. Bush is far more like LBJ under pressure during Vietnam. And a final thought or two to add to the confusion. If what we are seeing daily on the news is not, as yet, a full-blown civil war, when it does commence, we will see Iranians charging in to assist their Shiite allies in Iraq. And the Sunnis will rush in to bolster Iraq's Sunni Arabs. If, or when, we have a US withdrawal from Iraq, the country would witness Saudi Arabia getting involved. In Riyadh there is growing concern that Iran's alliance with Iraq's Shiite government is strengthening. I'd wager that the Saudis are at least as concerned about Iran's nuclear program as is the United States.