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THE ONLY QUESTION ABOUT TARIQ AZIZ’S STATUS IS HOW QUICKLY HE CAN BE TRIED AND HANGED

What in the world is the nonsense coming out of Iraq regarding ” questions about Tariq Aziz’s status ” ? Hasn’t anyone at the State department ever heard of the Genocide Convention ? Or crimes against humanity ? How can you try some Bosnian Serb thug but not the Joachim von Ribbentrop of Iraq ?

Aziz is an official of the highest level for a regime that has murdered over 200,000 people, targeted ethnic minorities for obliteration, made unprovoked attacks upon three neighboring states, built and used WMD against women, children and old people. Aziz is getting cut slack because of his long familiar place on the diplomatic circuit and the number of past and present government officials and heads of state with whom he has shared cocktails and off the record jokes in fluent English. The idea of trying Aziz makes some folks a little squirmy but morally how is Aziz any different from Chemical Ali ?

Let’s try to remember that his job was making life easier for the regime to kill it’s enemies quietly and without cost.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:



“What sort of philosophy one chooses depends on what sort of person one is “

– Johann Gottlieb Fichte

MORE IRAQI SPYMASTERS NABBED

Along with Tariq Aziz, the covert ops chief of Iraqi intelligence is in U.S. custody. Story from CNN

READ NEWT’S BLAST AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT here.

It’s little secret that many of the foreign service officers do not have much sympathy for the policies of the president they serve and politically, many of the career officials are far more attuned to the diplomatic worldview of the EU than the GOP. However, part of the problem is institutional – Foggy Bottom is a congenial place for loose cannons and heads of desk and assistant secretaries can, in the words of George Shultz ” wander off doing deals on their own “. Democratic presidents also have problems getting State to carry out policies but philosophically as a rule they are more in tune with the results State bureaucrats seek through acts of passive resistance and insubordination. A personal memoir worth reading on this topic is from Constantine Menges a neoconservative analyst who worked for the CIA and the NSC under Ronald Reagan, called Inside the National Security Council. Even if you disagree with Menges’ politics, he has anecdotes of interest to history buffs and political junkies.

NORTH KOREA REACTS WITH FURY and plays its remaining nuclear card card as it’s only ally, China, refuses to support Pyongyang’s belligerence.

North Korean threats to export plutonium in violation of the NPT could lead to a naval blockade of the regime by the United States and UN Security Council sanctions banning air flights and trade.