Outsourced Government of GW Bush

Hopeless Henry Kissinger's trip to Russia last week was a clear signal that Condoleezza's State Department has been outsourced to Kissinger Associates Inc. Even worse, the Department of State may be working for Hopeless Henry... Well, GW Bush has de facto outsourced the Department of Defense to private contractors, his Department of Justice to inept Republican Party boobs, his Treasury Department to the Chinese, his Department of Agriculture to Mexico and his National Security Staff to Israel. Perhaps Mr. Bush believes the US government just will whither away to be replaced by global conglomerates and special interests.

Kissinger was accompanied to Russia by a gaggle of mostly ex important people who resist fading away, like good politicians and bureaucrats should. He took investor George Schultz, former SecState under Reagan, who was not quite all there when he had that job – last time I heard about him was that he was running around nude at camp fires in the California wilderness showing off his tattoos. Former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin under Clinton is still a Wall Street man of substance who understands how the money works in the world and was there to hold Henry's hand if rubles, and stock and bond issues were mentioned. Former senator Sam Nunn went along too – way past his prime, but certainly a serious stable brand name on national security issues. Oil man David O’Reilly from Chevron Oil made certain that energy was on the agenda for Big Oil. Arms control expert Tom Graham went along, but unless he had the latest Russian Strategic Forces order of battle, uncertain whether he could contribute much more than on process issues. Under any circumstance, the new Russia is different from the old Soviet one, as well as smarter, richer and more economically organized. Kissinger was even a flop in that old venue, so keep your expectations low with his new foray.

Kissinger of course promoted the Iraq war. Apart from providing GW Bush bad advice on a weekly basis, e.g. LET’S DO THE SURGE, Henry is advising presidential hopeful Senator John McCain on international relations. Each week Bomb Bomb Bomb McCain's prospects plummet; part of his disaster is hewing to the Kissinger line on the Iraq war. Kissinger, a Jewish American German, is a dedicated mouth piece for Israel. Nixon once asked him for his view on the Middle East. When Kissinger finished, Nixon asked him now what is the American viewpoint? For a man who is consistently wrong, Kissinger stays powerful: in the fray, pumped up by his rolodex, and his ability to drop names and his connections with the media. And he charges a high price for his services. Last time I saw Henry on TV he was being coached on CNN by Wolf Blitzer, who is a former employee of the Israeli Lobby (AIPC). At that time, always hard to follow with his thick German/Yiddish accent, Henry was next to incoherent. It was apparent he needed a caretaker or nurse. To get Henry to Russia and back, they must have had a cryogenist on the delegation – maybe the same one used on Ted Williams.

Condoleezza is a total failure on Russian/US policy. Ironically, she was touted by the neocon media as a Russian expert, who even spoke the language. Having a Russian language capability, I was always eager to listen to the quality of her Russian. Over the years, I have never heard a peep of it from her, but I have heard GW Bush's Spanglish as he tries to humor the Mexicans. When GWB does this, it is like putting a screw driver in the Mexican's ear. Withdrawing from the flawed Kissinger negotiated ABM treaty, Bush pushed the Russians hard by running NATO up to its borders, hectoring the Russians incessantly on democracy, interfering in internal affairs in Belarus, Ukraine and Chechnya and installing strategic missile defenses in Poland and Czech lands. There also have been flash-points as the Russians protected its client Iran. Russia, now rich on petrol rubles, announced an 80 billion defense buildup, kept Kosovo Serbian, became a major arms supplier to the Red Chinese and Chavez, and most recently abrogated its conventional arms treaty in Europe. Within the last few months, much to the US and European dismay, Russia managed to snag oil and natural gas in Central Asia to be incorporated into Russian energy networks that will supply Europe.

A visit by Kissinger and delegation had to be sanctioned and probably bankrolled by GW Bush, who by this time has figured out that his old pal Vladimir is getting the best of him – when the Austrians in the last round voted for the Russians for 2014 Winter Olympics over the US client state South Korea, that was blow to US influence. For Austria to favor the historically hated Russia in this lessor political battle just demonstrates how much ground the US has lost internationally under Bush. We do not know the agenda of the delegation. We know it is scheduled to meet again next December. There has been an effort to keep the proceedings confidential, but do not be concerned; Kissinger got to where he is by selectively leaking to the media, and tiger cannot change his stripes. We will know what Henry wants us to know soon. In any case you can bet your ass that it will promote Kissinger Associates Inc.

My guess is the purpose of visit was to offer the Russians US capital to develop their energy resources and attempt to defuse US/Russian military confrontations – there may even be proposals to give the Russians a slice of the Iraq oil pie for cooperation in postwar Iraq. And that may be one reason for the ex-official approach without US Government fingerprints. Oil and Gas pipeline proposals from Central Asian energy fields to the Black Sea or the Bay of Bengal just might have been discussed. There is also the unconfirmed proposition that the US intends to bomb Iran or Pakistan tribal areas and Russian reaction was discreetly probed. There are now three carrier task forces in the Gulf area, so something eventually is going to break loose – as Napoleon said: You can do anything with bayonets except sit on them.

Kissinger recklessly advocated to Nixon that the US continue the Vietnam war long after it was lost to include the bombing of Laos and Cambodia. Thousands of Americans were lost during this period as Henry carefully choreographed his Noble Peace Prize. This is the same guy now who is advocating to GW Bush that the war continue in Iraq after it is lost. He also wants to bomb Iran. Kissinger is a merchant of death. His specialty is solving bloody crises he has created. Who knows? He may be grasping for an oak leaf cluster on his Nobel Prize...

When Hopeless Henry passes on to his final negotiation in the sky, there should be a great sigh of relief and rejoicing in the USA over the death of the Grim Reaper. At the same time in Israel, there should be grief and national mourning since Israel lost its great champion who succeeded to have Americans foolishly spend and die for the Jewish state's security. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA RET

* Photograph: Etching Para que esconderlo by Francisco de Goya