Too Dirty for Negroponte?

As usual, Hersch is just full of surprises. In The Redirection: Is the Administration's New Policy Benefiting Our Enemies in the War on Terrorism?, Hersch talks about the covert funding of Sunni extremists and of Negroponte's move from DHI to his State Department position. Apparently, Negroponte, who was part of the Iran-Contra operation didn't like the feeling of deja vu.

In the article, Hersch cites a former intelligence officer in saying "Negroponte said, 'No way. I'm not going down that road again, with the N.S.C. running operations off the books, with no finding.'" Too dirty for Negroponte? Heck, I thought that was why the Bush administration brought all those guys from Iran-Contra back into government - for their "special" skills.

Wolf Blitzer interviewed Hersch on the Situation Room, and asked him about Negroponte. In response, Hersch laid out the current shenanigans and stated that Negroponte was "not in tune with Cheney" and that he was "too ethical for some of the operations the Pentagon wants to run." [See the transcript at TruthOut. Below is also the YouTube clip of the interview.]

It is truly a stunning statement that Negroponte is too ethical for the current operation. It is widely reported that Negroponte oversaw the Salvadoran death squads, as well as similar police activities in Honduras during his tenure as US Ambassador (Wa. Post, 2005; Wikipedia; DemocracyNow, 2004). Perhaps it is a case of "once burned, twice shy."

Regardless, the likelihood that the US is engaged in the covert operation Hersch lays out gives a whole new importance to determine what happened to the missing billions in Iraq. The $8 billion plus shipped out on pallets comes to mind. However, there is more than that "missing." All of that free floating cash that was handed out in stacks of unaccounted for $100 bills would be prime pickings for funding a huge black op - or several.

Blitzer also asked Hersch what he feared most. His response? "George Bush."

or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRp_vD3URm8