From the truly wretched on just about everything, Senator Slade Gorton.
Michael Pugliese
http://www.csdp.org/ads/isthiswa.htm This advertisement appeared in the National Review, the The New Republic, the Weekly Standard, The Nation, Reason Magazine and The Progressive in the summer of 2000.
Remarks on June 21, 2000, by Hon. Slade Gorton, R-WA concerning US military intervention in Colombia:
"Mr. President, the capacity of this body for self-delusion seems to this Senator to be unlimited ...
"This bill includes almost $1 billion for an entirely new, and almost totally military, involvement in a civil war in Latin America, without the slightest promise that our intervention will be a success, and it does it in a totally backward fashion.
"The very committee report that recommends spending this almost $1 billion says that the committee 'has grave reservations regarding the administration's ability to effectively manage the use of these resources to achieve the expected results' ...
"This bill says let's get in a war now and justify it later ...
"It just seems impossible to me to believe that in the absence of the debate of the whole country, with all of the lessons we must have learned not just in this administration, but in previous administrations, about how easy it is to get in and how hard it is to get out, we will blithely make this downpayment - and this is a downpayment only ...
"Next year, maybe we will need a lot more money if they are not doing very well down there. And how much of the equipment is going to end up in the hands of rebels by sale or capture or otherwise?( Hmm cf. http://www.coha.org/Press%20Releases/00-21-Manta%20Base.htm Vladimiro Montesinos, who heads the Peruvian intelligence agency
http://www.clw.org/cat/newswire/nw082200.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/451005.asp?cp1=1 http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/20001001/t000093228.html http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl%40listserv.aol.com/msg49293.html [CTRL] Fwd: [CIA-DRUGS] ruminating on russkies, peru, and cocaine by the planeload ---
and has been accused of fostering human rights violations as well as having links to the drug trade. The Argentine daily, El Clarín, reported last July that Montesinos' CIA contacts had informed him that Peru and Ecuador would have a pivotal role in a future multinational operation supporting Colombia's anti-guerrilla campaign. In this scenario, the CIA allegedly called for additional troops to secure the two countries' borders with Colombia, which both Peru and Ecuador are currently supplying. The involvement of these neighboring countries' military personnel would mean raids against FARC bases just across the border and reinforcement of already-secured areas. Montesinos had suggested that the outside intervention would be initiated by an "invitation" from Bogota, which, if true, could further compromise not only Colombia's autonomy, but also risk expanded guerrilla warfare within Peru and the possible initiation of strife within Ecuador. In his Clarín interview, Montesinos provided stunning details of the proposed U.S. scenario, which would include a combined force of upwards of 120,000 military personnel, last 45 to 60 days and be divided into two aerotransport divisions, two special ground forces and three marine divisions, with 200 aircraft providing ground cover and strategic support. The U.S. embassy vehemently denied any meetings with Peru or Ecuador concerning such matters. )
Back to the Senator... We have no way of controlling that without a presence on the ground.
"I urge this body to say ... we are not going to do this until you first come to us with a formal overall plan with a beginning, middle, and an end, and a plan for how we are going to achieve our goals. Get the authority first and then fund it. It is 10 times better for this society to put that $700 million on our debt and not get in a civil war in South America. That is what this debate is all about - not that we don't like the Colombians or that we don't want them to be successful, but we don't want a part of their war."
Is the "War on Drugs" Getting Us In a Real War in Colombia? For more information, visit: www.csdp.org, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Kevin B. Zeese, President, 703-354-9050, 703-354-5695 (fax), info at csdp.org