Richard L. Armitage a name to conjure with

"Armitage is always one of those characters who just happen to be standing around when something BAD happens to America. Never anything good. ALWAYS something BAD. If he was a sailor, his shipmates would call him a Jonah." Libertypost.org, 8 May 2004

If you are still focused on Karl Rove as the bad guy who escaped justice give some thought to an even worse specimen - Richard L. Armitage. Dicky is well known in Australia. His name first comes up with the 1970s

His intermittent presence was strongly felt during John Howard’s reign, more particularly during a rather long ambassadorial hiatus. Dicky took an active political role here criticizing our then opposition party, squashing any US inquiry into Australia’s notorious Iraq wheat sale kickbacks, then noisily claiming that only a few dumb Aussies were concerned about the obvious corruption.

Armitage, it seems, cut his teeth in the CIA/Mob Golden Triangle drug trafficking from 1971-1975. This is where he linked up with his Iran-Contra co-conspirators; the likes of Gen Secord and Ted Shackley et al. Dicky has been up to his ear lobes in US black operations for decades.

In fact there is still disquiet over his appointment as Assistant Sec State under Colin Powell, based on the fact he was previously rejected for a cabinet post under Bush Snr because of his involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal. The George W nomination actually passed the Senate on voices, without comment.

Despite his known illegal activities Armitage managed to retain his grip on powerful, influential positions. See: From An Approved Biography - Ambassador Richard Lee Armitage. He has also retained an influence on international drug trafficking, now out of Afghanistan/Pakistan.

Part of Dicky’s raison d'etre for supporting drug trafficking is the long held view that enemies can be controlled through drug addiction. It sort of works - according to the U.N. World Drug Report for 2005, Iran has the highest proportion of opiate addicts in the world. But obviously it works on enemies at home too, as his black operations involve smuggling drugs into the US for the domestic market.

Hillary Clinton tainted?

More to the point is that Armitage and his sponsors are addicted to the profits of drug peddling. The concern now is that Armitage has plied his trade through State for many years, and current Sec State Hillary Clinton, or a least Bill, is tainted, is tainted by past associations with these crooks.

When the Rudd government came to power in Australia the former diplomat Prime Minister virtually sidelined our State equivalent, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Rudd is constantly criticised for his foreign travel, but he is obviously taking a fir grip on that particular tiller. A good thing too given the history of playing by the riles of the US black ops guys.

I’m not sure any American President since Eisenhower has had any real control over State. I truly doubt that Obama deliberately chose Clinton and I’m curious about Biden’s past associations with the likes of Armitage.

On the other hand I can relate to the tears of joy from Colin Powell on Inauguration Day. Powell was sucked in as a stooge, the Senate of the day quietly allowing the appointments of the discredited thug, Armitage, to control any thoughts Powell might have about democratic practices.