"“We have lent a huge amount of money to the U.S. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I am definitely a little worried.” "


Chinese premier Wen Jiabao 12th March 2009


""We have a financial system that is run by private shareholders, managed by private institutions, and we'd like to do our best to preserve that system."


Timothy Geithner US Secretary of the Treasury, previously President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.1/3/2009

Friday, November 10, 2006

The Rock Steady Crew


The Iraq Study Group will conduct a forward-looking, independent assessment of the current and prospective situation on the ground in Iraq, its impact on the surrounding region, and consequences for U.S. interests.

The United States Institute of Peace is facilitating the group with the support of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Centre for the Study of the Presidency (CSP), and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

James A. Baker, III – Co-Chair born April 28, 1930
Former Secretary of State
Honorary Chair, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

Lee H. Hamilton – Co-Chair born April 20, 1931
Former Member of Congress
Director, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Robert M. Gates - Member born September 25, 1943
Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
President, Texas A&M University
Now Secretary Department of Defence

Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. - Member born 15 August 1935
Former Advisor to President Clinton
Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC

Edwin Meese III - Member born 2 December 1931
Former Attorney General
Ronald Reagan Chair in Public Policy, The Heritage Foundation
Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

Sandra Day O’Connor - Member born March 26, 1930
Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court (Retired)

Leon E. Panetta - Member born June 28, 1938
Former White House Chief of Staff
Founder and Director, Panetta Institute

William J. Perry - Member born October 11, 1927
Former Secretary of Defense
Professor, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

Charles S. Robb - Member born June 26 , 1939
Former Governor of Virginia
Former U.S. Senator
Distinguished Professor of Law & Public Policy, George Mason University School of Law

Alan K. Simpson - Member born 2 September 1931
Former U.S. Senator from Wyoming

There are also 4 working groups whose membership is available here
http://www.usip.org/isg/working_groups.html#military

* Economy and Reconstruction
* Military and Security
* Political Development
* Strategic Environment
* Military Senior Advisor Panel

All male (nearly) , only two younger than 75 years old, no Military men on the Group, No scientists, no engineers, no medical people, no agricultural people, no bankers ..... Political and Academic groupies.

This group of geriatrics is the best collection of people that the 300 Mn folks in North America can assemble to give advice about what to do after the disastrous military encounter in Iraq ? Nobody from the UK, Canada, Australia, the leading Coalition partners, nobody with any direct recent experience in Iraq ?

Now would someone please explain why this lot have a solution ?.. of course if things go even wronger for Dubya they will make a useful whipping boy.

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(C) Very Seriously Disorganised Criminals 2002/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 - copy anything you wish