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The Galloway Papers (WOW)
Slate.com ^ | July 23, 2007 | Christopher Hitchens

Posted on 07/23/2007 11:46:41 PM PDT by Angel

...Galloway's front organization, a "charity" known as the Mariam Appeal that campaigned against the sanctions on Iraq, had in fact received direct Iraqi subventions from the proceeds of the U.N.-sponsored "Oil for Food" program. Bank records established that Galloway's former wife had been paid at least $150,000 in this way. A completely separate U.N. inquiry chaired by former Treasury Secretary Paul Volcker identified another "Oil for Food" payment to the same lady, this time in the sum of $120,000.

Snip...This raises two quite serious questions. The first is the extent to which the Iraqi Baath Party was able to purchase direct influence among Western politicians: George Galloway has been a hysterically extremist political thug for a long time, but others more supposedly "respectable," including some important Russian and French politicians and diplomats, may have been sweetened and suborned in the same way. The second has to do with a purely moral issue. The "Oil for Food" program was the means by which the most vulnerable people in Iraq—the children, the sick, and the aged—were supposed to be protected from the effect of sanctions aimed at the regime. To have profited from its abuse or its diversion is therefore somewhat worse than to have accepted a straight-out bribe or inducement from Saddam Hussein. It is to have stolen directly from the neediest and the weakest, in order to finance a propaganda campaign that in turn blamed the West for the avoidable sufferings of Iraqis between 1991 and 2003.

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: galloway; iraq; oilforfood
Wow, it's worst than I thought. It's worth reading.
1 posted on 07/23/2007 11:46:44 PM PDT by Angel
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To: Angel

Grapple in the big apple is having Galloway slowly being turned into apple sauce...


2 posted on 07/23/2007 11:54:23 PM PDT by Blind Eye Jones
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To: Angel
18 days is pathetic.
3 posted on 07/23/2007 11:58:15 PM PDT by DB
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To: piasa; Fedora; backhoe

ping.


4 posted on 07/24/2007 12:03:26 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: DB

They should bring back the cat-o-nine tails just for this, and use them for those 18 days.


5 posted on 07/24/2007 12:06:59 AM PDT by Wombat101 (Islam: Turning everything it touches to Shi'ite since 632 AD...)
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This really is nothing new.

Those of us paying attention, knew at least three years ago that Galloway has received at least (the equivalent) of a million dollars in bribes from people like Saddam and Arafat etc.

In the old days he would have been ‘residing’ in the Tower of London, if not swinging from the arch at the front gate, or ensconced upon a pike atop its merlons.


6 posted on 07/24/2007 12:15:57 AM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: Angel

Me, it’s just about as bad as I thought.


7 posted on 07/24/2007 12:22:17 AM PDT by Dr. Frank fan
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To: Angel
I do not think that an 18-day suspension from the House of Commons is anything like enough punishment for what Galloway has done, first on behalf of a sadistic and genocidal megalomaniac and second to steal food and medicine from the mouths of desperate Iraqis.

Oh, come on Chris, lighten up. Don't you know people like Galloway belong to the same Good Old Boys Club that people like Sandy Berger do?

They are allowing you this much information just to let us little people know that we can't touch them. They spit in our faces.

"Oh. I'm corrupt? My wife took $270,000 in bribes? And what? Some innocent Iraqis died slow due to our involvement? So? What are you going to do about it? Hmmm?"

8 posted on 07/24/2007 12:47:02 AM PDT by FlyVet
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To: Angel
MacShane's intervention was important,

Oooooh, important. Did you get that?

not least because the House of Commons requires its members to declare all sources of outside income. An inquiry was set up, by the Committee on Standards and Privileges, to investigate.

Ooooooh, did you get that? They investigated. Now I'm really impressed. I'm scared.

It has now produced its report, along with a recommendation that Mr. Galloway apologize to the House and be suspended from Parliament for 18 days.

How horrible! This is worse than Braveheart at the Tower, worse than being drawn, gutted, guts on the open coals, and quartered! He has to say he's sorry, and take an 18 day vacation with pay. How can he stand this?!!!.

Stop! Stop, I say! Mr. Galloway has suffered enough! And leave his wife alone! Stop it!

9 posted on 07/24/2007 1:03:57 AM PDT by FlyVet
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To: FlyVet

The 18 days suspension is just a Parliamentary sanction. Galloway is subject to criminal prosecution - let’s hope sooner rather than later.


10 posted on 07/24/2007 3:04:15 AM PDT by agere_contra
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To: Angel


Maybe Georgie should take the Lord Haw Haw approach in responding to House charges.
11 posted on 07/24/2007 3:19:13 AM PDT by Thrownatbirth (.....when the sidewalks are safe for the little guy.)
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To: Cindy; Angel; All

Well, it’s nice that the Jackal Pack Press ( hattip; Dr. Tom Sowell ) have deigned to notice this poppinjay’s corruption- we have been on his case all along:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/898108/posts
MP George Galloway- voice cries “peace,” hand in Saddam’s till...
various FR links | 04-22-03 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

Note the starting date...


12 posted on 07/24/2007 3:27:36 AM PDT by backhoe (-30-)
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To: Angel

Christopher Hitchens, as ususal, nails another evil thug.


13 posted on 07/24/2007 3:36:47 AM PDT by FormerACLUmember (The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its victims.)
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To: backhoe

Yes...and THANK YOU backhoe.


14 posted on 07/24/2007 3:40:37 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: Cindy

15 posted on 07/24/2007 3:59:00 AM PDT by backhoe (-30-)
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To: backhoe

I recall the left wing thug cheering section at Lew Rockwell condemning the US for killing 300,000 children with its oil for food program.

Has Lew ever apologized for leading the parade of lying leftists at his site?


16 posted on 07/24/2007 5:22:42 AM PDT by sergeantdave
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To: sergeantdave
Has Lew ever apologized for leading the parade of lying leftists at his site?

I don't follow that site, but on general principles, I would kind of doubt it.

17 posted on 07/24/2007 5:34:42 AM PDT by backhoe (-30-)
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To: Angel

Galloway’s carbon footprint has exceeded even Saddam’s largesse. Would that he would sink beneath our wisdom like a stone.


18 posted on 07/24/2007 6:55:24 AM PDT by sono (Where there is a choice only between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence - M Gandhi)
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To: Angel

bump


19 posted on 07/24/2007 6:56:27 AM PDT by Tribune7 (Live Earth: Pretend to Care)
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To: Cindy

Thanks for the ping! The Galloway and Tongsen Park cases both continue to creep forward in interesting directions, albeit at a snail’s pace.


20 posted on 07/24/2007 10:53:26 AM PDT by Fedora
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