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Millions in CIA "ghost money" paid to Afghan president's office: New York Times

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Millions in CIA "ghost money" paid to Afghan president's office: New York Times


(Reuters) - Tens of millions of U.S. dollars in cash were delivered by the CIA in suitcases, backpacks and plastic shopping bags to the office of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai for more than a decade, according to the New York Times, citing current and former advisers to the Afghan leader.

The so-called "ghost money" was meant to buy influence for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) but instead fuelled corruption and empowered warlords, undermining Washington's exit strategy from Afghanistan, the newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying.

"The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan", one American official said, "was the United States."

Ain't America wonderful.....

Making friends, influencing people all over the world.
 
Kind of 'old news' for the cynical amongst us, but it's good to see NYT print a random true and accurate story. :lol:
 
Yup. Millions of dollars of cold hard American cash have disappeared out of thin air--and still remain unaccounted for--but to the partisans and uninformed, it's so much more fun whining about American welfare recipients!

There is no reason why both can be done efficiently and easily.

All you have to do is borrow the money or print it.

Welfare payments can go to Americans, those living in Afghanistan, the Middle East, or dozens of other countries. Why not? You aren't one of those right wing extremists who are against welfare, are you?
 
The Karzai-centric strategy pursued under both the Bush and Obama Administrations has been more akin to a disaster than a success. Karzai has been an erratic and unreliable leader. He is a big reason why Afghanistan remains at risk of conflict and substantial strife once the U.S. largely withdraws in 2014.

In that context, these money transfers are not surprising. IMO, Congress should close the kind of legal loopholes that make such money transfers possible.
 
The Karzai-centric strategy pursued under both the Bush and Obama Administrations has been more akin to a disaster than a success. Karzai has been an erratic and unreliable leader. He is a big reason why Afghanistan remains at risk of conflict and substantial strife once the U.S. largely withdraws in 2014.

In that context, these money transfers are not surprising. IMO, Congress should close the kind of legal loopholes that make such money transfers possible.

What should be of concern is the naivete that Karzai, or others like him, would remain loyal if he was paid enough money. His loyalty will always be to the strongest horse, and money isn't always the deciding factor.
 
Millions in CIA "ghost money" paid to Afghan president's office: New York Times



Ain't America wonderful.....

Making friends, influencing people all over the world.

This is one of these cases where NATO involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq looks a lot like British involvement in the princely states of India and puppet monarchies that we tended to support in places like Iran and Afghanistan in the early 20th and 19th centuries in that we encourage as week and corrupt (if no less repressive and cruel) a system of government as long as it suits our interests (the old cliche being the we corrupted the corrupt). This gave us both someone to do our dirty work for us and a degree of plausible deniability. If you look at the amount of journalists and political activists killed or imprisoned in both Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the long term political paralysis in the case of the latter which allowed foreign companies to do more or less whatever they wanted (For instance Blackwater stuck around even after being ordered out of the country).

Clearly this is also evidence that our claim to be on a civilizing mission must be taken no more seriously now than it should have been then. Clearly we have military and economic influence over these regimes but it hasn't been used to bring about the outcome that we were supposedly there to create. In both cases a look at ulterior motivations would prove more useful.
 
That the CIA even has "ghost money" is enough reason to ****can the agency and start over. It's been a rogue agency since the beginning.
 
Yup. Millions of dollars of cold hard American cash have disappeared out of thin air--and still remain unaccounted for--but to the partisans and uninformed, it's so much more fun whining about American welfare recipients!

Right, because cold hard American cash disappearing is only bad when under certain circumstances?

Prior to your post, no one defended giving this ass-clown getting millions in American greenbacks, yet you posted the, "holy-crap-look-at-the-Right-Wing-partisan-hacks", post anyway.

Hello, pot! Where is kettle??
 
The Karzai-centric strategy pursued under both the Bush and Obama Administrations has been more akin to a disaster than a success. Karzai has been an erratic and unreliable leader. He is a big reason why Afghanistan remains at risk of conflict and substantial strife once the U.S. largely withdraws in 2014.

In that context, these money transfers are not surprising. IMO, Congress should close the kind of legal loopholes that make such money transfers possible.

Yeah, the Taliban did SUCH a great job! Look how they took the millions of, "hard cold American cash", from Clinton. Awesome!!!!
 
Right, because cold hard American cash disappearing is only bad when under certain circumstances?

Prior to your post, no one defended giving this ass-clown getting millions in American greenbacks, yet you posted the, "holy-crap-look-at-the-Right-Wing-partisan-hacks", post anyway.

Hello, pot! Where is kettle??


I have posted a few threads about the lost cash in Iraq and few cared to respond. Millions of missing dollars disappear out of thin air, yet few gave a rat's ass. Yet someone here posts something about food stamps being used for potato chips, and by golly, 85 pages into it, the flaming partisans still have their panties all knotted up.
 
Yeah, the Taliban did SUCH a great job! Look how they took the millions of, "hard cold American cash", from Clinton. Awesome!!!!

Clinton paid Bin Laden to fight the Russians? You wanna go up that revolutionist road or shall I wait until you gain your senses and see the error of your understanding?
 
I have posted a few threads about the lost cash in Iraq and few cared to respond. Millions of missing dollars disappear out of thin air, yet few gave a rat's ass. Yet someone here posts something about food stamps being used for potato chips, and by golly, 85 pages into it, the flaming partisans still have their panties all knotted up.

I'm sorry that you didn't get the fox paw response you were hoping for, but it doesn't excuse your hackery in this thread.
 
After over a decade, it amazes me that two administrations were unable to see what the average Joe on the street knew within the first year of the war... that Karzai was a corrupt, unqualified narcissist with zero leadership/administrative skills and an insatiable appetite for both power and money. What a massive cluster**** Afghanistan has been, initially implemented in haste without a clear goal or exit strategy, which has left the country in more disarray, with more power in Taliban hands now than when we first arrived.

America may have the most powerful military on the planet, but that doesn't do much when it is controlled by a pack of fools with an agenda, and that is exactly what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq.
 
The Karzai-centric strategy pursued under both the Bush and Obama Administrations has been more akin to a disaster than a success. Karzai has been an erratic and unreliable leader. He is a big reason why Afghanistan remains at risk of conflict and substantial strife once the U.S. largely withdraws in 2014.

In that context, these money transfers are not surprising. IMO, Congress should close the kind of legal loopholes that make such money transfers possible.

All the 14 tribe Northern Alliance wanted after driving the Taliban out of Afghanistan was to return to their tribal ways of governing which has suited them for over a thousand years. What the U.S. did was force Democracy on them and set up Karzai and his tribe to rule of the other tribes. All this did, nation building was turn 10 or 11 of the tribes that was once pro American and our allies into enemies.
 
Clinton paid Bin Laden to fight the Russians? You wanna go up that revolutionist road or shall I wait until you gain your senses and see the error of your understanding?

No, but he did pay them hundreds of millions to erradicate the poppy crops.

Awwww! Even Michael Moore knew about Clinton giving $245 million in, "hard-cold-Amercan-cash", to the Tallies!

2000-2001 US gives Taliban 245 million in aid.


Michael Moore: The Anti-Gun Media Whore | Planet Infowars
 
After over a decade, it amazes me that two administrations were unable to see what the average Joe on the street knew within the first year of the war... that Karzai was a corrupt, unqualified narcissist with zero leadership/administrative skills and an insatiable appetite for both power and money. What a massive cluster**** Afghanistan has been, initially implemented in haste without a clear goal or exit strategy, which has left the country in more disarray, with more power in Taliban hands now than when we first arrived.

America may have the most powerful military on the planet, but that doesn't do much when it is controlled by a pack of fools with an agenda, and that is exactly what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The one hope for a good Afghanistan leader lay in Ahmed Shah massoud, but he was tajik when tradition dictates that only pashtuns could rule Afghanistan. afghanistans's best hope died with him when he was assassinated.

Ahmad Shah Massoud - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

i am not one to believe in conspiracy theorys but the fact that he was killed two days before 9/11 makes me wonder if al qeada was involved.
 
After over a decade, it amazes me that two administrations were unable to see what the average Joe on the street knew within the first year of the war... that Karzai was a corrupt, unqualified narcissist with zero leadership/administrative skills and an insatiable appetite for both power and money. What a massive cluster**** Afghanistan has been, initially implemented in haste without a clear goal or exit strategy, which has left the country in more disarray, with more power in Taliban hands now than when we first arrived.

America may have the most powerful military on the planet, but that doesn't do much when it is controlled by a pack of fools with an agenda, and that is exactly what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq.


Amen, DiAnna. Amazing how few have learned from past mistakes. One of the most powerful docs I have ever watched was The Fog of War, featuring Robert McNamara reflecting the lessons learned from Vietnam. He came up with a list of eleven which many Administrations have broken--especially Bush 43. Sadly, I am sure the same mistakes will be made again.
 
No, but he did pay them hundreds of millions to erradicate the poppy crops.

Awwww! Even Michael Moore knew about Clinton giving $245 million in, "hard-cold-Amercan-cash", to the Tallies!

How much did Reagan gave them?

PS. Who was President in 2000-2001?
 
How much did Reagan gave them?

PS. Who was President in 2000-2001?

In 2000? Um, it was Clinton.

Try and learn something about how our system works, before you start bitching about it...TYVM!!!!
 
In 2000? Um, it was Clinton.

Try and learn something about how our system works, before you start bitching about it...TYVM!!!!

2000-2001, I wrote. Again you seem big on revolutionism.
 
2000-2001, I wrote. Again you seem big on revolutionism.

And, prior to January of 2001, Clinton was president. There isn't a real learning curve, here. A simple GTS can ejumatecate you on how our political system works.
 
it's so much more fun whining about American welfare recipients!

how bout the 90,000 recipients of $50,000 each, successful claimants against usda, which they accused of discriminating against them in denying them loans

except, "the template for the deal," according to the nyt, "proved a magnet for fraud"

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/u...s&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&pagewanted=all&_r=0

"its very design encouraged people to lie"

"the bar for a successful claim was so low it was almost impossible to show fraud"

how bout the "nearly every resident in two adjoining apartment buildings" in columbus ohio, all of whom got the 50k

how bout the 16 zip codes in arkansas, alabama, mississippi and north carolina where "the number of successful claimants exceeded the total number of farms operated by people of any race"

the family in little rock---10 members, $500,000 net

in pine bluff arkansas, a police officer ADMITTED to fraud---he was not prosecuted because "singling out one individual raised questions of selective prosecution"

"the defendant could go to the jury and say, 'everybody else did this, why am i here,'" wrote us attorney paula casey

usda was directed to make 16,000 phone calls to keep the claims coming, essentially "recruiting claims against itself"

you think the gray lady is whining?

you've lost your bearings

you seem big on revolutionism

you mean revisionism
 
how many of you actually read this article before commenting?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/w...-to-afghan-leaders-office.html?pagewanted=all

if so, you'd have witnessed the plastic shopping bags, stuffed with hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars of graft

who got more, karzai or the claimants against barack obama's usda?

either way, it's THE MIDDLE CLASS stuck with the grocery tab

the bribes only "fueled corruption and empowered the warlords"

all while "undermining washington's exit strategy"

karzai plays both ends, leverages ours vs iranian payola and vice versa---except the iranians are more "transparent"

we're not quite getting what we pay for---how many green vs blue assassinations have seen our soldiers murdered by our "allies" over there

in many cases, the money goes directly to the taliban

"govt in the grips of what are basically organized crime syndicates"

"the cash does not appear to be subject to the oversight and restrictions placed on official american aid to the country or even the cia’s formal assistance program"

abdul rashid dostum, warlord, drug dealer and militia leader---$80,000 per month

"i asked for a year up front in cash so i could build my dream house"

we spend billions in foreign aid, we staff offices of professionals who work diplomatic channels trying to clean up corruption...

we're at cross purposes, laments the lady

karzai's administrative chief of his national security council, mr mohammed zia salehi---arrested in 2010 after an fbi investigation into cash smuggling

"karzai had him released within hours, and the cia then helped persuade the obama administration to back off its anti corruption push, american officials said"

salehi jokes---i'm an enemy of the fbi and hero of the cia

the lady---she may be slut and a bitch and a lush and a slob... but she still tells a heck of a story
 
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