Dung & Pony Show

KAB Dung Award (and there's plenty of dung to make awards) goes to all those who believe the story on Flynt Leverett means anything. Flynt, is yet another "former" government official, diplomat, CIA analyst, scholar, etc. etc. and a senior fellow at Saban Center for Middle East Policy.

Saban Center, a "research organization established at the Brookings Institution in 2002 through the donation of nearly $13 million by the Israeli media-mogul Haim Saban. Its current director is the veteran pro-Israel lobbyist Martin Indyk, who had earlier founded the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, an AIPAC spinoff, to counter the Brookings Institution which was seen as not pro-Israel enough."

Huh? Flynt is a fellow at Brookings/Saban and hence paid to research and offer "original and innovative programs" to promote understanding in the Middle East. Saban is currently run by a veteran lobbying pro, and founded by a media (propaganda) mogul. Surprise, surprise Gomer. It's the other asscheek.

Saban was protested a week or so ago because of Avigdor Lieberman attending the forum. He's the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, and considered by some to be an anti-Arab racist. Ever trustworthy Hank Kissinger was to chair Lieberman's forum session as "Lieberman far outstrips Kissinger in the force of his rhetoric with his calls to drown Palestinian prisoners in the Dead Sea ... and his declaration that 90 percent of Arabs have no place in Israel but should "take their packages and go to hell."

Gotta respect folks who rub elbows with peace practitioner Kissinger and Brookings "liberals", right?

Institutes and Centers - where retiring assholes go after "distinguished" careers in service to the government. It's where they write articles and books on their subject of expertise and pretend familiarity in all things regarding the region of the world they write about, after a lifetime spent behind a desk developing hemorrhoids and flat butts, "studying" the writings of other assholes who came before them. It's a long line of desk jockeys with bad eyesight, no foresight, and paid too well for genuine hindsight; blinded by rhetoric, bloated salaries; gamers getting to the next play level. Supporting actors, extras in the political game, thousands of 'em.

But, I'm getting off subject. Leverett supposedly had a story that the "White House has now forced the CIA to heavily censor a 1000 word op-ed draft planned for the New York Times that is based on a much larger product he produced under the sponsorship of the Century Foundation titled "Dealing with Tehran: Assessing US Diplomatic Options Toward Iran."

"Leverett believes that the White House is now politicizing the "secrets review" process and is rewarding those who support Bush's policies and punishing those who don't."

LOL. Where's the outrage America? This man is being heavily censored, the trusty old NYT (tongue/cheek) is being forced to censor him. Good god people, there might be an original solution for the Middle East in those 1000 pointless words; produced for and by yet another "foundation" that will change not the status quo – just the other team bending us over for status quo-ing.