After all the frenzied speculation that Paul Volcker's investigation of the UN oil-for-food scandal was going to nail Kofi Annan's hide to the wall over his son's misdoings, all we get is this?

Roger L. Simon:

"Those who will still defend Kofi will have explain why the Sec'y General lied or "misspoke" to the committee when he said he had never met Elie Massey, the head of Cotecna, before that rather ethically-challenged company got the Oil-for-Food contract. According to the interim report,(p. 45 and thereabouts) Kofi's own personal computer recorded two such meetings. The Sec'y General is evidently a forgetful man. He forgot he had lunch with his own son and Mouselli in Durban (also documented).

....BTW: The report indicates that Kojo Annan is no longer cooperating with the committee. According to my sources... and you know who they are if you have been following the posts below... this has been true since November."

We've discussed the weakness of the investigators' position before, and the non-cooperation it has received in ways that go far beyond Kojo. They would not be acceptable in any corporate fraud investigation. They are not acceptable here.

Again, Roger L. Simon:

"The report will doubtless be spun in a number of ways. But there is sufficient meat here for any enterprising investigative reporter to go much further. It will be interesting to see what our major publications do. Many of them seem to think that to write too much about this would tarnish the image of the UN, but in actuality the reverse is true. The UN is already tarnished. Only reform will save it. And reform will only come from a full airing. I can already see a few things that were left out from my small knowledge. You can be sure they will appear in the days to come."

Roger is a pretty persistent guy. Cluaudia Rosett, who has unearthed a lot of disturbing material herself, also seems rather persistent. And Roger says the London Daily Telegraph has done great work.

They'll keep covering this issue - and as they do, so will we.

For those crusaders against government corruption, bigger fish to fry.

So color me skeptical, when the outrage is so selective.

Follow the links!

Uh, actually it's "We've only just begun"... and the fact that I remember this frightens me on several levels.

you think THAT's frightening?? a couple of weekends ago I was kind of having a hungover, emotionally tender Saturday afternoon and started watching Happy Gilmore on cable, and there's a scene where Happy imagines all the nice things he can buy for his grandma if he wins all this money or something, and the soundtrack for the fantasy sequence is 'we've only just begun', and I started getting all choked up as soon as it started playing, was crying a little by the end... it's a beautiful song!

Joe:

Kofi Anan should have asked the US and UK goverment what was discussed in Durban. They probably have it on tape.
That is also the problem with the oil-for-food scandal. It was so riddled by American (also Iraqi) spies that claims that the misappropiation wasn't sanctioned by the US goverment just don't fly.

a: If you're going to blame everything on the Americans and Bush, the least you could do is spread the guilt around a little bit and throw in the Zionist Israeli's.

NahnCee, i don't blame the Americans, i just don't believe them when they do surprised. Everybody knew that the oil-for-food program was corrupt to the core. And that it was expected to be so when the program was allow by the securite council.
Saddam would not have sold the oil if the only thing he got from it was food. He exported large amounts of oil illegally through Jordan and Turkey and got paid hard cash for that. He could have increased those exports so the only reason why he would have exported legally is because it was more profitable for him. In other words kickbacks etc. were needed and with a big secret service like Iraq it was also expected that corruption would be high.

For any American contractors implicated, the U.S. should provide a trial and if found guilty, the responsible corporate officers should be extradited to Iraq for their sentence.

Patrick

Every now and then I lose it. I expect someone to agree with my demand for immediate punishment. Every one nods their heads and walks off silently thinking this guy is dangerous. Then I read PD Shaw and go I am not alone. Other people realize that some things are just wrong, too.

I have to say the above because these desires are often fed by the realization everyone thinks their *&^% does not stink. Patrick, these people think that and our society enables it. The law about doing business with Iraq before the invasion specifically refers to companies based in the USA not their overseas subsidaries. As more and more info comes out that is what you will see.

It is of great concern that this type of $%^& continues. No longer do we see the Arthur Miller(?) play where the letter comes of a son's death during wartime. A letter which acknowledges that vital components of wartime ahve been shipped flawed to the battlefront in order to maintain profits and in an attempt for family remeption a life is lost. Can this happen in our society any more? Can the sons' and daughters' of the boards of companies whose overseas subsidaries take up arms in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere?