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Politics : Proof that John Kerry is Unfit for Command -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ann Corrigan who wrote (20299)	10/19/2004 8:23:49 PM
From: American Spirit	Respond to of 27181

LIAR. Kerry has a clear plan to up the Army and Special Ops by 50,000 troops. That should be enough so long as we get more cooperation from allies, which Kerry can do, but Bush cannot. That's why Bush will need a draft. But hopefully Bush wont have to worry about it. He can go back to Crawford and collect his fat payback checks from Halliburton and Carlyle Group.

To: Ann Corrigan who wrote (20299)	10/19/2004 8:41:06 PM
From: lorne	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 27181

CRIMINAL PROBE EYES KOFI'S SON By NILES LATHEM nypost.com October 18, 2004 -- WASHINGTON — The son of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been targeted by a federal criminal probe into corruption of the scandal-scarred Iraq oil-for-food program, sources said. Top U.N. officials said 30-year-old Kojo Annan is among a handful of individuals and companies whose business dealings with the gigantic U.N. humanitarian aid program are now facing the white-hot scrutiny of a federal grand jury in Manhattan. It was not clear exactly why Kojo Annan is being eyed in the probe, which involves an $11 billion scheme involving alleged kickbacks and illegal oil smuggling orchestrated by deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. But the sources told The Post that Annan's business activities also are being probed by an independent commission headed by former Federal Reserve Board chief Paul Volcker. That panel was set up by the elder Annan to look into allegations of widespread financial abuse by U.N. officials and contractors of the $64 billion oil-for-food program. The Justice Department has refused to comment on the investigation. A spokesman for the U.N. said he is not aware of any imminent indictment of Kojo Annan. Still, U.N. critics say the news that the son of the secretary-general is now being investigated has created a political crisis inside the world body's headquarters. "This could be another devastating blow to Kofi Annan's personal credibility, and already, I believe, the oil-for-food scandal is big enough to bring Kofi Annan down," said U.N. critic Nile Gardiner, a former aide of British ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Kojo Annan's name surfaced in connection with the oil-for-food scandal earlier this year with revelations that he was a consultant for Swiss-based Cotecna S.A. The company won a contract from the U.N. worth around $4.8 million in 1998 to inspect shipments of humanitarian aid going into Iraq. Annan's father and the company have said that Kojo Annan was managing Cotecna's operations in Nigeria at the time and had no connection to the Iraq operation. They have also said Annan quit before the company began to fulfill its contract. But it was later revealed that Annan remained on Cotecna's payroll for at least another year as part of a "non-compete" agreement. Annan also was a director of Air Harbors Technology, a construction company headed by Hani Yamani, the son of Saudi Arabia's former oil minister. According to investigations carried out by Iraq's new government, a subsidiary of Air Harbors Technology named Hazy Investments had a $60 million oil deal with Iraq in 2001. Kojo Annan's London-based lawyers have denied that he was involved in the deal and have said he ended his association with the company two months before the Iraq oil deal with Air Harbors Technology was negotiated. The younger Annan, a Ghana native who now lives in Nigeria, could not be reached for comment. A U.N. spokesman refused further comment on the issue.

To: Ann Corrigan who wrote (20299)	10/19/2004 8:48:07 PM
From: Wayners	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

There will be no need for a draft. In Jan. Iraq will have elections and when the Shiites, win they will be HIGHLY motivated to provide the security necessary to maintain their newly found power. January will be the high water mark for violence. After that its all down hill.