TURKEY’S CON GAME: US OFFICIALS ON THE TAKE, FBI PROVIDES COVER
By John Stanton – Online Journal Contributing Writer

Online Journal, FL
April 6 2007

"Turkey is not as politically stable or as secular domestically
as they would have you believe," said one long time observer of
US-Turkish relations in Washington, DC. "The Turks do not have a
large community across the United States like, say, the Armenians
and the Greeks who have been here a long time. Because of this you
see a very large Turkish presence inside Washington, DC."

Lacking a legitimate national grassroots organization, Turkey has
built a notable presence inside the corridors of power in Washington,
by spreading cash around and buying direct access to key US decision
makers in and out of the US government. It all seems legitimate
enough: campaign donations and junkets for members & staff of the
US Congress (FMOCs); consulting fees to former FMOCs, US military
generals, US State Department employees; and promises of billions
of dollars in contracts to US corporate representatives operating
in Washington. With so much money chasing politicians, consultants
and contractors of all stripes, there’s bound to be some corrupt and
even criminal activity. No seasoned observer of politics anywhere is
completely surprised at the occasional and well-timed conviction of
a white collar criminal.

But Sibel Edmonds’ seems to have stumbled into the really big white
collar crime ring that ties an old George Bush I family friend,
Brent Scowcroft — and his American Turkish Council–in with former
US Ambassador to Turkey Marc Grossman; members of the Turkish Caucus
in the US Congress; Douglas Feith, (once had his security clearance
revoked and was rumored to be watched by the FBI) who once greased arms
sales to Turkey back in the 1990s, is a famed Zionist, formerly of the
Pentagon and now at Georgetown University in Washington, DC; the Bob
Livingston Group (Livingston a FMOC), who has gotten very wealthy via
Turkish business; and Joe Ralston the former USAF general whose bank
account has blossomed after joining Lockheed Martin and being put on
the Turkish payroll as a counter-Kurdish insurgency expert. Finally,
former Speaker of the US House Dennis Hastert seems a natural part of
the ring, whose claim to fame may become that he kept debate on the
Armenian Genocide Resolution off the House floor during his tenure
and was the subject of a Vanity Fair piece.

Many of us have written on Ms Edmonds’ case and after so many
years find it infuriating that the FBI continues to shut her up
behind a State Secret Privilege holding. Taking recent events at the
Department of Justice as guides, it is probably safe to say that Ms
Edmonds’ is being silenced because of some sort of State Embarrassment
Privilege. The Department of Justice, of which the FBI is a subsidiary,
is seeing its credibility quotient crushed under the weight of Attorney
General Albert Gonzales’ arrogance and the adolescent antics of his
staff. Meanwhile at the FBI, Director Mueller is under fire for the
antics of his staff and its abuse of USAPATRIOT Act provisions to
catch common criminals, not "terrorists."

A few thoughts come to mind here. First, the FBI apparently was
illegally monitoring subjects associated, somehow, with the Edmonds’
matter and, perhaps, saving a savory scandal for the right time. J
Edgar Hoover, former FBI director, was skilled at that sort of
subterfuge. If the illegal monitoring allegation is true, that’s
another damaging blow to the Justice Department and the US justice
system.

Second, Ms Edmonds must have stumbled upon the payola racket that
Turkey had been running and there were so many big US names involved
in so many high places that to air that laundry would damage US
credibility not so much abroad, as right here in the USA. Imagine on
one news day FMOCs, active members of the US Congress, US military
personnel, US State Department people, US Justice Department folks
all get nailed for being in on the Turkish gig or at least knowing
about it. And what could be worse than the FBI, DEA and CIA knowing
about it? Foreign intelligence agencies, of course.

Third, if it is true that Turkey is not as secular or as politically
stable as its proponents in Washington and Ankara say, then the whole
Turkey-as-US strategic partner and would-be European Union partner
would be one of the better smoke and mirrors acts sold to the US
public, and the world, in recent memory.

The reality is that Turkey remains a distant and unknown entity for
most Americans, although if Ms Edmonds were allowed to speak freely
it may become a well-known country. It’s a product that is difficult
to sell to citizens here in the USA as a strategic necessity, as a
wonderful vacationland, or as a dynamic society full of business
opportunity. The harsher side to the story is that Turkey has
threatened to invade Northern Iraq/Kurdistan should it declare its
independence, or if an upcoming referendum on oil-rich Kirkuk goes the
Kurds’ way; the Turks brutally repress their Kurdish population; free
speech and tolerance of government critiques are in short supply; and,
in reality, the Turkish military holds the keys to power in Ankara.

Lastly, according to the observer of US-Turkish relations, "It seems
to me that the government in Ankara, Turkey, is always working on
propaganda, on slogans. Trying too hard. If you visit Turkey, you’ll
notice everywhere you go that there is a picture of Turkey’s founder
Attaturk. It reminds me sort of like Soviet times where you’d see a
picture of Lenin everywhere. The Turks spend too much time worrying
about petty resolutions like those recognizing the Armenian Genocide."

John Stanton is a Virginia based writer specializing in political
and national security matters. Reach him at cioran123@yahoo.com.

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