How Will We Spend The Irony Surplus? At the same time the Bush Administration brought us a budget deficit, it brought us an inexhaustable surplus of irony. Case in point: John Negroponte. The Iran-Contra stooge is slated to become the replacement for Paul Bremer in Iraq. The New York Times credits John Negroponte with "carrying out the covert strategy of the Reagan administration to crush the Sandinista government in Nicaragua" during his tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Honduras from 1981 and 1985. He oversaw the growth of military aid to Honduras from $4 million to $77.4 million a year. In early 1984, two U.S. mercenaries, Thomas Posey and Dana Parker, contacted Negroponte, stating they wanted to supply arms to the Contra army after the U.S. Congress had banned governmental aid. Documents show that Negroponte connected the two with a contact in the Honduran military. The operation was exposed nine months later, at which point the Reagan administration denied any U.S. government involvement, despite Negroponte’s contact earlier that year. Other documents uncovered a scheme of Negroponte and then-Vice President George Bush to funnel Contra aid money through the Honduran government. Can someone explain to me how John Negroponte will aid in the proces of "winning hearts and minds" in Iraq? After all, he was part of the conspiracy to provide weapons to the Iranians during the Iran/Iraq war. Will Iraqis greet him as a liberator? Is it a coincidence that Negroponte's appointment coincides with the Honduran pullout? Block The Negroponte Nomination Real Life Story Problems From Hell, Part IV: Question #1: There are currently 135.000 U.S. Troops in Iraq and 25,000 from other countries. If 1,300 Spaniards, 300 Hondurans, 370 Costa Ricans, and 400 Thais leave Iraq, what percent of the original coalition remains in Iraq? Be sure to factor in all coalition casualties as well as the 20,000 + medical evacuations. It's no wonder the pentagon is requesting an additional 20,00 troops at an estimated cost of 70 million dollars to the taxpayer. Winning Hearts And Minds The Pentagon Way About one in every 10 members of Iraq's security forces "actually worked against" U.S. troops during the recent militia violence in Iraq, and an additional 40 per cent walked off the job because of intimidation, the commander of the 1st Armored Division said today. Iraqis Turning On U.S. Forces