Of all the people that Bush could have “nominated” to become US ambassador to Iraq , John Negroponte has got to be the worst pick imaginable. John Negroponte is just one more example of the criminals that King George has brought back into positions of authority within the body governance to serve his cabal.

If Negroponte is the Bush answer to Iraqis’ demands for the removal of Paul Bremer (due to his anti-democratic policies in Iraq), it won’t take long before Iraqis will be wanting Bremer back, especially if Negroponte operates in Iraq like he did when he was ambassador to Honduras from 1981—1985.

Negroponte was one of the half-dozen people who were eyeball-deep in Iran/Contra. John Poindexter, Elliot Abrams, Otto Juan Reich, Oliver North and good old John Negroponte, criminals, one and all. And every single one of them was brought back into government “service” by George W. Bush. To me this speaks volumes about his royal majesty, birds of a feather sort of thing.

As the ambassador to Honduras during the Reagan administration, Negroponte replaced Jack Bimms. Bimms had been sending out alarms about all the political murders that were taking place by Battalion 316 led by the head of the Honduran military government, Gen. Gustavo Alverez Martinez, a “graduate” of the School of the Americas . Or, better stated, the School of the Assassins.

John Negroponte “was ambassador when the worst of the abuses were taking place. He knew everything that was going on,” and “turned a blind eye to a murderous pattern of political killings” (Who’s Who in the Bush Administration). He went about the business of covering it all up and would issue embassy reports to Washington praising Gen. Alverez. Also during Negroponte’s watch, US financial aid to Honduras increased from $3.9 million a year to $77.4 million a year.

After Iran/Contra, Negroponte was brought back into government by “papa” George who appointed him as ambassador to Mexico . True to form, Negroponte directed the US intelligence service to assist the Mexican government in its war against the Zapatistas in Chiapas .

If, when Negroponte gets to Iraq, and he operates there as he has everywhere else he has been (Vietnam, Philippines, Mexico, Honduras) – well, if you think there are problems in Iraq now, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! The man can’t spell human rights, let alone know what human rights are. Based on Negroponte’s record over the last 35 years within the government, the man spells complete disaster for Iraq and the Iraqi people.

To me, it defies the imagination how Bush, or anyone for that matter, can preach about “murderous criminals,” “terrorists,” “thugs,” and the “rule of law” when he (Bush) has surrounded himself with just that – criminals, thugs and terrorists; and then he starts condemning, in the most arbitrary and capricious manner, those who stand in opposition to him and his “policies” as criminals, and haters of freedom and democracy.

Negroponte has yet to be confirmed by the US Senate, but, due to the fact the Senate confirmed Negroponte as ambassador to the UN a while back, I do not see the Senate holding up his nomination. So, I guess it is up to all of us to try and block Negroponte’s confirmation. Phone calls, letters, emails, faxes, carrier pigeon or smoke signals – whatever, but we must bombard Washington with a continuous stream of objections to Negroponte as ambassador to Iraq . That is unless you are willing to see even more people die and a greater chance for a total all-out war throughout the entire region.

www.congress.org can be used to send letters, emails or faxes to your Senators to voice objections to the installation of John Negroponte as ambassador to Iraq by a man who thinks he is God-appointed to spread “freedom and democracy” around the world with his collection of criminals, thugs and terrorists.

How can this country profess to be free and democratic when the man occupying the White House invaded Iraq under false pretenses, disinformation and outright lies. His head thug in Iraq , Bremer, has done everything he could to sell off all of Iraq ’s assets to US multinationals and then label as terrorists and murderous thugs those who stand and fight in opposition. We must not allow this to continue. Our very founding principles are being undermined by Bush and his thugs and criminals – Federal judges being appointed by executive order over Senate filibusters, war without congressional declaration, and literal criminals in high-level decision-making government positions. Is it any wonder that when others hear people within our government pontificate about bringing freedom and democracy, they just laugh and walk away? This should not be; and only we can change it, and change it we must or be ready to blow taps for the “great American experiment.”

In the meantime, the dead in Iraq keep growing in numbers, especially the innocent women and children. The man Bush will send to Iraq to replace Bremer will do nothing but aggravate an already extremely volatile situation and a lot more will die as a result.

Jack Dalton is a 60-year-old service-connected, disabled veteran who spent two years in Vietnam (1965, 66, 67). Based in Portland , Oregon , he holds an MS in Labor and Political Economics. He can be reached at Jack_Dalton@ommp.org. For further information, please visit Jack Dalton’s website.