After pushing the country into the disastrous Iraq war and then being forced out as head of the World Bank in scandal, Paul Wolfowitz has been given yet another chance to serve his country in his signature fashion as the head a high-level advisory panel on arms control and disarmament. At the same time, another made man Steven G. Bradbury has also been renominated for his position despite (or because of) his endorsement of torture
Many, of course, would wonder why someone with Wolfowitz’s record could secure a position outside of a short-order kitchen. However, as noted in this prior column notes, the Bush Administration has always operated on the basis of “made-men” — officials willing to do what needs to be done to serve, even if it is a bit criminal or unethical.
Wolfowitz will now become chairman of the International Security Advisory Board, which reports to the secretary of state. The panel is charged with supplying independent advice on arms control, disarmament, nonproliferation and related subjects. He is currently back at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington think tank which played a big role in pushing the Iraq war.
In the meantime, the Bush Administration has renominated one of the men responsible for the official torture program, Steven G. Bradbury. Bradbury is the author of some of the infamous memos justifying torture and has run the department’s Office of Legal Counsel. Despite the current scandal over the CIA torture tapes and widespread Senate opposition, Bradbury is a made man after endorsing torture — a virtual betrayal of his legal training.
For the Bradbury story, click here
For the Wolfowitz story, click here.