War, Weapons, and Wealth: W's Warhawks

by Marie Simpson, Frieda Gardner, Lynne Gildensoph, and Lisa Ann Pierce, WAMM

On January 20, 2001, many peace and justice activists around the world released a collective cry of despair as the latest United States president took office. The new leader seems to bode evil for the future of peaceful resolutions between peoples around the Earth, justice for exploited Earth citizens, and the very Earth herself. There is no reassurance in the "compassionate conservative" rhetoric. Although our new president gleefully supports a practice of state sponsored killing, the Texas media have stated that "W" likes to avoid conflict and delegate the "hard stuff." It is little wonder that his choices of those to whom he will delegate some of those difficult issues strikes terror in the hearts of the truly compassionate. With the most deadly military on Earth, the individuals making the hard decisions regarding the care and feeding of that giant death machine may hold the keys to our future or our destruction. Three of those individuals are Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, and Richard Cheney.

Colin Powell, Secretary of State

If Colin Powell had ever hired an illegal alien to mow his lawn, it is unlikely we would have heard about it. Mainstream media portray him not only as a great military hero, but as a wise counselor of politicians, hence the perfect candidate for Secretary of State rather than mere Defense. And, like so many in the Bush cabinet, Powell has a great "story." According to the Los Angeles Times' Robin Wright, Powell is "a virtual icon, a black with self-effacing charm who defied the odds of poverty and discrimination to become a four-star Army general . . . For many, he personifies the American dream."

Dig a little deeper, however, and Powell shows up in some of our national nightmares. First, as executive officer to the American Division in Vietnam, Powell participated in the cover up of the My Lai massacre of 300 Vietnamese civilians. Second, as part of the Reagan national security team, he at least implicitly supported the human rights violations of our military allies in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Third, he knew about the sale of 86 missiles to the Iranians in order to finance opposition to the Nicaraguan Sandinista government and then gave misleading testimony about his knowledge. Fourth, as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he violated the Geneva Conventions when failing to minimize harm to the civilian population of Panama in Operation Just Cause. (At least 300 civilians were killed in our invasion.) Fifth, he has had almost nothing to say about Gulf War Syndrome, that complex of illnesses experienced by thousands of soldiers who returned from Operation Desert Storm--the war that made Powell famous.

Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense

Donald Rumsfeld, President Bush's choice for Secretary of Defense, was Secretary of Defense for fourteen months under President Gerald Ford. Prior to that he served as President Nixon's Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and as an ambassador to NATO. Before that he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1963-1969).

Since that time, Rumsfeld has become a multimillionaire with his work in the private sector. He was CEO and then President of the pharmaceutical corporation G.D. Searle. He also ran the General Instrument Corporation, and sat on the boards of various corporations, including the RAND corporation--a military think-tank.

During his first term as Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld pushed very hard for increased military spending, and was able to block the SALT II arms control treaty in 1976. His views on the need for increased strength of the military, and his desire to stop any discussion with nations he sees as "rogue" seem to have changed little over the years between his public service positions. He is known as a hawk with a conservative political agenda, is an advocate for increased military spending for both personnel and equipment (futuristic weapons included), and supports the creation of a National Missile Defense system--at a potential price tag of $100 billion over the next twenty years. In addition, he advocates taking a hard line against potential "enemies" such as North Korea, China, and Iran, and has disparaged the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972.

Richard Cheney, Vice President

Historically, the Vice President has not been regarded as powerful in American politics, but that is shifting. With our divided Senate, the man who selected himself as George W. Bush's running mate is poised to become the most powerful Vice President in modern history. Richard Cheney, served in Congress from 1978 to 1989 as a Representative from Wyoming. In 1989 he was appointed Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush. As such, Cheney presided over the Persian Gulf War. Prior to his Vice Presidential nomination, Cheney had been serving as the CEO of Halliburton Company--an engineering company that works closely with oil corporations. In 1999, he was compensated $26.4 million by Halliburton.

Cheney is a one-time protgege of Donald Rumsfeld and shares his conservative, hawkish views on the military. He believes the U.S. is best protected with a strong military. He was a big supporter of the "Star Wars" missile defense system (SDI) during the Reagan years, and there is no reason to believe he would not support both President Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld in pushing for funding for a new version of a missile defense shield. He is in favor of increased military spending, although he advocates "wise" spending, and actually cut military spending during his tenure as Secretary of Defense--a move he now seems to regret. Currently, Cheney would like to see swift retaliation for the attack on the USS Cole.

In addition to his views on the military, Cheney is a full-fledged conservative on other issues. While in the House of Representatives, Cheney consistently voted against women's reproductive rights and for prayer in schools. He voted against gun control, environmental protection, and Head Start programs, the Equal Rights Amendment, and the collection of hate crime data.
In addition, lingering doubts remain about Cheney's role in securing military contracts for Brown and Root Services, a civilian firm with links to Halliburton Company.

In an article for the Arms Trade Resource Center, William Hartung reports that Cheney "engineered Halliburton's purchase of the construction giant Brown and Root, which is involved in everything from providing security at U.S. embassies to building military bases for the United States and its closest allies." Cheney's connections enabled him to increase Halliburton's military contracts to more than $650 million per year.

But Cheney's links to defense contractors do not end with Texas-based Brown and Root. His wife, Lynne Cheney, is a member of the Board of Directors of Lockheed Martin. (Lockheed Martin is the world's single largest defense corporation and a major mover and shaker behind the expansion of NATO). She is reportedly compensated $120,000 a year for her attendance of quarterly board meetings. Lynne Cheney is also a CNN television commentator and a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. She is a director of FPL Group, Inc. (the parent company of Florida Power & Light Co.), AmEx/IDS (the mutual fund division of American Express), Readers Digest, and a former director of Union Pacific Resources Group. Some speculate she will resign her corporate posts to avoid potential conflicts of interest, but, unlike her husband, she is not required by law to do so.

The Pleasure of the President

Powell, Rumsfeld, and Cheney have been key architects of the modern American empire. War and weapons have propelled these men into enormous wealth, and their wealth has kept them at the pinnacle of power in this nation. One wonders, do they serve at the pleasure of the president, or is it the other way around?