here are some of the snippets that i had collected re eric edelman that i was going to try to wave into the story, as appropriate.
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here is his bio:
Ambassador Eric S. Edelman is the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. His last assignment was as Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey from July 2003 to June 2005. From February 2001 to June 2003, he was Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs. Prior to being assigned to the Office of the Vice President, he was Ambassador to the Republic of Finland, 1998-2001. From June 1996 to July 1998, he served as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State. Mr. Edelman was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, Prague, Czech Republic, from June 1994 to June 1996.he went from the OVP to Turkey (after the invasion) and then back to the heart of the OVP. an odd career trajectory (as fond as i am of istanbul)
From April 1993 to July 1993, he served as Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State on the New Independent States. Mr. Edelman’s areas of responsibility were defense, security and space issues.
Mr. Edelman served as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Soviet and East European Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) from April 1990 to April 1993.
From April 1989 to March 1990, he was Special Assistant (European Affairs) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Mr. Edelman served at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow 1987-89, where he was head of the external political section. He had responsibility for Soviet policies in the third world in the Office of Soviet Affairs at the Department of State from 1984 to 1986.
Previously, Mr. Edelman served as Special Assistant to Secretary of State George P. Shultz, 1982-84; a staff officer on the Secretariat Staff, 1982; a watch officer in the State Department Operations Center 1981-82; and a member of the U.S. Middle East Delegation to the West Bank/Gaza Autonomy Talks Delegations, 1980-81.
A career Foreign Service Officer, Mr. Edelman entered the Senior Foreign Service in 1992. He is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense’s award for Distinguished Civilian Service (1993) and the State Department’s Superior Honor Award (1990 and 1996).
Mr. Edelman received a B.A. in History and Government from Cornell University in 1972, and a Ph.D. in U.S. Diplomatic History from Yale University in 1981.
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Edelman is involved in traitorgate:
June 19: After New Republic reports that Cheney's office had sent Wilson to Niger, Libby and his then-principal deputy, Eric Edelman, discuss whether to leak the details of the trip to the press to rebut the article. Libby tells Edelman "there would be complications at the CIA" from disclosing the information. (link)-----------------------
This I found in a rant by Stanton:
Fascists don’t see a distinction between legitimate and semi-legitimate organizations. Front companies, informants, pundits, mafia’s, consultants, retired generals, drug dealers and junkies, arms traders, spies, assassins, associations, politicians, lobbyists, judges are all just tools to advance the national and foreign interests.
It’s this kind of madness that Sibel Edmonds and those like her are fighting against. They are trying smash the mirrors and blow away the smoke that clouds the minds of so many who refuse to acknowledge that the US is rapidly becoming a reflection of Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Italy.
[snip]
Would it be a surprise that The Policy Organization (Edelman), the Attorney General and assorted US government operatives tracking these activities would turn a blind eye to Turkey and Israel’s trade in these types of goods? No. Why? Again, if Turkey and Israel are so “damn” critical to the USA’s interests, then they can operate around the globe with impunity, protected by names like Rumsfeld, Cheney, Hastert, Scowcroft, Edelman, Bush and, once upon a time, Doug Feith.
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here's a glimpse of how Turkey felt about Edelman's tenure there (before he got promoted back into Cheney's Heart of Darkness):
Writing in Yeni Safak ,Columnist Ibrahim Karagul commented on 17 March ,“Considering the range of his activities, his statements which violate the decorum of democracy, and his interest in Turkey’s internal affairs, Eric Edelman acts more like a colonial governor than an ambassador. Since his appointment as US ambassador to Turkey, Edelman’s actions have always caused discomfort among the public. His latest ‘suggestions’ on Sezer’s upcoming visit to Syria had the same impact.i'm most interested in this sentence: "His ‘interest’ in nongovernmental organizations" - i've been meaning to track down the journo and ask what s/he meant. Sibel talks about semi-legit organisations that are used as cover for the shenanigans - i suspect that the journo is pointing to something similar here - particularly given the quote 'interest'.
“Edelman is probably the least-liked and trusted American ambassador in Turkish history, and his reputation is not likely to recuperate. Edelman’s actions have exceeded his diplomatic mission. His ‘interest’ in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the Turkish media and ethnic minorities make him go beyond his role as an ambassador. His presence here has never contributed to Turkish-American relations, and it never will. If we want to address the reasons for anti-Americanism, Edelman must be issue one. As long as Edelman stays in Turkey, the chill wind disturbing bilateral relations will last.” ( Incidentally Edelman has resigned but cited personal reasons )
Chiding the pro-US writers in the Turkish media , Karagul said , “ Don’t our government and people have the ability to decide which countries we should visit? Is our foreign policy decided by Edelman and his chorus among the Turkish media? -- Do we have to act in accordance with the common interests of Israel and the US? Is Turkey not an independent nation? “ . He concluded ,” The ultimate plan is to corner and control Turkey in order to use it as a hit man . The Vietnamese were terrorists, according to the US. Latin America, China, Libya and the USSR were also terrorists. And now Iran and Syria. But if they abandon their policies based on opposing the US, they will no longer be called terrorists. Instead, they will be lauded as models of democracy for the Middle East.” If Turkey follows an independent policy , “ who can guarantee that those who serve Turkey’s interests won’t be declared terrorists? --Isn’t more than half of the world already a threat for the US?”
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Edelman is a true-believer in terms of invading syria.
Next month Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will conduct his visit to Damascus, as planned. This visit was the basis for a further deterioration of U.S.-Turkish relations, following a comment by U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman which was interpreted as criticism of Sezer's visit. [2] The comment aroused harsh reactions in the Turkish media, with widespread calls for his removal from Turkey. The subsequent resignation of Ambassador Edelman was reported by the Turkish media with a sense of victory. (link)-------------------
Edelman was going to retire but got plucked back into the cabal by Rumsfeld. He couldn't wait to start beating up on China about Taiwan. (remember when John Bolton was secretly working with Taiwan?)
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Edelman's successor looks like someone from the same mold:
A new US ambassador to Turkey may be on his way to Ankara soon. A statement issued by the White House late last week said that US President george W. Bush intends to nominate Ross Wilson to be ambassador to Turkey. Wilson would follow in Eric Edelman's footsteps, Edelman stepped down in June this year. "The president intends to nominate Ross Wilson, of Maryland, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Turkey," a personnel announcement from the White House said on Thursday.
Wilson must first be nominated by Bush, then receive confirmation from the Senate before taking up office. It is expected that the necessary confirmation will take place in the next couple of weeks and that Wilson will arrive in Ankara before the end of the year.
Wilson, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, most recently served as executive assistant and chief of staff to the deputy secretary of state. Prior to this, he served as chief US negotiator for the Free Trade Area of the Americas at the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
Wilson has also served as principal deputy to the ambassador at large and special advisor to the secretary of state for the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.
A former ambassador to Azerbaijan, Wilson is an expert on the Azerbaijan-Armenian dispute and energy issues. (link)
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