certain foreign relations....

from the sibel / deliso interview aug 05:

"SE: ...But we decided never to go after the middle levels, let alone the top levels…

It's like this with the so-called war on terror. We go for the Attas and Hamdis – but never touch the guys on the top.

CD: You think they [the government] know who they are, the top guys, and where?

SE: Oh yeah, they know.

CD: So why don't they get them?

SE: It's like I told you before – this would upset "certain foreign relations." But it would also expose certain of our elected officials, who have significant connections with high-level drugs- and weapons-smuggling – and thus with the criminal underground, even with the terrorists themselves."

"this would upset certain foreign relations."
this phrase comes up a lot. do we think that sibel is mocking/parroting the USG's excuse/line? or is she being serious/literal? (it was presumably deliso who put the quote marks around that phrase.)

and if she's being literal (for sake of argument), the next question is whether 'foreign relations' refers to state-state relations, or something else - e.g. US relations with important foreigners, or certain US royalty with important foreigners.

similarly, she often talks about "high-level drugs- and weapons-smuggling" - and she always points to the ATC - but she never suggests that defense contractors, per se, are part of the problem. The giraldi article that she loves does touch on defense contractors - but AFAIK sibel doesnt really mention them. You'd think the military-industrial-congressional-complex lobby/bribery-go-round (amply documented elsewhere) would provide enough fat for everyone without having to get into illegal weapons smuggling.

The one new piece of information (to me) in the Giraldi article is:

"The Turkish General Staff has a particular interest because much of the military spending is channeled through companies in which the generals have a financial stake, making for a very cozy and comfortable business arrangement."

perhaps if we combine that with:

"The ('lobbying' money for Feith and Perle) involved does not appear to come from the Turkish government, and FBI investigators are trying to determine its source and how it is distributed. "

(note that Bob Livingston seems to have supplanted Feith & Perle - and the source is still a mystery)

can you imagine how fucked up our world is when defense contractors - who can probably get a 10000% return on their legitimate bribery/lobbying dollars - would still prefer to deal in illegal arms and drugs?