Spring, 2004           The political atmosphere is dominated by the national elections. In a show of political unity, the Democrats solidify around John Kerry as their prospective candidate in March, unusually early for Dems in an election year. Regrettably, the national party ticket, although largely supported by opponents of the war, never commits adequately to informing the public about the lead-up to the war, or about war profiteering, or about the behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the administration to avoid being held to account. With the single honorable exception of Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), Republican officeholders and candidates largely hew to the Bush-Cheney line on the war. Thus a national election year progresses with genuine debate and information on the war taking place pretty much parallel to the presidential election.

March 5, 2004 – Vice Presidential Chief of Staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who also holds two other government positions including one in the White House, testifies under oath to the grand jury convened on the CIA leak matter.

March 17, 2004 -- The government of Yemen announces the successful recapture of nine U.S.S. Cole suspects.

March 18, 2004 – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) publishes a disappointing report on the prospect of recovering Iraq’s assets:

“The United States faces key challenges in recovering Iraq's assets. First, recovering the former regime's assets was not initially a high priority in the overall U.S. effort in Iraq. Second, U.S. expectations for the quick transfer of funds may have been overly optimistic given the legal capabilities of some countries. Third, the impending transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government may further complicate U.S. efforts to locate and recover assets of the former regime.”

So much for hopes of finding piles of treasure in Saddam’s palaces. While the looting of irreplaceable artifacts and antiquities and the destruction of basic infrastructure in Iraq proceeded virtually unchecked during the early months after the invasion, the GAO reports that U.S. authorities seize about $926 million in Iraqi assets. The money is used for Iraqi projects, ministry operations, and liquefied petroleum gas purchases.

http://www.gao.gov/htext/d04579t.html

The lesson to be learned, although it is doubtful whether the principals in the administration absorb it, is that a country that has been invaded and wrecked tends not to have much left in the way of recoverable assets.

March 20, 2004 -- Yemen captures the rest of the 10 escapees. Arrests include Jamal Badawi, alleged planner of the Cole bombing, and Fahd al Quso, alleged planner of the Limburg bombing, allegedly after 20 days of close surveillance. Both are said to be wounded in a shootout.

Attorney General John Ashcroft has by now resigned, replaced by Alberto Gonzales. Yemen at last captures all the remaining escapees, with among other effects the limited political result, as one of my astute readers points out, that they will not be extradited to the U.S. for a legal procedure that would be politically awkward–messy–in the 2004 election year, perhaps reminding 2004 voters of the possibly not-dead and quite-alive Osama bin Laden and the unsmoked-out al-Qaeda. Timing always seems to be a factor in these high-profile captures.

March 24, 2004 – I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby returns to testify to the grand jury in the CIA leak matter, with some additional recollections.