Cubadebate

by Alice Cherbonnier

"In the case of a war, the answers to this question become of paramount
importance. Suppose, for example, that profits from military contracting
were to go in the pockets of a former U.S. President whose son (and a
presumed future heir) is now President? Suppose further that such profits
escalate in times of conflict. Wouldn't this be of concern to the public?
Wouldn't you expect the media to be all over such an important ethical (not
to mention moral, and maybe legal) angle?

"Though described by the Industry Standard as 'the world's largest private
equity firm,' with over $12 billion under management, chances are readers
haven't ever heard of The Carlyle Group. Isn't that a little odd,
considering it is run by a veritable who's who of former Republican
political leaders. Former Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci is Carlyle's
chairman and managing director (who, by the way, was college roommate of the
current Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld). And that partners in this
mammoth venture include former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III,
George Soros, Fred Malek (George H.W. Bush's campaign manager, forced to
resign when it was revealed he was Nixon's 'Jew counter'), and 'presumably'
George H.W. Bush?

"We say 'presumably' because the privately-held Carlyle doesn't have to
reveal information about its partners or investments to the SEC or to anyone
else. Our former President is reported to be active in seeking investments
for the Carlyle Group from the Asian market, and word is he's paid between
$80,000 to $100,000 per presentation.

"All told, Carlyle has about 420 partners all over the globe, from Saudi
princes to the former president of the Philippines. Its investments run
heavily in the defense sector; they make money from military conflicts and
weapons spending."

[END of EXCERPT]

excerpt fromhttp://baltimorechronicle.com/media3_oct01.sh