Ron Paul Supporters at CPAC Scream 'War Criminal' at Dick Cheney

By Jon Bershad, Mediaite.com
February 10th, 2011

Things should have been nice and chummy at CPAC an hour ago. Dick Cheney strolled on stage to cheers and the inspirational tune of Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” and got began to present the “Defender Of The Constitution” award to Donald Rumsfeld. However, as the chants of “USA! USA!” died down, a voice screaming “War criminal!” could be heard. And then, as Cheney continued to talk up his former colleague, a shouting match began between supporters of Ron Paul and the rest of the convention hall.

The Paul supporters eventually walked out in the middle of Rumsfeld’s speech as way of protest. Talking Points Memo managed to nab a quote from one of them:

“‘Uh, Defender of the Constitution?’ Justin Bradfield of Maryland scoffed when I caught up with him after he walked out of Rumsfeld’s speech. ‘Let’s see: he expanded the Defense Department more than pretty much any other defense secretary and he enforced the Patriot Act.’

‘[Speaking] as a libertarian, that’s not really the type of person who should be getting Defender of the Constitution,’ he added.”

So far, plenty has been written about the rift between classic GOP members and the Tea Party, but we shouldn’t forget about the old fashioned Libertarians. Somehow, all of these groups are going to have to come together to choose a leader. They’re going to have to put aside their ideological differences to choose someone who’s better than all the rest. Someone who’s better than anyone. Better than anyone that they’ve ever met. Someone who’s, to put it plainly, simply the best.

Check out the video from C-Span below:


CPAC Civil War: Screaming "War Criminal" At Dick Cheney

Egypt President Hosni Mubarak's Net Worth Estimated at $40 Billion to $70 Billion

We live in a world where the public servants are the 'haves' and the private citizens are the 'have nots.'

The Economic Times
February 4, 2011

Egypt's embattled President Hosni Mubarak's and his family's net worth is estimated to be between US dollars 40 and 70 billion, a media report said.

The wealth of the Egypt's first family was built largely from military contracts during his days as an air force officer; Mubarak eventually diversified his investments through his family when he became President in 1981, the 'ABC News' quoted experts as saying.

The family's net worth now ranges from US dollars 40 to 70 billion, by some estimates, the report said.

Amaney Jamal, a political science professor at Princeton, said those estimates are comparable with the vast wealth of leaders in other Gulf countries.

"The business ventures from his military and government service accumulated to his personal wealth. There was a lot of corruption in this regime and stifling of public resources for personal gain," Jamal was quoted as saying.

Jamal said that Mubarak's assets are most likely in banks outside of Egypt, possibly in the UK and Switzerland.

"This is the pattern of other Middle Eastern dictators so their wealth will not be taken during a transition. These leaders plan on this," she said.

Mubarak, his wife and two sons were able to also accumulate wealth through a number of business partnerships with foreigners, according to Christopher Davidson, professor of Middle East Politics at Durham University in the UK.

The Mubarak family owns properties in London, Paris, Madrid, Dubai, Washington, New York and Frankfurt, according to a report from IHS Global Insight.

Aladdin Elaasar, author of 'The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Obama Age', said the Mubaraks own several residences in Egypt, some inherited from previous presidents and the monarchy, and others he has built.

"He had a very lavish lifestyle with many homes around the country," said Elaasar, who estimates the family's wealth is between US dollars 50 and 70 billion.

• Cheney says Egypt’s Mubarak ‘a good man’
  Cheney, who has made a fortune from the military industrial complex, says Egypt’s Mubarak is ‘a good man.’
  
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