Stop the Carlyle Group ! The English Version

"The Carlyle Group, the American private equity firm whose former Saudi links were highlighted by film-maker Michael Moore, yesterday reported its "best ever" year and said it returned $5.3bn (£2.8bn) to its investors in 2004. (...)
Within a few months of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Carlyle bought out the investment in some of its funds of a half-brother of Osama bin Laden. The group says it now has no investments in Saudi Arabia.
Former US president George Bush senior, who was shown in Moore's film meeting wealthy Saudis, retired as a Carlyle adviser in 2003. Former British prime minister John Major is still an adviser, but no longer chairman of Carlyle Europe.
Despite its record numbers, Carlyle said it expects 2005 to be tougher. Mr Easton said one difficulty is the greater willingness in the private equity industry to use high levels of debt, or leverage, in investments."
From : Guardian Unlimited, Nils Pratley

February 13, 2005 - New 9/11 Commission Findings and the Top 19 Ways Bush and the Republicans Benefited from the Attack

"14) Corporate Interests - For Republicans, life isn't worth living if they aren't serving corporate interests. 9/11 just gave them a few more opportunities to serve their masters. For example, the Bush government ordered 40 million doses of smallpox vaccine for $343 million in preparation for a possible bioterrorism assault. The contract has been given to a small, Cambridge-based firm, Acambis, a British biotechnology company who reported a net loss of $8 million in the six months prior to the announcement. Thanks G. W. ("Preparing the Population For Bioterrorism" Reuters News, London 9-20-01 ). Remember that Bush quickly agreed to bail out the airlines with billions of dollars, an industry that was swimming in red ink long before the 9/11 attacks. And let's also not forget that Bush Sr. benefits from military spending via the Carlyle Group and that the Administration's numerous oil connections benefit heavily from the central Asian and Iraqi oil seized."
From : Political Strategy, Tom Ball

Forum about The Carlyle Group: robo-soldier, Anthrax vaccine, War profiters...
From : Democratic Underground Forums

Many articles about The Carlyle Group including some from Stop Carlyle!
From : Above The Secret and BuzzFlash

"It's funny that Republicans have managed to label Democrats as too loose with American tax dollars - spending them on useless government social programs that benefit the "undeserving" (that would be your poor, your children and your old people). But Bush is looting the pot to perpetuate a war for the benefit of Haliburton (and subsidiaries), The Carlyle Group and to manipulate the worldwide energy market."
From : The Non-Adventurous Life

February 3rd, 2005 - Faked Report Caused Nuclear Contract to be Given to Carlyle

"Two computer disks that supposedly disappeared last summer, prompting a virtual shutdown of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in fact never existed, according to report released Friday. (...)
In a stealth takeover by the Carlyle Group, facilitated by five admirals, the management contract will be transferred next year to the University of Texas, where the military and the Carlyle Group will have control. A new “ramping up” of the nuclear weapons program is underway, with program funding at the highest level ever - even higher than during the Cold War – extending nuclear weapons into outer space, into the very atmosphere that makes life on earth possible, and with no “real” enemy in sight. (...)
During three minutes of public comment before the Regents on Aug. 17, I informed them that the lab contract was going to the University of Texas; it was a “done deal.” I told them that the management contract change was a chess move the Carlyle Group was making to privatize the nuclear weapons program, that Carlyle owned 70 percent of Lockheed Martin Marietta, and that Lockheed a year ago had bought Sandia Labs - they make the trigger for nuclear weapons.
When “ Carlyle ” was mentioned, I noticed that the chair, Gerald Parsky, and the vice chair, Richard Blum, who is married to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, started shifting around in their chairs. Body language can say a lot. They began a disruptive and loud conversation carried on through the rest of my comments. (...)
Wackenhut has ties to (Lockheed) Martin-Marietta – 70 percent of Lockheed is now owned by the Carlyle Group - going back to 1958. By 2001, Wackenhut's revenues topped $2.8 billion as the leading provider of security at U.S. national defense sites, with a global presence on six continents."
From : INTL News

"While the Prez speaks, particularly if you wisely turn off the sound, it will be difficult not to concentrate on the tell-tale left-side droop of his face when he smirks. Repugnant as it is to be reminded that the GOP has picked a mentally impaired zealot to represent the United States in the world. It's even more repugnant to know that the freedom and liberty global supremacy plans touted by the White House is being implemented by handing out defense contracts to all the Carlyle Group defense companies.
And make no mistake, those defense contracts include adding newer and more deadly nuclear weapons to our once-dormant nuclear arsenal."
From : Ratfuck Diary

"And here's some dandy info about the Carlyle Group's Thomas A. (Tom) Corcoran, straight from the Carlyle web site.
“Thomas A. Corcoran is a Senior Advisor to the aerospace and defense group. Mr.Corcoran assists Carlyle in developing strategy and identifying investments in Washington, DC.
In addition to his role as a Carlyle Senior Advisor, Mr. Corcoran is President of Corcoran Enterprises, LLC, a management-consulting firm. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Corcoran served as President & Chief Executive Officer of Gemini Air Cargo where he led a successful business restructuring. Before Gemini, Mr. Corcoran was President and Chief Executive Officer of Allegheny Teledyne Incorporated. Prior to that, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of Lockheed Martin's Electronics Sector from 1995 to October 1999. Prior to the 1995 merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta Corporation, he was President of the Electronics Group of Martin Marietta, a position he assumed in 1993 following the sale of GE Aerospace to Martin Marietta. He began his career in 1967 at General Electric Company where held various senior management positions. He joined GE Aerospace in 1983 and, in 1990, he was elected as corporate officer and rose to the number two position as Vice President and General Manager of GE Aerospace Operations.”
Thanks to investigative reporter Leuen Morel, a wonderful factoid appeared in the San Francisco Bay View on November 7, 2004. “Lockheed Martin Marietta is 70% owned by the Carlyle Group”.
The stench coming out of the Bush administration is becoming overpowering. This latest collusion between the Carlyle Group and the Carlyle -bought-and-paid-for GOP would be beyond belief if the proof weren't so blatant and damning."
From : Ratfuck Diary

"INTRODUCTION OF THE CASE AGAINST COLDWELL BANKER COMPANY ET AL
September 1st 1989 and continuously thereafter, The Petitioners have seriatim filed with NJREC by LOUIS R. DE MAURO and others also since September 1st 1989, our Complaint Number 89-2066 and evidence, with which subsequently the NJREC is civilly and criminally derelict in its duties , (...) Petitioners, versus, (...) CARLYLE GROUP (" CARLYLE "), IN ITS INTERESTS OF OWNERSHIP AND OF FINANCIER OF COLDWELL BANKER, FRANCIS CARLUCCI, INDIVIDUALLY, AND IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY OF CHAIRMAN OF CARLYLE , FREDERICK MALEK, INDIVIDUALLY, AND IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY OF PRESIDENT OF CARLYLE , GEORGE H. BUSH, INDIVIDUALLY, AND IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY OF DIRECTOR OF CARLYLE , JAMES H. BAKER, INDIVIDUALLY, AND IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY OF GENERAL COUNSEL OF CARLYLE , OSAMA BIN LADEN FAMILY, INDIVIDUALLY, AND IN EACLES' OFFICIAL CAPACITY OF FINANCIER OF CARLYLE , (...)"
From : Google Groups, demauroconsulting@comcast.net

"Aerospace & Defense :
For more than a decade, Carlyle has been the leading private equity investor in the aerospace and defense industries completing 27 transactions representing a combined purchase price of more than $5.8 billion.
Well, that sounds like the Carlyle group might stand to make a bit more profit, if there is a war.
Hmmm.. you know what's interesting? try to explain this one to me, and make it not sound soo corrupt. (...)"
Read More...
From : Free the Speech

January 28, 2005 - Finance: Carlyle and Credit Lyonnais, a Profitable Friendship

Carlyle Group and Credit Lyonnais: Main Financial Operations (Intelligence On Line)

"A close look at information contained in financial data banks (Thomson One Banker, Zephyr and the like) reveals the frequency and high level of ties between The Carlyle Group and France's Credit Lyonnais bank.
Set up in 1987, the U.S. investment fund The Carlyle Group won early backing from France's Credit Lyonnais bank, which lent it $400 million directly in December, 1995. Two years later, the French establishment helped Carlyle to make one of its biggest acquisitions in the defense industry, by lending $380 million in a transaction that led to the investment fund's acquisition of United Defense for $850 million. In the 11 years between 1992-2003, Credit Lyonnais was involved in over 20 Carlyle transactions (see the biggest below) ranging from loans, arranger or co-investor, such as in the French firms Solsoft (computer security solutions) and Egencia, an on-line travel booking agency that was sold off to Expedia. Credit Lyonnais also found itself on several occasions playing the role of financial adviser and leading banker to firms that Carlyle coveted, such as Genoyer and Otor. The latter has just filed a suit in the U.S. accusing Carlyle and Credit Lyonnais of conspiracy. Over the 11 year period the transactions took place at a rate of two or three a year. Last year marked a turning point in the bank's involvement with the investment fund. At least eight major transactions were carried out, including four as an arranger and two as co-investor. It culminated with a loan to Fiat Avio, a shareholder in Ariane Espace, of over $1 billion, when it was acquired by Carlyle and Italy's Finmeccanica."
From : Inteligence On Line, n°483

January 26, 2005 - Carlyle Group in the News Again: GWB to Buy More Military Hardware

"Carlyle Group in the news, again. No wonder that GWB wants another $80 BILLION for military stuff. Carlyle is now selling the U.S. gummint a new "robo-soldier" (see article below) that ought to cut down on humansoldier casualties. But for a price. A BIG price. You have to remember that the Carlyle Group had ties to the Saudi royal family and to George H.W. Bush. This cozy arrangement was typefied by the George W. Bush rush approval of the Crusader mobile artillery system at a price tag of Billions! This was AFTER the Clinton adminstration had refused to consider the weapon system despite intense lobbying by Republican-backed pols and military officials. Carlyle had been sharp enough to purchase (for a song--Only $880,000!) the company that developed the Crusader system, United Defense Industries in a textbook LBO. UDI is based in President Bush's home town of Midland TX. What a surprise! When Secretary of the Army, Gen. Tom White valiantly and repeatedly objected to the adoption of this ineffective weapons system (it was too light in weight to deploy easily) that general was fired and replaced. Fired by whom? Donald Rumsfeld, that's who. The adoption of the Crusader proceeded quickly thereafter. It is highly likely that Carlyle Group has made large direct (but secret) payments to Condi Rice, Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and Vice President Cheney. This is a commonly known fact. The Carlyle Group has had its hooks into the nexus of the military/government/technology triad since 1987 when it was founded by David M. Rubenstein, a former cabinet in the Reagan White House. Don't let Bush and Rumsfeld get away with it! Bush must be impeached!"
From : Ryd, Google Groups

"According to an article on the BBC website, the US government is planning to deploy machine gun equipped robots in Iraq for the purpose of killing people by remote control. The weaponized-robot is manufactured by a company named Foster-Miller headquartered in Waltham MA. (...) Not very prominently displayed is the source for the money behind Foster-Miller, and the identity of those who will profit when these machines kill people. According to the BBC, a highly respected source if there ever was one, “The Foster-Miller company is owned by the QinetiQ Group, a joint venture between the UK's Ministry of Defence and US-based holding company, Carlyle Group.” One of the most prominent and well-known investors in the Carlyle Group is none other than former president George Bush. In fact, he is a member of the board of directors. What is not immediately clear is exactly how many dollars of profit the Bush family will make for each human being killed by these machines. Your tax dollars at work!"
From : My Daily Rant

"The Army is preparing to send 18 of these remote-controlled robotic warriors to fight in Iraq beginning in March or April. (...) Military officials like to compare the roughly three-foot-high robots favorably to human soldiers: They don't need to be trained, fed or clothed. They can be boxed up and warehoused between wars. They never complain. And there are no letters to write home if they meet their demise in battle. (...) It was a joint development process between the Army and Foster-Miller, a robotics firm bought in November by QinetiQ Group PLC, which is a partnership between the British Ministry of Defence and the Washington holding company The Carlyle Group."
From : CBS News

"Ariane 5 will have Russian partner this year, so Bush will know the inside story of the French Space programe. Russian Soyuz rocket will be launched in the French launch base in S. America .....KOU-kouthe Further information about the French standing in Euroland. The French EADS now builds the world's largest civil passenger air-craft the A380 , which can carry up to 800 passengers in eco class seating. The French is also building the new military short distance transport air-cratf A400M which will replace the American Lockheed 130J inisde Euro-land. Bush is very keen to go into the Euro-military industries. Carlyle also wants to buy the German MTU which makes engines for the Leopard tanks, which the Chinese are looking at , since Chinese military are already using German diesle engines in the Chinese new tank . New Chinese fast attack frigates are powered by the French Pielstick diesel motors, that is why the Yankes are angry at the French and their [freedom ] fry."
From : Google Newsgroups

"Manufacturing missiles and a lightly armored coffin called Bradley troop carrier vehicle, United Defence is one of the Pentagon's main suppliers. Its main shareholder is Carlyle .
Manages some $18 billion dollars in weapons, biotech, space, security, nanotch and telecommunications contracts, the company's speciality is picking up failed weapons makers for pennies on the dollar – just before those companies receive huge contracts from the White House.
It's not hard to see their secret. After serving as America's first war president since Vietnam, George Bush senior served as a consultant to Carlyle for ten years – before bailing out in October 2003 as questions mounted on Capitol Hill. As the French note, “It was the first time in US history that a former president worked for a Pentagon supplier.” (...)
"It's not possible to get closer to the administration than Carlyle is," Charles Lewis, Director of the Center for Public Integrity, a non-partisan organization in Washington told the French press. "George Bush senior earned money from private interests that worked for the government of which his son was president. You could even say that the president could one day profit financially, through his father's investments, from the political decisions he himself took."
According to Le Monde, “The collection of influential characters who now work, have worked, or have invested in the Carlyle group would make the most convinced conspiracy theorists incredulous. They include among others, John Major, former British Prime Minister; Fidel Ramos, former Philippines President; Park Tae Joon, former South Korean Prime Minister; Saudi Prince Al-Walid; Colin Powell, the present Secretary of State; James Baker III, former Secretary of State; Caspar Weinberger, former Defense Secretary; Richard Darman, former White House Budget Director; the billionaire George Soros, and even some bin Laden family members.” (...)
Frank Carlucci's brought capital to Carlyle . In October 1990, the group took over “Star Wars” supplier BDM International, along with its profitable links to the CIA. Two years later, Congress blocked their attempted take over of LTV's aerospace division. Renamed Vought Aircraft, the manufacture of B1 and B2 bombers worth more than their weight in gold became a Carlyle holding.
Companies specializing in radar imagery and cruise missile electronic relief maps followed these Carlyle acquisitions – along with firms providing nuclear, chemical, and biological decontamination, Carlyle also bought Vinnell, one of the first companies to supply the American army and its allies with “private contractors”. Vinnell's mercenaries fought in Desert Storm alongside the Saudi forces they'd trained. They now protect King Fahd. [Le Monde April29/04]"
From : William Thomas.net

January 20, 2005 - McKenna Commentary

"Richard Julien is a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and a strong Canadian nationalist. (...) Unfortunately, CanWest and other media outlets failed to question the meaning of the reference to McKenna as "a reliable guy and you can trust him". Also, more fundamental questions which should be raised are ignored. For example:

1. What is the possible raison d'etre for a former Conservative prime minister, a current Liberal prime minister, a former Liberal premier, a former American president and a current American president to agree on the choice for the most important senior Canadian diplomatic position?

2. Is Frank McKenna a board member with the Carlyle Group along with George Bush, Sr., James A. Baker III, Frank Carlucci, John Major, and other powerful mandarins?

3. What is the investment firm called the Carlyle Group? Is this investment firm really involved with the production of armoured vehicles, artillery, defence electronics and other spheres of the defence and aerospace industry?

4. What is the relationship between the Carlyle Group and the Saudi bin Laden Group?

5. What is McKenna's role with the Carlyle Group?

With his appointment, Ambassador McKenna has resigned from all corporate boards. The major question, however, is whether he will be able to represent Canadian interests and resist the pressures from his American corporate friends. More importantly, if McKenna already believes in further economic integration into the U.S. orbit of control, and support for Canadian participation in the US Star Wars, there will be little need for American pressure."
From : Vive le Canada

January 19, 2005 - Bush Tax Panel Leaders May Face Conflicts With Firms' Clients

"Rossotti, who left his job as chief executive officer of Fairfax, Virginia-based American Management Systems in 1998 to run the IRS for five years, is a senior policy adviser at the Carlyle Group, one of Liquid Engines' investors.
Liquid Engines makes software marketed to Fortune 500 companies that ``provides tax planning and management automation that combines robust application capabilities with complex income tax calculations and intelligence,'' according to its Web site. Companies use the software to manage tax audits, plan deferral of U.S. taxes on foreign income, and calculate the tax-efficient pricing arrangements between subsidiaries.
White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said the Bush administration vetted all of the board members and has no concerns about conflicts of interest."
From : Bloomberg

"When Jr took office, Bush (Sr) was a member of the Carlyle Group. The firm is almost entirely made up of ex-government officials and it is said to be the world's most politically connected private equity firm. The complaints about the Bush family connections with the Carlyle Group began long before 9/11. As early as March 3, 2001, shortly after Bush Jr's inauguration, Judicial Watch issued a press release that said: "Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government abuse and corruption, called on former President George Herbert Walker Bush to resign immediately from the Carlyle Group, a private investment firm, while his son President George W. Bush is in office. Today's New York Times reported that the elder Bush is an "ambassador" for the $12 billion private investment firm and last year traveled to the Middle East on its behalf. The former president also helped the firm in South Korea .” (...) The WSJ went on to outline the details of the family's investment. The bin Laden firm invested $2 million in Carlyle Partners II Fund, which raised a total of $1.3 billion overall. The fund purchased several aerospace companies among 29 deals. "So far, the family has received $1.3 million back in completed investments and should ultimately realize a 40% annualized rate of return," a Carlyle executive told the WSJ. (...)
How Does Carlyle Make Its Money?
Carlyle 's ties go directly into the Oval Office. In fact, a list of past employees has Jr's name on it. He was actually employed by Carlyle at on point in his life. According to a story in Harper's Magazine, Jr held a position as a corporate director on the board of the Carlyle subsidiary, Caterair. Until he was politely told to hit the road because he didn't have anything to offer the company. In addition, in March, 1995, while Jr was governor of Texas governor and a senior Trustee of the University of Texas, the University of Texas Endowment placed $10 million in investments with the Carlyle Group. Who knows how much of that investment money benefited the bin Ladens. "
Read More about The Carlyle Group
From : Scoop

“Equally expected (slower than I thought however, because his name has been mentioned for more than a year now), was the left-liberals questioning McKenna's choice due to his connection with the infamous Carlyle Group, made better known and iniquitous by Bush-baiters like Michael Moore and William Karel for two. Conspicuously notable in mentioning the Carlyle connection was Charlie Smith in his otherwise very fine boldfaced-names news roundup in the Georgia Straight . He rattled off the names associated with the investment firm that's got a proclivity of buying into defence contractors, names like the prominent Republicans close to Bush, former President Bush, Jim Baker, and Frank Carlucci (as well as relatives of Osama bin Laden). In a gesture of fairness and balance he added at the end of his listing, as an aside, that some "former Democrats" also belong to the group too.”
From : The Commentary

"Titan ( TTN ) * : Expect this defense contractor (along with others) to get bids soon. Some, including Titan have been tarnished following the abuses in Iraq and the investigations that followed. In the worst case, these will get taken out by some private equity player like Carlyle Group and enter the cozy world of Pentagon/lawmakers/lobbyists/directors , away from the public gaze."
From : The Urge to Merge

“Tucked into the custom luggage the former New Brunswick premier can now afford after a few splendid years in the private sector is a long list of questions. Will he be able to make this country a player at the epicentre of world power? Will his ties to the controversial Carlyle Group be an asset or a liability? Will his appointment change Ottawa 's foreign policy pecking order? And, finally, will a tour of duty in the U.S. make him heir-apparent for the Liberal leadership and, perhaps, the next prime minister? (…)A squall is rising here over McKenna's role as an adviser to Carlyle, the private, multi-billion dollar equity group with familial and business connections to the White House. Made infamous in Michael Moore's mockumentary Fahrenheit 9/11 , Carlyle is, depending on viewpoint, either profiting or profiteering on the Bush administration's massive military spending.”
From : Toronto Star

The McKenna File A Preliminary Assessment of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s Choice of Frank McKenna as Canada’s Next Ambassador to the United States

"The Polaris Institute is calling on Prime Minister Paul Martin to allow Parliament to review Frank McKenna's appointment as Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. in light of the former premier's involvement in the controversial Washington D.C. investment firm, The Carlyle Group. (...) "Frank McKenna's membership in a U.S. investment firm run by powerful Republicans formerly involved at the highest levels of the White House, the Pentagon and the CIA is a concern for Canadians," said Steven Staples, the report's author. The Carlyle Group says it has more than $18.9 billion in investments under its management, including many companies involved in aerospace, telecommunications, defence and homeland security. Many of these companies have benefited greatly from the dramatic rise in U.S. military spending since September 11, 2001."
From : Newswire

"The role of U.S. envoy will position McKenna to play handmaiden to corporate aspirations in Canada, including Canadian-based subcontracts for the U.S. military. (...) McKenna chairs the Canadian advisory board to The Carlyle Group, which bills itself as the world's largest private equity-investment firm. Carlyle 's US$18.9 billion in assets include heavy investments in munitions and weapons systems manufacturing. (...) Carlyle wields the clout of its celebrity payroll and extensive network to secure military contracts and other deals around the world. In appreciation, the former politicians are paid in equity cuts on corporate contracts. McKenna has stated that he wants to see more Canadian investment in Carlyle while pitching military production as an economic stimulator for his home province. (...) McKenna's shift from Carlyle employee back to Canadian public servant is a conflict of interest, of course. But Carlyle is no stranger to conflict of interest. (...)"
From : Rabble.ca

”Paradoxically, in the battle pitting the U.S. equity fund Carlyle against France's Otor, the French packaging company won the first round in the U.S. in December and Carlyle the second in Paris. (...)”
From : Intelligence On Line, n° 491

“Bush family friend entrusted with patching up tattered ties with U.S.
Former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna, a friend of President George W. Bush's family and other influential Washington power brokers, will accept the post of ambassador to the United States, pending U.S. approval. (…) Mr. McKenna is on the advisory board of the powerful Carlyle Group, a private, $18.9-billion equity firm that boasts some of Washington's most influential players, including former U.S. treasury secretary James Baker, former U.S. defence secretary Frank Carlucci, and former British prime minister John Major.
Former president George Bush Sr. has worked for the Carlyle Group and is a friend of Mr. McKenna. The two have golfed together and this friendship will undoubtedly help open doors to the White House. His friendship with Mr. Baker, who is considered the ultimate Washington insider, will also pay huge dividends for Mr. McKenna on Capitol Hill in reaching the top ranks of government departments."
From : Canada.com

“Richard Breeden, was the SEC director at the time of Bush's troubles with Harken and not Bush's lawyer, who was Robert Jordan. Robert Jordan is the current ambassador to Saudi Arabia and an appointee of the second Bush. Breeden was an appointee of the first Bush and an appointee of the second Bush. Odd that he should feel compelled to clear those charges. Jordan was a partner at Baker Botts before his appointment, Baker Botts is the law firm of James Baker III, who happens to be a major partner of the Carlyle Group with George H.W. Bush. Yet it clearly was my error to call Breeden Bush's lawyer when he was Bush's prosecutor and then appointee when Jordan was his lawyer and then appointee as well as recipients of favors from Bush's father.”
From : Node of Evil

"Hollinger audit commitee member Richard Burt, a former U.S. amabassador to Germany said that 'I don't agree with the special committee's conclusions concerning the perfromance of the board,' and that ' in the course of its work, the special committee did not meet with me to discuss the board's performance, despite fact that I did ask to meet with the special committee.' He declined to elaborate."
Which seems innocuous until one considers Burt's current ties to the Carlyle Group and that it was Ronald Reagan who appointed him ambassador back in 1985. Burt is friends with James Baker, Donald Rumsfeld and other Neo-cons connected to Carlyle. The Carlyle group has expressed interest in buying some of Hollinger International's now deeply discounted assets and one would think after the Sarbanes-Oxley act that came in the wake of the Enron and Arthur Andersen scandals that ties like Burt's would preclude him from being an audit committee member in the first place. If it stopped there, the story might just seem like some crackpot coincidence, but it doesn't.
Consider Andre Bisson, another Carlyle chum (currently a member of Carlyle Canada's advisory board) and shadowy magnate who abruptly resigned four days after being named a director and Hollinger audit committee member. According to Hollinger, Bisson resigned "due to a conflict." According to Bisson, he was never a director, despite a Hollinger press release that states otherwise.”
From : Node of Evil

January 5, 2005 - A (Sort of) New Year's Greeting (and Predicting Bush Scandals-To-Come)

“Capt had the most elaborate scenario: the Carlyle Group buys Halliburton, Fox, Sinclair Broadcasting and Clear Channel, while Bush privatizes the US military and sells it to Carlyle. As events develop, Carlyle ends up running the US government and Bush and his Cabinet relocate to the Cayman Islands. Sounds like the plot to a Michael Moore sequel. And SkipChurch had one of the more imaginative predictions: Senator Trent Lott, supported by Bush, would propose that the 14th Amendment--which freed slaves--be ruled an unjust "taking."”
From : David Corn

January 3rd, 2005 - BBC Broadcasts America’s Bioweapons Culpability But Omits British Ties to the Anthrax Mailings

As reiterated in the side bar to the article I published in Media Bypass and The Spectrum, in the early 1980s, Dr. Dresch reported, "a significant part of the 'civilian' component of the British Porton Down complex, the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research [CAMR], was privatized as Porton International, a creation of Wensley Haydon-Baillie,” a now convicted felon, who reputedly became one of the 50 wealthiest persons in Britain as a result of what was alleged to have been political favoritism in the acquisition of government assets by Porton International." By the early 1990s, Saudi businessman Fuad El-Hibri (linked to the Bush and bin Laden families through the Carlyle Group, according to other reputable investigators) acquired an interest in Porton International and/or related Porton Down spin-offs, Porton Products and Speywood Holdings.” El-Hibri was instrumental in obtaining anthrax vaccine in the U.K. for Saudia Arabia, prior to his leading role in manufacturing anthrax vaccine for the U.S. According to Dr. Dresch, “In 1997, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded a defense-biologics contract in excess of $300 million to Dynport LLC, which is a joint venture of Porton International and U.S. defense contractor Dyncorp.”
From : Tetrahedron Publishing Group

The Al Jazeera network reveals (and The New York Times confirms) that shortly before the recent election, the board of the Carlyle Group — the gargantuan global investment firm that counts the elder George Bush and former Secretary of State James Baker as advisers — voted George W. Bush a seat on its board. A sitting president on the board of a company that owns military contractors and can benefit from his decisions? The White House calls it an innocent mistake and that Carlyle’s board had passed a resolution guaranteeing Bush a spot on the board in the "unlikely event" that he was defeated. "Seems as if there was a typo in the resolution that was finally approved," a White House spokesperson explains. "And after the election, Carlyle simply forgot about it. By the way, they didn’t even bother to tell the president about it."
From : LA Weekly, David Corn

December 23, 2004 - A distraction to camouflage the connections Bush, Bin Laden and Carlyle

"Yesterday, I visited the sites Zizkz Vanitysite.net, News from Reality and Stop Carlyle!. I found startling documentation of the degenerate behaviour of the Bush family, the bin Laden family, and the Carlyle Group."
From : Ensign

"The first days of December were particularly busy for one of the French capital's biggest media relations firm, DGM Conseil headed by Michel Calzaroni."
Read More...
From : Intelligence On Line, n° 490

"The embattled Disney chief had connections through Disney to at least two major entities that Moore attacked: Halliburton and the Carlyle Group. (...) In "Fahrenheit 9/11," Moore is merciless about Halliburton. But he also lambastes another group right at the start of the film — the private-equity firm the Carlyle Group. Moore points out that on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the Carlyle Group was holding its annual investors' conference, with former President George Bush in attendance. According to Newsweek, "[Carlyle] buys and sells whole companies the way some firms trade shares of stock."
From : Fox News

"Retiring Sen. John Breaux, D-La., must clean out his Capitol Hill office by Friday, but he has dropped only small hints about where his next job will be. In an interview last week, he said he likely would work part time as a lobbyist with a Washington law firm, mentioning Patton Boggs, Alston & Bird and Baker Donelson as possibilities. He also said he would be interested in energy company mergers and acquisitions, possibly signing on with Wall Street firms Goldman Sachs or The Carlyle Group."
From : The Times Picayune

"In the past 18 months for example, The Carlyle Group and KKR have purportedly returned a total of around $15.6 billion to limited partners, while some firms such as ABRY Partners have seen enough success to hike up the carried interest on new funds to 30%."
From : Job Search

"Starting early in the morning, Doody said, autonomous groups will target GOP events such as Bank of America's 9:30 a.m. finance roundtable at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. At 4 p.m., a wave of actions will swarm the midtown offices of multinational "war profiteers" such as the Carlyle Group, Chevron, the Rand Corporation, and Hummer of Manhattan."
From : The Village Voice, Sarah Ferguson

"Among the ventures rumored to be in the running for billion dollar contracts to redevelop post-war Iraq is The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm with a number of aerospace & defense interests that just so happens to be managed by a team of former US Government personnel including James Baker, Jerome H. Powell Richard G. Darman and former British Prime Minister John Major."
From : Silicon Valley

"Not Mr. Faber's new business model, not the job cuts in 2002, not the updated technology. Not even the backing of the Carlyle Group, one of the most politically well-connected investment firms in Washington, was enough to save the struggling company."
From : The Capital

"If you haven't heard of The Carlyle Group then you can't really say you know anything about American politics, the Bush family or why the recent election was all about fooling the American public. Be careful not to blow this off because you can't imagine being that rich. I find it boggling too. I mean, really, once you have more money than most countries do, why get greedy for more?
Personally, I think W's real objective is to please the Carlyle group enough that they let him become a member.
...I get the feeling that Daddy Bush isn't about to be that stupid, though."
From : Not Hot Head

The New Republic has a remarkably forward-looking essay entitled "An Argument For A New Liberalism: A Fighting Faith" by editor Peter Beinhart. What makes it so remarkable is the passion and eloquence with which Mr. Beinhart points out how to begin righting the listing Democratic vessel: throwing overboard the likes of Michael Moore and MoveOn. On Moore, he writes:
"Moore views totalitarian Islam the way Wallace viewed communism: As a phantom, a ruse employed by the only enemies that matter, those on the right. Saudi extremists may have brought down the Twin Towers, but the real menace is the Carlyle Group.""
From : Disintegrator

"Background: Former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission who now serves as senior adviser to the Carlyle Group, an investment firm. Before joining the SEC, Levitt owned Roll Call, a newspaper covering Capitol Hill, and served as chairman of the New York City Economic Development Corp. and chairman of the American Stock Exchange.
Personal: Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1931. Graduated from Williams College and served in the Air Force. Owns a home in Connecticut."
From : Arizona Central

"The Carlyle Group acquired controlling interests in several underperforming defense contractors, installed its own management teams and revitalized the companies, in part by landing big Pentagon contracts. Then, they sold the contractors to other investors for a large profit.
"There have always been [private equities] that went in with management and bankrolled management," said Stuart McCutchan, editor of Defense Mergers & Acquisitions. "What Carlyle has done differently is they have taken it to a new level both in terms of size and in terms of being committed to an entire sector."
"Carlyle is the biggest single success in Washington of a venture capital firm," Dr. Loren B. Thompson Jr., a national security expert at the libertarian Lexington Institute, said.
In 1997, for example, the group made a 650-percent profit when it sold BDM International Inc., a McLean, Va., defense contractor. And in December 2001, Carlyle sold off the majority of its holdings in United Defense Inc. Altogether, Carlyle earned $1 billion in profit from the United Defense investment."
From : Defense Aerospace

"Listen up my little droogies, its time for the first lesson in your mental breakdown. There are many wild speculations about 9/11. Many are quite insane, but a few burn truer than charcoal briquets. As I pull back the veil over your head, your eyes adjust. Slowly they follow a trail leading from the Bin Ladens, straight to the pretzel choking prezo himself. Indeed this seems ridiculous. How could such a thing be possible. The answer is a majestic little hub of influence called the Carlyle Group. The light is slowly coming in."
From : 360 Peripheral

"It's the Russian Oligarchs vs. the Texas Cowboys in a battle for oil. The Ukraine chaos has its own ties to Yukos and the battle between Washington and Moscow vis-a-vis the Carlyle Group."
From : The Tyranny Response Unit

"Ramos is not only a bogeyman. He is an absolute paper tiger. Unlike Estrada, Ramos does not have a shred of a mass base; unlike Cory, he cannot expect institutional support from the Catholic hierarchy that still commands 85 percent of the population. Bro. Eddie can help Ramos but that's insufficient by any accounting. Scalapino and the Carlyle group can back Ramos but they'd be isolated from the people and suffer the same problems that CNU now faces."
From : Ken and Chrissy

"With loads of private capital out there looking for a way to go beyond the weak returns of the stock and bond markets, there have sprung up a growing number of such firms. Some are older leveraged buy-out companies like Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and Forstmann Little, survivors from the "Masters of the Universe" era of the 1980s. Others are well established companies that combine corporate expansion capitalization, consulting services and buyouts, the Carlyle Group, Apex Partners, Ripplewood Holdings, CVC Capital Partners and plenty more every day."
From : Oligopolywatch

"Sure, you've heard all this information before. But it is pretty incredible. The foxes are guarding the hen houses big time.
Populex
Populex is responsible for Illinois' e-voting system. Frank Carlucci, former CIA Director, is on its Advisory Board. Carlucci is a business partner of G H W Bush, and head of the Carlyle Group."
From : On Lisa Rein's Radar

"If the Bushmaton were smart, which he isn't, he would have replaced Rumsfeld with Kerik. But there's still time. The White House (as you know, that means Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and The Carlyle Group) has just announced that Rumsfeld stays."
From : Ratfuck Diary

"Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin has completed its acquisition of Sippican Holdings, a maker of naval electronics systems, from District-based The Carlyle Group. Sippican develops surface ship countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare training and submarine communications systems. It also makes meteorological and oceanographic instruments. The Carlyle Group acquired Sippican in April 2002."
From : Washington Business Journal, Jeff Clabaugh

"Specifically, one scene in the film depicts a meeting between Lumumba's opposition and CIA operatives in which the American ambassador Claire Timberlake and his secretary, Frank Carlucci, are portrayed, speaking ominously about remaining aloof from international policies in a manner that makes their opposite intentions clear. But Carlucci, who later became the CIA Deputy Chief under Carter, Secretary of Defense under Reagan, personal friends with Donald Rumsfeld, and current chairman of the powerful Carlyle group , threatened to sue HBO and Zeitgeist Films if they released the scene intact. They subsequently did not. Knowing of this controversy, I expected the scene to be cut from the DVD, but instead, Carlucci's name is simply, unceremoniously, bleeped out. "Mr. ---- beep ----, what is your opinion on the matter?" they ask. Such an obvious moment of political censorship is so overt, it would be downright funny if it wasn't so serious."
From : Film Journey.org

"This year, the Carlyle Group, a huge private-equity firm, has been vilified in Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11", as well as being named as the inspiration for a fictional private-equity firm that tries to install its brainwashed candidate as American president in the remake of "The Manchurian Candidate".
From : The Economist

November 23, 2004 - Investing in War : The Carlyle Group profits from government and conflict

The Carlyle Group: Baker, Bush, Carlucci, Kennard

"The Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm that employs numerous former high-ranking government officials with ties to both political parties, was the ninth largest Pentagon contractor between 1998 and 2003, an ongoing Center for Public Integrity investigation into Department of Defense contracts found.
The Carlyle Group has employed some of the most powerful figures in Washington, including former Secretary of State James Baker, former President George H.W. Bush, former Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci and former FCC Chairman William Kennard."
From : Center for Public Integrity, M. Asif Ismail

"Filmmaker Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11) and author Craig Unger (House of Bush House of Saud) have fully documented the number of government officials--present and former--who are involved in the management of the Carlyle Group and that the Carlyle Group runs the United States. But let me recap, in case you've forgotten.(...)
This is disturbing because anyone connected with the Carlyle Group is in a position to profit from its weapons contracts between companies like Halliburton and the US government (and other governments). Not to mention the ugly thought that shareholders and directors profit from medical supplies of anti-chemical warfare inoculations which are pimped between manufacturer and the US government by the Carlyle Group. "
Read More...
From : Ratfuck Diary

"It's nice that a local boy, Los Gatos resident Francis Harvey, received U.S. Senate approval this week to serve as Army secretary. But his appointment -- the first of President Bush's second term to be cleared for takeoff -- raises troubling questions about private-sector influence over the military.
It also highlights the extraordinary clout of a single corporate entity, the politically powerful Carlyle Group, which now enjoys a close relationship with the overseer of nearly $100 billion in Army funds. Harvey, 61, is former chief operating officer for a division of Westinghouse Electric, a leading defense contractor. He also serves on the boards of two Carlyle-affiliated companies, Duratek and Kuhlman Electric. Carlyle appointed Harvey to both positions. Duratek, which reported sales of $286 million last year, specializes in the disposal of radioactive materials. It has contracts with both the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Energy, which itself is one of the nation's top defense contractors. Carlyle acquired Duratek in 1995. It has since steadily divested itself of the company's shares and says it sold off the last batch this week. However, Carlyle Managing Director Daniel D'Aniello still serves as Duratek's chairman. (…)
The Carlyle Group counts among its leaders and advisers former Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci, former Secretary of State James Baker and, until last year, former President George H.W. Bush. In a report released Thursday, the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, said Carlyle was the ninth-largest U.S. defense contractor between 1998 and 2003. The group said a dozen companies in which Carlyle owned a controlling interest earned more than $9.3 billion in military contracts during this period."
From : The San Francisco Chronicle, David Lazarus

November 17, 2004 - Complaint against The Carlyle Group and Credit Lyonnais

"On November 15, 2004 the law firm Thelen Reid & Priest LLP filed the first amended complaint against The Carlyle Group, Credit Lyonnais Group and some of their D&Os"
(see first amended complaint)
From : Sirius Consulting

"Harvey is vice chairman of Duratek Inc., a Maryland firm specializing in the treatment and disposal of radioactive waste. A major donor to Republican campaigns, Harvey is also a board member of two defense companies controlled by the Carlyle Group, an investment firm that has employed the president's father, former President George Bush, as an adviser and still is run by former members of the elder Bush's Cabinet."
From : Congressional Quarterly Today

"Less than twenty-four hours after The Nation disclosed that former Secretary of State James Baker and the Carlyle Group were involved in a secret deal to profit from Iraq's debt to Kuwait, NBC was reporting that the deal was "dead." (...) we realized that Carlyle had just pulled off a major public relations coup. (...) In the face of overwhelming evidence of a glaring conflict of interest between Baker's stake in Carlyle and his post as George W. Bush's special envoy on Iraq's debt, Carlyle simply denied everything."
Read More...
From : The Nation, Naomi Klein

Carlyle Group Takes Over US Nuclear Weapons Program

"In a stealth takeover by the Carlyle Group, facilitated by five admirals, the management contract will be transferred next year to the University of Texas, where the military and the Carlyle Group will have control. A new “ramping up” of the nuclear weapons program is underway, with program funding at the highest level ever - even higher than during the Cold War – extending nuclear weapons into outer space, into the very atmosphere that makes life on earth possible, and with no “real” enemy in sight."
From : Able2Know, Lauren Moret, San Francisco Bay View

"Claims scientists are putting national security at risk ; Jamie Doward, social affairs editor Britain's defence scientists are threatening national security by hawking their services abroad, claims a missiles expert who has worked on top secret military projects for the government. The allegation has prompted concerns from MPs who are worried that British defence expertise - paid for by the taxpayer - may end up in the hands of foreign governments. (…) Following the privatisation, a stake in QinetiQ was bought by the Carlyle Group, the powerful US banking firm which has employed George Bush Senior as an adviser, John Major as chairman of its European arm, and has invested money on behalf of the wealthy Saudi Arabian bin Laden family."
From : The Observer

"The Manchurian Candidate of 1962, directed by John Frankenheimer from Richard Condon's thriller, is a chunk of America's psycho-history - as much oracle as movie - steeped in what Norman Mailer called "that concentration of ecstasy and violence which is the dream life of the nation". Not surprisingly, Jonathan Demme's remake, conceived in the aftermath of 9/11 and opening in the midst of the 2004 presidential campaign, has been received as an intervention, a desecration, a revision and an all-purpose metaphor. (…) The bogus military hero Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) and his commanding officer (Denzel Washington in the Sinatra role) have their brains washed during Operation Desert Storm; the title now refers to the mega- corporate Manchurian Global, part Halliburton, part Carlyle Group. Coup d'état has been reformulated as "regime change" and there's a red-meat evocation of "the first privately owned and operated vice president of the United States"."
From : The Guardian

"Nation alleges a clear conflict of interest in former Secretary of State James Baker serving as a special presidential envoy on Iraq's debt (trying to twist the arms of various nations to forgive the debts) at the same time the Carlyle Group, where he serves as an equity partner, has sought to secure a $1 billion investment from the Kuwaiti government in a deal involving transferring ownership of a substantial piece of those debts. Several academics call it an absolute conflict, while the Carlyle Group has responded to the article by asserting that it did not consent to be part of the consortium that clearly touted its political ties (including not just to Baker and Carlyle but to a firm that includes another former secretary of state, Madeleine Albright). The initial proposal clearly billed Carlyle as a major player in the consortium, noting Carlyle's own relationships with the likes of former President Bush and former British Prime Minister John Major."
From : Chicago Tribune

"The ability of Carlyle and KKR to write their investors such large cheques comes at a time of negative public market returns. The total return from the FTSE World Index over the past four years is down 5.6 per cent. However, the cash represents a mix of capital returned to investors as well as profits on deals.
Bill Conway, Carlyle founder and chief investment officer, said conditions were ripe for Carlyle to realise some of its investments. "It's the best 18 months we ever had," Mr Conway said. "We made money and we made it fast."
The rest of the story has Bill Conway stating that the big names on the Board, like George H.W. Bush and James Baker (former US Sec. of State) haven't added anything to the bottom line. But finishes up with Carlyle dropping a deal where it was seeking to advise Kuwaitis on money gathered from the UN Compensation Commission (handling compensation claims stemming from Iraq/Kuwait war) and simultaneously James Baker was helping to advise on Iraqi debt relief (including that same money being paid out through the UN Compensation Commission)."
From : The Financial Times

October 5, 2004 - Truth & Consequences: The Bush Administration and September 11 Center for American Progress

The Bush Administration maintained and strengthened its ties to the Saudi government upon taking office. As the Boston Herald reported, a "revolving U.S.-Saudi money wheel" exists "within President Bush's own coterie of foreign policy advisers." First and foremost, the current President's father "remains a senior adviser to the Carlyle Group" – an investment bank with deep connections to the Saudi royal family, and received $1 million for his Presidential library from the royal family. George W. Bush himself is also linked to the Saudi-backed Carlyle Group: he was a director of a Carlyle subsidiary called Caterair. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice "is a former longtime member of the board of Chevron which did business in the Saudi desert." And Vice President Cheney's tenure as CEO of oil giant Halliburton was among his dealings with "firms connected to the Saudis that paid big dividends."
From : Boston Herald

September 3, 2004 - Complaint against The Carlyle Group and Credit Lyonnais filed in New York

"On August 27, 2004 the law firm Thelen Reid & Priest LLP filed a suit in New York, on behalf of Otor, a company with headquarters in Paris, and some of its shareholders, against The Carlyle Group, as well as against three founders and managers of the fund and Credit Lyonnais Group. The complaint alleged that this action is based upon a conspiracy formulated in the United States by the defendants (see complaint attached) ."
From : Sirius Consulting

"Carlyle Group goes to the movies! Guess what theaters probably won't be showing Moore's movies in the future! [Washington Business Journal, Jeff Clabaugh, 06/28/04: Guess what theaters I won't go to again! ] District-based investment firm The Carlyle Group is one of three investors that have agreed to buy Loews Cineplex Entertainment from Onex Corp. and Oaktree Capital Management for $1.46 billion."
From : Link Thing

"The royal family is intimately linked to Washington's political and money power elite through a network of business and personal connections. The Bush family, and its entourage of Republican military-industrial complex deal makers, led by the Carlyle Group, has been joined at the hip for two decades with Saudis power princes and their financial front men. (…)"
From : Eric Margolis

"A wealth of original interviews conducted by vet documaker William Karel ("CIA, guerres secretes") are complemented by powerful first-person testimony from an assortment of Bush non-sympathizers, from Hans Blix to David Kay, whose comments are as authoritative as they're damning. (…) Broadcast June 18 on national network France 2, docu opened in Gallic theaters June 23 and hits video and DVD a week later. Americans (and others) who are allergic to Moore, but seek insight into why the actions of the Bush administration are rarely viewed as admirable beyond U.S. borders will find a thoughtful crash course here. Interviewees include Patriot 2 Act scribe Prof. Viet Dinh, Carlyle Group honcho Frank Carlucci and Richard Perle, himself, the last interviewed at his home in France's Luberon region, no less."
From : Yahoo News, Lisa Nesselson

"The defense investment firm Carlyle Group has purchased a portion of Loews Cinema for $2 billion. Carlyle Group is an investment firm with close ties to the Bush administration and the Saudi royal family. The former president Bush once served as an advisor. The current President Bush once headed a Carlyle-owned company. The sale coincidentally was announced just before the opening of Michael Moore's new film Fahrenheit 9/11 which examines Bush-Saudi ties as well as the Caryle Group. On Tuesday the motion picture film board rejected an effort by Moore to have his documentary rated PG-13 instead of R. The Washington Post also reports Carlyle Group has recently been buying up numerous major assets in the telecommunications industry including DDI, one of Japan's largest wireless data providers, the satellite network owner PanAmSat, and the phone directory company Dex Media. Carlyle is also attempting to buy Verizon's contract for local phone business in Hawaii."
From : Democracy Now

"Not content with lambasting the Bush administration, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 is now poised to bite the very hand that feeds it - albeit inadvertently. One of Moore's prime targets is the Carlyle Group, a Washington DC-based investment firm that allegedly links the Bush and Bin Laden families. The trouble is that the company recently became co-owner of the very cinema chain due to screen Fahrenheit 9/11 across America. On its US release this Friday, Moore's film will play on 59 screens of the Loews cinema chain. But Variety reports that the chain is now part-owned by the Carlyle Group, a defence contractor that Moore derides as a war profiteer with extensive ties with the Bin Ladens and the Saudi royal family. The first president Bush worked as a highly paid adviser to the company, while James Baker - chief of staff under Ronald Reagan - is currently employed as a senior counsellor.
Yesterday the film's independent distributor, Lion's Gate Films Releasing, appeared to be steering clear of the controversy, claiming that they were not even aware of the Carlyle Group's involvement in the Loews chain. "Loews has been very supportive," said Lion's Gate president Tom Ortenberg. In the meantime, Fahrenheit 9/11 is being tipped for a healthy opening in the US this Friday. Industry experts are already predicting that the film will go on to be history's biggest grossing documentary, surpassing the $58m global record set by Moore's previous film, Bowling for Columbine. According to Paul Dergarabedian of the box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, the controversy surrounding the film places it in a win-win situation. "If you love Moore, it's a no-brainer: you have to see it," he reasons. "But if you're one of his detractors, you have to know thy enemy's message." Fahrenheit 9/11 opens in the UK on July 9."
From : Critical History

Fahrenheit 9/11 Michael Moore's New Film

"Did you learn anything new from the film?
Yes. The film shows the Carlyle Group has no integrity and is making money on both sides [of the war]. Today, the Carlyle Group bought Loews, so if you don't see [the film] today, you may not see it." "
From : Village Voice, Matt Haber

"Bush and an advisory panel chose the team of RJ Natter & Associates-Piper Rudnick in March to lead Florida's base-protection campaign. (…) Natter is a recently retired Navy admiral. (…)
To Bush, Natter and his team must seem almost like family. Lobbying partner Piper Rudnick boasts such players as former U.S. Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas, the one-time House majority leader who crafted the very legislation that created the BRAC process.
By coincidence, Natter also recently joined the board of directors of a northern Virginia defense company called United Defense Industries. This is a business that, until recently, was closely affiliated with the Carlyle Group, an influential private investment group tied to both the Reagan and Bush administrations, and close friends of the Bush family.
Natter's fellow directors on the United Defense board include Frank C. Carlucci, the chairman emeritus of the Carlyle Group, and secretary of defense during the Reagan administration; United Defense chairman William E. Conway Jr., a Carlyle managing director; and Peter J. Clare, another Carlyle Group executive. Natter is succeeding Allan M. Holt, yet another Carlyle Group managing director, on the United Defense board.
(This project is not to be confused with another northern Virginia company, AES Corp., that recently won fast-track approval from Gov. Bush to build an underwater gas pipeline from the Bahamas to South Florida. AES chairman Richard Darman was federal budget director in the first Bush administration and is a senior adviser to the Carlyle Group.)"
From : Times Business Columnist, Robert Trigaux

Pictorial History of The Carlyle Group : Click Here!
More Notes and Articles Excerpts : Click here!

Stop Michael Moore Take action against the release of anti-American movie "Fahrenheit 9/11"

"So desperate are Bush Republicans to kill Michael Moore's latest film, Fahrenheit 9/11, they have hired a public relations firm to set up a web site attacking Moore. The site, MoveAmericaForward.com, claims to be 'non-partisan,' but a glance at the 'About' page of the site reveals the director and staff of Move America Forward are all diehard Republicans, anti-tax activists, and former legislative staffers. The PR firm is Russo Marsh & Rogers. Thanks to the detective work of WhatReallyHappened.com, it was revealed that Move America Forward's web site was registered in the name of Russo Marsh & Rogers. ... In short, Move America Forward's campaign is a Republican dirty trick designed to smear Moore and pressure move theater owners not to run his film."
From : Alternative Press Review, June 13, 2004 and PR Watch

"CPP Investments in Top-Ranking U.S. Military Contractors
Click on the link above for data on the CPP's public equity investments of Cdn$347 million in 36 of the top-ranking U.S. military prime contractors. The second page of this pdf file has a table detailing these corporation's annual sales to the U.S. Department of Defense and their ranking within the top 100 military prime contractors, 1996-2002. These corporations received US$352 billion in U.S. military contracts during those years. You'll also find information here on the CPP's private equity investments in General Motors and Carlyle Venture Partners II (owned by The Carlyle Group, which has close connections to the Bush and bin Laden families) (2 page PDF 41kb)"
From : Stop CPP War Investments

June 14, 2004 - Here are 20 questions that George Bush will never be asked much less answer

"15 An organization/business called CARLYLE GROUP, whose members include 3 Bin Laden brothers, your father, James Baker, Frank Carlucci, and several others from your administration, serves as a conduit for weapons sales between major defense contractors and governments all over the world. CARLYLE also rebuilds defense companies both financially and through market availability. Mr. President, you also served with the CARLYLE GROUP 1990-92. Dont you find this organization and its members in conflict of interest since they come directly from high government positions and are now selling weapons systems to those same governments? Dont you find it a conflict of interest when the CARLYLE GROUP advises governments what weapons systems to procure and what strategies to use against potential enemies?"
From : AngryRobot

"David Rubenstein, chief executive of the Carlyle Group, outlined Tuesday at an Economic Club of Washington dinner the history and current operations of Carlyle, claimed by Rubenstein to be the United States' largest private equity company, with $18 billion in asset value under management. Carlyle's history brings closely into focus a disturbing trend in the United States: the growth of crony capitalism.(…)
In Carlyle's case, suspicions are aroused by the number of former high government officials involved in its management. Rubenstein himself was formerly second to Stuart Eisenstat in President Jimmy Carter's domestic policy White House team (if he's made it so big now, why was some of this expertise not available to formulate Carter's singularly disastrous economic policy?) As he proudly proclaimed, Carlyle has made it a policy to recruit former high government officials; first Frank Carlucci, President Ronald Reagan's last Secretary of Defense, then President George H.W. Bush's Secretary of State James Baker and his Budget Director Richard Darman (as well as Bush himself, who gives speeches for the group.) Most recently former Senator George Mitchell (D.-Maine) has joined Carlyle (gee, do you think Carlyle believes Kerry's going to win in November?) (…)
Finally, in the disposal of businesses, particularly those with a government relationship, a senior ex-politician can also be exceptionally useful. For an initial public offering, sold through Wall Street, or for a sale to a private sector venture capitalist, such people will be beneficial only in assuring Carlyle's bona fides. However, for an acquirer which itself is a major government contractor, establishing a relationship with such a person may well be an extremely valuable facilitator of other business.
There are many ways in which a senior former politician can make himself useful in the private sector. For a lobbyist, he can lobby Congressmen and Cabinet officials to ensure that his client's needs are met. For a government contractor, he can add value to a bid proposal, thereby pushing his employer to the top of the bid selector's rankings. (…)
Carlyle, a unique institution, appears to have been the first to discover this exceptional benefit.(…)"
From : United Press International, Martin Hutchinson

"I've the honour and pleasure to announce here that the infamous proposal made by the not less infamous American Group Carlyle to buy 15% of GALP, the Portuguese oil company, has been defeated today! :D
Bin Laden and Bush scum, you are NOT welcome in Portugal! :D
-- -darwin-"
From : Google Groups