Thursday, September 27, 2007

What is it with the Clintons, China, and Satellites?

 
According to Wikipedia, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is an "agency of the United States Government with the primary mission of collection, analysis, and distribution of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in support of national security."

The NGA website describes a declassification effort for satellite imagery that was initiated by Bill Clinton in 1995. The declassification process hit high gear in 1997 at the behest of then-acting DCI George Tenet.

At the time, Senator Bob Kerrey -- who is now president of the progressive New School -- funded the declassification project, providing several million dollars in support.

Kerrey has since been heavily involved with satellite imagery, attending various conferences and seminars.

“I watched our military use, analyze, enhance and distribute these new [GMT] images in order to prepare our war fighters for battle and to help our peacemakers avoid the battle in the first place,” Kerrey said last August at the 26th Annual International User Conference held by ESRI, a leading global information system company...

Put simply, Kerrey is an expert at satellite imagery and helped facilitate the declassification of the U.S. Government's satellite data in conjunction with Bill Clinton and George Tenet.

Here's where things get interesting.

1) Kerrey has secured DOD contracts for the famously progressive and anti-war New School, where he now serves as president.

2) The New School also has deep ties to Bernard Schwartz, former head of Loral. Schwartz was reportedly involved with donations by the Chinese military to the Democratic National Committee in exchange for the right to access sensitive missile technologies. This technology may have been one of the main reasons that China was able to destroy a satellite in space this year, touching off fears of an arms race in space.

3) The New School reserved a prestigious post for Norman Hsu, Hillary Clinton's fundraiser extraordinaire-cum-fugitive (also a Chinese national), possibly at Schwartz's request.

4) The New School has other close connections to China through its ICI arm (the India-China Institute).

5) The New School has at least eight large donation bundlers (Hillraisers) in various board-level or trusteeship positions; these are folks who have each funneled $100,000 or more to Hillary

6) Hillary has sent her own pork-barrel contracts to the New School (e.g., a $1 million federal grant).

What is it with the Clintons, China, and satellites?

And what the heck is going on with the anti-war New School, its bizarre relationship with the military-industrial complex, and its astonishing number of "Hillraisers" (the elite $100K+ donation bundlers)?

Where the hell is Mike Wallace when you need him? Not that CBS would ever investigate Democrats, mind you, but still.

Also see:

Is the New School a cutout between China and the Clintons?

Congressional Record: Timeline of Clinton-China Decisions

Update: PrairiePundit and Mitchell Langbert and have picked up the story. More to come. Unless, as Reliapundit speculates, I turn up dead. If so, I ask you -- all three of my dear and valued readers -- to avenge me.

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