June 28, 2007 (LPAC)--The London Financial Times is attacking Vice President Dick Cheney openly in its second editorial today entitled, "Shaming Britain: Department of Justice is right to investigate BAE Systems." As LPAC reported over the last two weeks, not only did Tony Blair, Lord Goldsmith, and Baroness Liz Symons all move to shut down the British government's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into BAE bribes to Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, but Cheney himself was involved in stopping the investigation--which reportedly came up in his November, 2006 trip to Saudi Arabia, arranged by Bandar himself.

Lyndon LaRouche, who was the first to identify the BAE matter as "the scandal of the century," commented today that what LPAC and all American readers need to know, is that the fight that has erupted in the Financial Times and London Times of June 28 over the quashing of the SFO investigation, "is part of a split within the ranks of the British. Between those who think that we shouldn't be annoying Her Majesty and those say, 'This is wrong.' This is a quarrel within British ranks -- and the target is Cheney.

"The Financial Times is saying, in effect, why don't you dump Cheney now--before he does more damage," said LaRouche, who also emphasized that "there's also a split in the Saudi ranks over this. And Cheney is the guy, from the Saudi standpoint, who is in the middle of it."

LaRouche added, "The world is saying, the time is NOW, to dump Cheney. The world is warning the United States that this is now the time to dump Cheney. And its only the people who hate the United States that defend Cheney."

Since the U.S. press persists in refusing to cover the BAE scandal, we provide the service of telling American readers what the Financial Times printed today in its editorial, "Shaming Britain: Department of Justice is right to investigate BAE Systems."

"The US Department of Justice has decided to launch its own probe into whether BAE systems, the British defence contractor that is also a large supplier to the Pentagon, has violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. That decision shows the UK government's arguments for suspending its investigation--that it would wreck a vital national security relationship with the Saudis and cost thousands of jobs--for what they are: specious realpolitik and economic excuses...."

"Allegations of bribery should be investigated: the law is the law. There are many in Saudi Arabia who want more transparency and the Saudis were never likely to cut off cooperation on national security matters. Britain might lose future arms sales if wrongdoing is exposed, but ignoring the law for the sake of economic expedience is an action of the mercenary and the cynical.

"Those in the Saudi government who put pressure on Britain to abandon the probe [!] have served their country poorly. They have turned a UK investigation into a U.S. inquiry and thrust Al-Yamamah into the international spotlight...." Gordon Brown should order cooperation with the DoJ probe for "redemption."