The U.S. State Department used accounting tricks to hide construction cost overruns in Iraq and knowingly withheld information from Congress, according to a federal audit released last week. One example cited by The New York Times was the construction of a children’s hospital in Basra that was supposed to cost $50 million. After being told by its contractor that the hospital would end up costing $98 million, the State Department’s agency that administers foreign aid classified the additional $48 million as overhead and still reported to Congress that the hospital project cost $50 million.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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24 Comments
Ken Lay was a guest of President Bill Clinton several times, and stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom at Clintons invitation.
And what does that have to do with the non-existent accounting in Iraq?Huh Paul?
Wouldn’t be doing a little spinning here would we?
This one is about the present admin., not the one from years ago.
Come on dude, get a grip.
You know when these two words are used by right-wing posters -”Bill Clinton” – that they have no way argument about the matter at hand. Sad…
Yes sad.No good point to argue Paul?Just do this:Bill Clinton!!Bill Clinton!!Bill Clinton!!
Man that cured me, I’m becoming Repugnican at this very moment.
PAUL! Are you trying for zero credibilty?
Even the Washinton Times corrected that myth, in Feb. 2002(scroll down)’An update on the Ken Lay/Lincoln Bedroom myth (2/28)’http://www.spinsanity.com/post.html?2002_02_24_archive.html
‘The Lay-in-the-Lincoln-Bedroom lie helps instruct us in where spin comes from.’http://www.dailyhowler.com/h022502_1.shtml
Name: Kenneth LayOccupation: Chair & CEO, Enron Corp.Industry: Energy & Natural ResourcesHome: Houston, Texas1999 Salary & Perks: $42.4 Million
Political Contributions: Bush Gubernatorial Races: $122,500Republican Hard Money: $145,850Republican Soft Money: $250,000Democratic Hard Money: $39,000Democratic Soft Money: $0Federal PAC Hard Money: $17,200Total Contributions: $574,550Soft Money from Employer: $1,953,350to Republicans: $1,501,000to Democrats: $452,350—–
Damn the facts .morg, Paulie knows you’re lying cause you AIN’T agreeing with him.
Saddam shipped his WMDs to Ken Lay and he then gave them all to Hillary Clinton.
“PAUL! Are you trying for zero credibility”
He’s already there cos!
Paul you routinely whine that I bully you. I’m sure you’ll get around to doing that here too. But when you post something like that last of yours, I say exposing you as a depthless two dimensional shill is a public service! You are even slipping by your own standards! You missed the opportunity to tell us that the New York Times is probably going to get us all killed for reporting these fraudulent accouting practices of the State Department!
That wasn’t a post Paul that was a pose you stuck up there.
Now I’ll get back to the subject. Paul’s rather poor attempt to re-direct the thread noted and dispatched.
We’ve got good researchers here. I’ll bet lots more examples of accouting fraud in Iraq are out there. This would be a good place to get some sunlight on them.
See that’s really pretty important. As long as someone somewhere outside the line of fire is making obscene profits from this war, those IN the line of fire will be kept fighting it.
My last was referencing Paul F Rosell. It crossed with “Paul”.
Bill Clinton !!Bill Clinton !!Bill Clinton !!
Sorry JR. I’m trying to shake the Repugnicanism, But Paul’s intelligent and informative posts have really got a grip on me.Bill !!Clinton !!
Bi !!Cli !!
B !!C !!
B !!
Oh THANK GOD!!I think I’ve shook it off for now.
Tracy – I’m envisioning you doing a St. Titus type dance during this exorcism! Maybe the Funky Chicken on speed?
I’m glad you are feeling better TRACY.
Hmmmm……Looks like Paul F Rosell has picked up a troll. The troll Paul writes better than the real one!
Tracy your right. I’ll come clean Ken lay was murdered by the Republican shadow government. Inside sources indicate that Lay’s knowledge of Cheney’s secret energy plans made him an unreliable assert and was terminated. His fate was similar to Vince Fosters.
bawk-bawk, bawk, BAAAAAWK.OUCH.Sorry, I think I just passed a repugnican!
Seriously who is going to pay for this? What are we paying for? And why are we building stuff in a war zone to begin with?
Bush Admin May Have Violated 26 Statutes, Dems Say
By Justin Rood – July 31, 2006, 1:53 PM
The Bush administration may have broken over two dozen federal laws and regulations — some of them multiple times — according to an unreleased report from the House Judiciary Committee Democrats.
“The misconduct I have found is not only serious, but widespread,” reads a draft summary of the report by Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI):
The laws implicated by the Administration’s actions include federal laws against making false statements to congress [sic]; federal laws and international treaties prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; federal laws concerning retaliating against witnesses and other government employees; Executive Orders concerning leaking and other misuse of intelligence; federal regulations and ethical requirements governing conflicts of interest; the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; communications privacy laws; the National Security Act; and the Fourth Amendment.
In earlier days such a report would be easily ignored. But with the looming possibility of Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives in November, Conyers’ charges pose a potentially serious threat to the Bush administration. After all, it takes only a simple majority vote in the House to impeach a sitting president.
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001238.php
Actually you’d be much closer to the truth if you compared the way Cheney hid cost overruns at Halliburton, to the way the Pentagon hid them. More proof that Cheney is this government’s real CEO.
“Seriously who is going to pay for this? What are we paying for? And why are we building stuff in a war zone to begin with?”
Morq, why do you hate america? Why do you love the terrorists? I bet Ossama is hiding under your bed…
hehehe. Oops, I forgot the “sarcasm off” symbol.
“Morq, why do you hate america? Why do you love the terrorists? I bet Ossama is hiding under your bed”
I hope so he’s not in Iraq
Right now, Iraq may be the safest place for Osama.
I guess a 6′7″ arab dragging a dialysis machine could easily hide anywhere from american troops…
…and if they DID manage to stumble over ossama like they did saddam?
heheh. The truth is always a bitch. I, for one, would like to hear what ossama has to say about his and his family’s relationship with the bush crime family…
heheheheheheheh
The only soevern contry I invaded was NOT Monaco, it was Monica!
I was no where to be found when the new bush in the whitehouse invaded iraq and afghanstan! Its all because of one bush or another. Its Monica’s fault! She does not hold a cigar to the new kid creating havoc around the globe.