The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction reported that the U.S. government has wasted tens of millions of dollars in reconstruction aid. When you spend more than $300 billion to help rebuild a war-torn country, there’s going to be a certain amount of waste and fraud. Still, this isn’t acceptable, and the report’s timing hurts President Bush’s new request for an additional $1.2 billion in new reconstruction aid.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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28 Comments
STAY THE COURSE!
We are coming up on the FOUR year anniversary of MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. – just three more months.
Are we going to have some sort of National Celebration? A Federal Holiday? Dancing in the streets? Green Beer?
Whoops! I guess the MISSION (?) hasn’t been ACCOMPLISHED yet.
My bad.
So far, we are up to two gleeful Libs. How high will the count go to this time?
Wow – less than 1/3 of 1%.
In any business – that’s damned good!
Anyone care to hazard a guess as to how much money (percentage wise) is lost to welfare fraud in any given year?
The reconstruction effort in Iraq is more fiscally accountable than Welfare.
Who woulda thunk it?
“So far, we are up to two gleeful Libs”
We were told that the MISSION was ACCOMPLISHED, Fleet, almost four years ago.
Remember? Bush had to fight on fighter plane to the deck of the carrier becasue it was too far out to sea for a helicopter. He had to wear a flight suit with his name and his “rank.”
Remember? The war was going to cost $50 billion. It was going to last six days, six years, certainly not six months.
Remember? Bush told Pat Robertson that we would not have ANY casualties.
Remember? Those of us on the left were called anti-American, traitors, cowards, terrorist appeasers because we were against the war.
Remember all that Fleet?
Now Bush wants to borrow another $1.2 billion from the Chinese so that he can “pay” Haliburton for the reconstruction of Iraq.
And why does Iraq need to be reconstructed by Haliburton?
Because we blew it up.
The mission accomplished deal has been explained over and over again. You just choose to ignore it.I do remember the left being called horrible names, but only because it was/is true.
Our being successful in Iraq is you people’s worst nightmare.
“The mission accomplished deal has been explained over and over again”
Sorry, Fleet, I missed the explanation somewhere. I seem to remember that your guy said the MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS WERE OVER.
So, since then about 3,000 Americans have died, 20,000 have been injured to the degree that they cannot return to service and we have spend $500 billion.
So what did I miss, Fleet?
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?
Do you mean that we shouldn’t take Bush at his word?
gsheridan, The CPA “misplaced” 8.8 BILLION dollars IN CASH. that’s a little bit more than “less than 1/3 of 1%” in my or anyone else’s book. Well those that are being honest anyway.
Saw a good documentary about this. Can’t remember the name just now. There is HUGE money to be made in Iraq by a handful of corporations that do the jobs the troops used to do or still DO for far less compensation. And there is of course profligate waste.
I’ve an idea.
Dems shouldn’t cut the funding for the mission.
They should cut off the funding for ALL pentagon spending not personell related No more planes, tanks or popguns until the mission in Iraq ends.
Watch a WHOLE lotta people turn anti bush misadventure!
“Our being successful in Iraq is you people’s worst nightmare.”
What we have now, a quagmire and civil war in Iraq, is the best we’re going to get until we can see that there is something necessary besides a military solution to a political problem.
We cannot precipitously withdraw, unless we are wanting the spill-over from Iraq to spread to the broader mid-east. It will become regional ethnic war and threaten the supply of world oil. We and the rest of the world cannot afford that.
The diplomatic response required here will not be implemented until Bush leaves office. I say investigate Bush and Cheney — waiting two years to rid our country of those two incompetent buffoons is too long.
GS -
Welfare fraud??? I guess if I were arguing your side, I would definitely want to change the subject.
J R:
The documentary you mention was this one:
Robert Greenwald’s Iraq for Sale. Thursday, March 1st
The story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war.Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed, and Uncovered) takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Iraq for Sale uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so.
At Butler Community College in the 5000 building, Room 5185
715 East 13th Street in Andover (1/3rd of a mile east of Andover Road on 13th)
7:30-9:00 pm
Come early for “previews”
For more information, follow this link: http://www.iraqforsale.org
Thank you Steven.
I don’t care WHERE you stand on the Iraq thing. That film will make you angry.
It SHOULD make fiscal conservatives livid.
I used the past tense in my intro above, but that showing of the film is scheduled for 03-01-07.
Fleet, I am still waiting for the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED explanation – I missed it the first time around.
And by the way, how do you explain to the families of the dead American service men and women that Bush really didn’t MEAN Mission Accomplished?
Is Cheney handling the monetary expenditures in Iraq?
It seems about as accurate as his many “right on the money” predictions about the progress of the War!
I really sleep well at night knowing he has the Shrub’s ear 24/7!
…I was understanding that the State Department handles the money for reconstruction not the Defense…Yes there is big money to be made if you are a contractor in a war zone…Why not? They are risking their lives…State Department also deals with the politicians and etc….So much has been laid on the heads of the poor GIs everyone is looking in the wrong direction…
The second biggest “army” in Iraq is not the English–it’s the 25,000 private contractors who make up a mercenary force answerable to no one.
Remember how Bush Co. condemns “private militias.” What he means by that are Iraqi private militias. Blackwater, CACI, Kellogg Brown & Root etc. etc. are just fine–even though they were in large part responsible for the Abu Ghraib scandle.
When the full scope of the fraud finally comes out, the money siphoned off to Bush cronies will total into the many BILLIONS of dollars.
Welfare fraud?! Are you kidding me? It’s welfare for the rich that’s bankrupting the country.
… is abbreviation for “full of sh*t”
And we’re just talking infrastructure work and troop suppport here.
Stop and think about this.
IF bush is honest in his desire to stand Iraq up so we can stand down? (NOT a given)
Well they’re going to need a whole lot of tanksand guns and helicopters and planes, and ships etc. aren’t they? You know, since we blew all of their old stuff up? Right now 1 mediocre Iranian division could crush the Iraqi military.
Now, who gets to pay for that? And who do they buy the stuff from?
3 words, my friends (and those who aren’t).
Military Industrial Complex
Send the IRS after them, they go after Americans for far less than a million dollars …..
Are Fleet and Sheridan related?
Repost…..
Fleet, I am still waiting for the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED explanation – I missed it the first time around.
And by the way, how do you explain to the families of the dead American service men and women that Bush really didn’t MEAN Mission Accomplished?
A relevant cartoon:
http://www.markfiore.com/animation/outsourcing.html
Also, check out this Dick Cheney “fireside chat” (warning: it sounds a lot like a fleet enema analysis on world problems – just funnier):
http://www.markfiore.com/animation/chat.html
GS,So are you saying because there is fraud in one govenment program that it’s ok for these private contractors to rip off the Government too? It is not ok with me. I pay too many taxes to have Gw’s cronies and friends take advantage of the US.
…Notes those who like to shame the brave military men on the aircraft carrier who wrote the sign Mission Accomplished…ponders why WSClark likes to continually shame military men using the phrase Mission Accomplished…Figures WSClark never served a day in the military and doesnt have a clue…
Gee, you’d think those Patrick Henry College rejects would have done a better job being a bunch of homeschoolers. Bush better find out who is responsible and pin another Presidential Medal of Freedom on his chest.
re: “full of crap” – “Notes those who like to shame the brave military men on the aircraft carrier who wrote the sign Mission Accomplished”
From this CNN news report:http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/30/speech.anniversary/index.html
Some months later, when questioned about the “Mission Accomplished” banner, Bush said it was put up by the ship’s crew. But the White House later conceded it produced and paid for the banner as part of the president’s visit.