The Reconstruction Effort in Iraq
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-07-29/reconstruction-effort-iraq
U.S. Army Capt. Jody Brown, a physician from Charlie Company, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Combat Brigade Team, 25th Infantry Division, prescribes medication to a patient during a combined medical outreach program in Bata, Iraq, March 17, 2008
Tech. Sgt. William Greer, U.S. Air Force for the U.S. Army via Flickr
The US has spent fifty three billion dollars on reconstruction projects in Iraq. But a new report says billions remain unaccounted for. The future for Iraq after US forces draw down next month.
Guests
Stuart Bowen
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
Brian Katulis
Senior Fellow at Center American Progress, where his work focuses on U.S. national security policy in the Middle East and South Asia. Katulis has served as a consultant to numerous U.S. government agencies, private corporations, and nongovernmental organizations on projects in more than two dozen countries, including Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, and Colombia.
Jane Arraf
Iraq correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor
Comments
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I am curious to know - can you ask the Guests?????????
Do they know or were they told ... Why we invaded Iraq?
If not, what do they think the real reason is?
Do Iraqi people know or would like to know what the real motive was?
When confronted with this issue or questions by the Iraqi's, what would their answer is? Does this issue ever come up?
how much does 12 billion hundred dollar bills weigh? and how much space would it take to store it? (how much can you get onto an airplane?
This subject is making me physically sick. How dare the Bush administration, all of them, could get us in this mess in Iraq, lie about the cost of the war, the oil will pay for reconstruction, and we Americans are going without. People going without unemployment benefits and many other things, but there always is money to pay for this huge mistake. I will never forgive GWB for this disastrous decision.
Barbara, Saginaw, MI.
1. Paul Bremer changed the rule for accounting for DFI funds. The Army was using army accounting practices and Bremer said since it was Iraqi money it didn't have to be tracked and created an inadequate accounting system using excel spreadsheets.
2. The Government failed to implement the Standard Procurement System which would have tracked the money. Instead using Microsoft office to create contracts.
3. The Government required cash payments to contractors. When asked about it senior contracting officials said that they did it because Iraq was without a banking system. However many of the contractors were American and anyone could have gotten a bank account in Jordan or Kuwait.
4. Many of the contracts people (mostly contractors hired by CACI) or military had limited contract experience. They did not understand SPS or contracting rules. Some were recently released veterans and were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for basically On the Job Training.
5. There was no logistic system in place in Iraq and no funding for setting one up until August of 2004. Contracts were written to deliver equipment to Baghdad Airport where it was just set out on the tarmac. This included weapons and other critical items.
Why do we listen again and again and again these criminals from Center American Progress and American Enterpirse Institute, et. al.
If Obama Administration puts this criminal gang on to a plane and ship them to the Netherlands to Criminal Courts that means, the new Administration is harboring the Criminals, therefore we as the nation is guilty.
Can anybody with half a brain show one single incident proving that Iraq as a nation and its Military or its Leader has declared War against USA and has harmed a single American. No.
Then, an illegal war and illegal occupation took place; meaning the promoters, supporter and decision makers along with enablers, liars and actors have committed war crimes.
Can it be any simpler than this?
I believe Americans are also loathe to protest the war because to do so brought us accusations of lack of patriotism and being traitors. We are told we don't support our troops or our nation. We are told to shut up and still end up in wars we know are foolish and wrong. We are not protesting because we do not believe our voices are heard or wanted. How quickly 'you' forget when it all becomes common knowledge! The media was shamefully complicit in feeding the inaccuracies and hysterical patriotism that took us into these wars - I hope you'll remember to acknowledge that many of us aren't protesting now because we already have protested and were treated abominably for doing so. We have lost our faith in the American belief of our right to a differing opinion. We know now that facts are irrelevant and ignorant fear is in charge. Btw, I come from a long line of military men- blind pacifism does not explain my original objections to these wars.
There are laws and action for citizens who don't pay their taxes. Are there laws and recourse for the bureaucracies that , waste, lose, misuse, embezzle, squander and abuse our hard earned monies? Given the low and lowering trust of the government and this is yet another boondoggle, in a constant stream of mistakes, why should I even bother paying any taxes just know know it will be misused ? That is another constant of life - absurd and gross misuse of citizens energies. I'm getting more and more ashamed of this place.
I agree, but you can't stop there. It is NOW Barry Soetoro's (aka Obama) war. He has caved into the CIA and the multiple defense contractors to continue this war and expand into Pakiston. Open your eyes. Demos and Repubs are two sides of the SAME coin. It's a big game that they don't and won't allow 3rd parties to participate in. Barry could stop this crap, but he won't and you know it. He's a rich elitist like the rest of them.
Now we're told 9.5 billion dollars is missing of Iraqi money according to the Pentagon!!!
Books get fried by the private Enrons and by the American government. Of course with a central bank (the Fed) all we need to do is print more notes (I.O.U.'s) out of thin air.
Robert Taylor/Hondo, TX