Powerful Congressman Charles Rangel has not only earmarked about $2 million for a university center bearing his name, but, more importantly, has solicited additional funding for the center from people and organizations who have business before his committee. Some say that this is simply modern bribery in which the Congress looks the other way.
When it appeared that Kellog-Brown-Root, once part of Halliburton (and still may be), could not adequately explain over a billion dollars in billings, Mr. Charles Smith, a Pentagon contract manager, confronted the company. Without receiving an adequate answer to his queries, he then threatened to levy penalties of 15 percent on future work payments and to block future performance bonuses.
But Smith must have upset the Pentagon because he was suddenly fired. And instead of assigning a different contract manager to the case, the Pentagon hired an outside contractot to review the situation. Well, you can imagine the rest of the story. Not only was KBR exonerated and received all of its billings, but got bonuses on top of that. And guess what? KBR has been awarded a new 10-year $150 billion contract.
In the video below, it was anticipated that if the Democrats won the 2004 election, Henry Waxman's committee would deal sternly with war profiteers. But when the Democrats won, apparently nothing changed. For more see: Dina Rasor and NYTimes
The majority of Iraqi legislators have signed a letter to the U.S. Congress which states that they want a specific timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. The Iraqis are fearful of the U.S. now and, in its memo to Congress, call our presence, "occupying military forces." The Iraqis expressed disapproval of a U.S. proposed long-term occupation agreement which would give the American troops immunity from Iraqi laws, control of Iraq airspace, long-term military bases and the ability to carry on warfare within Iraq without Iraqi consent.
Although Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki ignored the Iraq Parliament earlier under severe pressure from the Bush administration to sign the agreement, he now is insisting on a timetable for withdrawal. Still, the Bush admionistration seems determined to force it upon Malili. If the Iraqis want a timetable for withdrawal, why does the Bush administration refuse? Are we no longer liberators? Have we become occupiers, as the Iraqis call us now? Is oil at the heart of the dispute?
Powerful Congressman Charles Rangel has not only earmarked about $2 million for a university center bearing his name, but, more importantly, has solicited additional funding for the center from people and organizations who have business before his committee. Some say that this is simply modern bribery in which the Congress looks the other way.
The majority of Iraqi legislators have signed a letter to the U.S. Congress which states that they want a specific timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. The Iraqis are fearful of the U.S. now and, in its memo to Congress, call our presence, "occupying military forces." The Iraqis expressed disapproval of a U.S. proposed long-term occupation agreement which would give the American troops immunity from Iraqi laws, control of Iraq airspace, long-term military bases and the ability to carry on warfare within Iraq without Iraqi consent.
