Thursday, February 08, 2007
Bush gave him a medal:In a New York Times editorial, The Fog of Accountability, we read: (emp add) The details emerging provide a lesson in how easily cash can evaporate into the fog of an unmonitored war. One $500 million outlay was explained away with a one-word record entry — “security” — in the provisional authority’s books. Ten disbursements ranging from $120 million to $900 million have no documentation at all, as if they were petty cash. Paul Bremer III, the former chief of the administration’s provisional authority, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee this week that Iraq was strictly a cash economy with primitive banking, and that there had been no alternative but to spur reconstruction with a fast and poorly documented infusion of billions. “There are no perfect solutions in Iraq," said Mr. Bremer, still cocky despite the now increasingly apparent and seemingly limitless failures of his tenure.
According to the inspector general and Congressional investigators, Mr. Bremer’s provisional authority, with the full backing of the White House and the Pentagon, doled out an estimated $12 billion to dodgy ministries — duffle bags full, some of it from the backs of pickups. Remember what Bush did on 14 December 2004? 
Bremer is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
When will this clown show end?
posted by Quiddity at 2/08/2007 12:48:00 AM
3 comments
You left out the best part:
[blockquote]
"Bremer's financial adviser, retired Admiral David Oliver, is even more direct. The memorandum quotes an interview with the BBC World Service. Asked what had happened to the $8.8bn he replied: "I have no idea. I can't tell you whether or not the money went to the right things or didn't - nor do I actually think it's important."
Q: "But the fact is billions of dollars have disappeared without trace."
Oliver: "Of their money. Billions of dollars of their money, yeah I understand. I'm saying what difference does it make?"
[/blockquote]
Is their a single quote in the world that better expresses the true US attitude towards Iraq? Screw this crap about democracy, respect and so on. When push comes to shove it's "them" and "their money" and who really gives a toss about it, cause it's not like it affects real people like us.
As always, I imagine this quote and story will be forgotten by the US media within a week, but twenty years from now Iraqis will still be telling their kids how the US invaded their country, totally fscked up everything, and treated them with utter contempt, as evidenced by this quote.
Next question is, how much of the $9-$12 billion dumped over there has been used to buy the arms that are killing our soldiers?
I know a contractor who took home $35K in his suitcase. He did security during his days off and got paid cash.
All that plus $20K a month. Nice paying job if you can survive it and don't, you know, mind killing people.
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