New Information May Bolster Questions on Halliburton

[Khephra]

The head of an Iraqi oil agency said yesterday that his group had been trucking in gasoline and other fuel to Iraq for considerably less money than Halliburton, which has so far received more than $700 million from the Army Corps of Engineers to stave off shortages there.

Separately, a report earlier this month by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan public policy research arm, warned that the Corps of Engineers might be paying too much to import fuel.

The disclosures support assertions by two senior House Democrats, Representatives Henry A. Waxman of California and John D. Dingell of Michigan, that Halliburton may be overcharging American taxpayers and Iraqis. The lawmakers sent a letter to the head of the Corps of Engineers yesterday asking it to look into the price disparity between the Iraqi agency's imports and Halliburton's.

The letter also noted new information released by the corps that most of the money to buy the fuel had come from a fund established by the United Nations meant to provide humanitarian aid to Iraq. The fund is under American control.

more...............

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/business/worldbusiness/22hal.html?ex=1067400000&en=c5e87fd78cb4efc2&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[Zhade]

1. Waxman is my Rep - damn, when he's good, he's GOOD.

When he's bad - I'm not sure, I've never really seen it, with exception to voting for the IWR, which he now publicly condemns as a mistake, and admits he made it on his own.

Lotta integrity, this guy. :)

[The Magistrate]

2. This Is Excellent News, Mr. Khephra

Let me see if my understanding correct.

Revenues from exporting Iraqi oil are to pay the costs of war and reconstruction, but oil is being imported into Iraq today for purchase by the U.S. Army.

The price of this is being paid from escrow accounts set up by the United Nations, seized upon by the U.S. Army, directly into the coffers of cronies of the current administration.

A local Iraqi concern can do the job at half the price, but cannot get the contract.

Words fail me.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[priller]

4. Gasoline, not oil being imported

Apparently Iraq cannot refine enough oil to supply its own gas needs?

[Devils Advocate NZ]

3. Oh Oh! This is HUGE news... forget the fuel prices, look where they...

got the money from!

The Army Corps of Engineers has misappropriated UN humanitarian funds to buy FUEL. It looks like the "FOOD for oil" program has become the "FUEL for oil" program!

The UN should be REAL pissed about this!

[dusty64]

5. More questions, I doubt it.

You see, there is NO (D) next to the names of the occupiers of the WH thus NO investigations or media scrutiny. When was the last time you saw or heard a reference to "Traitorgate", I haven't in more than a week. Let there be NO doubts whom our media serves. With the exception of Waxman and a few others there will be NO questions and our soldiers and Iraqi civilians will continue to be maimed and killed to further enrich our regime. I'm also convinced there WILL be another invasion before the Democratic primaries heat up, and there will be NO real opposition to it either (except maybe here on DU).

[Democat]

8. It's not just the media, it's our pathetic non-leader Democrats

Where is the campaign by Democrats to get the word out?

How many elected Democrats in the whole country dare to question Bush even now?

Most of them are wimps and losers who are probably going to cost us the 2004 election, just like they cost us 2002.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Halliburton admits it is fundamentally a waste of money

"Halliburton did not dispute that the Iraqis were buying fuel for a much lower price, saying instead that the nature of the company's contracts with the Corps of Engineers made it harder to get a better price from suppliers. The corps did not respond to an e-mail message seeking comment on the contract conditions.

Referring to a Halliburton unit working in Iraq, Wendy Hall, a Halliburton spokeswoman, said in an e-mail message from Houston that "contractually, KBR has been prevented from procuring fuel contracts for longer than a 30-day period."

"In addition," she said, "all services and their associated costs to execute the mission are subject to the same 30-day procurement limit, including trucks, trailers, depots and labor. Simple economics dictate that companies who are not bound by these guidelines, and are able to negotiate price on a long-term contract basis, can negotiate lower prices.""


So Halliburton now admit that Iraqis are able to get their country going far cheaper than foreign companies will be able to. In a sane world, this should mean that the contracts with Halliburton and other foreign companies should be cancelled immediately, and anyone who set them up should be sacked for incompetence. Would that be Dick Cheney, by any chance?

[havocmom]

7. Clears up the confusion about the UN being vital instead of irrelevant

The malAdministration's Corporate Masters figure they are stealing about all the US Treasury has to offer and now need another cash cow.

Halliburton is a money junkie. Write to congress and every paper in the nation suggesting we send it to Rehab with Rush.