Report Links Iraq Deals to Bush Donations

[prolesunited]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Companies awarded $8 billion in contracts to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan have been major campaign donors to President Bush, and their executives have had important political and military connections, according to a study released Thursday.

The study of more than 70 U.S. companies and individual contractors turned up more than $500,000 in donations to the president's 2000 campaign, more than they gave collectively to any other politician over the past dozen years.

The report was released by the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based research organization that produces investigative articles on special interests and ethics in government. Its staff includes journalists and researchers.

The Center concluded that most of the 10 largest contracts went to companies that employed former high-ranking government officials, or executives with close ties to members of Congress and even the agencies awarding their contracts.

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?floc=FF-APO-1107&idq=/ff/story/0001%2F20031030%2F113288134.htm&sc=1107&photoid=20031029PMM109

Center for Public Integrity: http://www.publicintegrity.org

[hlthe2b]

1. well, duhhh.....

Glad they finally document it though....

[lovedems]

2. Now we know the real reason for the war in Iraq

Bush had to "pay back" all of those large campaign contributions. That is why there is talk of Syria. It is a pay back promise for all those contributing so much right now.

[Robb]

3. Invest in America

...Buy a Congressman.

What an excellent ROI... :eyes:

[grasswire]

4. this must be...

....why Poppy quit the Carlyle Group (or at least appears to have done so)

[RuB]

5. George you ignorant sonofabitch you just pissed on my shoe.

[Jokerman]

6. That's the best caption I've seen in a long time.

I can just hear dickless saying those words.

[RuB]

13. the alternative was george writing dicks name on the sidewalk. eom

[pmbryant]

7. Once upon a time, journalists would have investigated this themselves

Now they wait until an organization like the Center for Public Integrity does a study to point out what is right in front of everybody's nose.

Frankly, it's pathetic that this is what it takes to get this story reported in the mainstream press.

:-(

--Peter

[Kolesar]

8. Local TV stations have skeleton crews for reporting

What is wrong with the newspapers and magazines though? Decreased readership and revenues, perhaps, but I think that it is simply bias to the establishment.

[pmbryant]

9. Why couldn't the NY Times or the Washington Post investigate this?

Or Newsweek or Time? Or any of the TV networks?

I'm not expecting local news to do this. Local news has been pathetic for a long time.

--Peter

[NNN0LHI]

12. NYT has front page stories ghostwritten by Chalabi using Judith Millers...

...byline made up of nothing but lies but yet can't find this stuff on the internet and expose it? Nice, huh?

Don

[jeanmarc]

10. This story is missing the other side of this

I'm not familiar with this industry, and perhaps these are the only players going, but shouldn't there be other players left out?

Isn't there some company that can be interviewed about not getting a good contract, even though they could do a similar or better job?

The right wing will defuse this as simply a matter of coincidence: that the largest most able companies give lots of campaign contributions, who else could have done this work?

There's two answers to give: 1) maybe you are right about that, but shouldn't these companies have been required to bid against each other? if it had to happen soon, okay, they are there, but it's time to rebid. Time to play catchup on making this bidding process happen. 2) Some lazy ass reporter has to find some contractors unhappy with the whole thing, that they could have done the job as well.

[Kolesar]

15. Maybe we should contact the rival companies

DU has accomplished a few coups like this.

[Zero Gravitas]

11. not only is this Admin the most incompetent in recent memory

it is also the most corrupt.

[young_at_heart]

14. Maybe a few Democratic leaders will check this out?

Surely we are not the only ones wondering why this is happening.

[stevedeshazer]

16. Once upon a time

they would have. Not anymore, I'm afraid. We'll see.

[TahitiNut]

17. duplicate

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=191353

I'm locking this thread. Interested DUers are welcome to continue discussing this in the referenced thread.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,
TahitiNut - DU moderator