WP: U.S. Plan to Build Iraq Clinics Falters

[Pirate Smile]

U.S. Plan to Build Iraq Clinics Falters
Contractor Will Try to Finish 20 of 142 Sites

By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, April 3, 2006; Page A01

BAGHDAD -- A reconstruction contract for the building of 142 primary health centers across Iraq has run out of money, after two years and roughly $200 million, with no more than 20 clinics now expected to be completed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says.

The contract, awarded to U.S. construction giant Parsons Inc. in the flush, early days of reconstruction in Iraq, was expected to lay the foundation of a modern health care system for the country, putting quality medical care within reach of all Iraqis.

Parsons, according to the Corps, will walk away from more than 120 clinics that on average are two-thirds finished. Auditors say its failure serves as a warning for other U.S. reconstruction efforts due to be completed this year.

-snip-
Coming with little public warning, the 86 percent shortfall of completions dismayed the World Health Organization's representative for Iraq. "That's not good. That's shocking," Naeema al-Gasseer said by telephone from Cairo. "We're not sending the right message here. That's affecting people's expectations and people's trust, I must say."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/02/AR2006040201209.html

[LynnTheDem]

1. And the GOOD NEWS is....

what?

Biggest FUBAR in US history. Way to go, bush! :eyes:

[brooklynite]

18. Well, none of the jobs were outsourced to India...

[BillZBubb]

2. Surprise! Surprise!

Nothing the Chimperor touches turns to anything but shit.

[marmar]

3. Yet another in a long list of U.S. failures in Iraq....

It's like an Old Testament scroll at this point.

[Blue_Tires]

4. run out of money? LOL

what happened to all those metric tonnes of cash sent over by the planeload?

oh, nevermind....

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. If the dems grab control of at least...

ONE of the houses of Congress, if not both, the massive theft of funds should be on the very short list of things to tear up.

[Blue_Tires]

20. I would certainly hope so

but who knows?

[radfringe]

16. did anyone check

Cheney's pockets?

[Blue_Tires]

21. even HE must have gotten his fill by now

and stepped back to allow someone else to do some stealing...it would be funny if it were not so tragic...

there are only TWO things in abundant supply in Iraq--American Cash and Death...Heck, I'm kind of inclined to hop a flight over there myself so I can at least get a few grand to pay bills and see a doctor.

[jaysunb]

6. No trouble with them base's though....

:evilfrown:

[C_U_L8R]

7. The Republicans can't do anything right

but every time you can be sure of one thing...
the money will be ALL gone before they're done.

Republican - It Rrhymes with Incompetent ™

[UpInArms]

8. U.S. Plan to Build Iraq Clinics Falters (only 20 out of 142 - out of $$)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/02/AR2006040201209_pf.html

BAGHDAD -- A reconstruction contract for the building of 142 primary health centers across Iraq is running out of money, after two years and roughly $200 million, with no more than 20 clinics now expected to be completed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says.

The contract, awarded to U.S. construction giant Parsons Inc. in the flush, early days of reconstruction in Iraq, was expected to lay the foundation of a modern health care system for the country, putting quality medical care within reach of all Iraqis.

Parsons, according to the Corps, will walk away from more than 120 clinics that on average are two-thirds finished. Auditors say the project serves as a warning for other U.S. reconstruction efforts due to be completed this year.

<snip>

Coming with little public warning, the 86 percent shortfall of completions dismayed the World Health Organization's representative for Iraq. "That's not good. That's shocking," Naeema al-Gasseer said by telephone from Cairo. "We're not sending the right message here. That's affecting people's expectations and people's trust, I must say."

<snip>

Stuart Bowen, the top U.S. auditor for reconstruction, warned in a telephone interview from Washington that other reconstruction efforts may fall short like that of Parsons. "I've been consumed for a year with the fear we would run out of money to finish projects," said Bowen, the inspector general for reconstruction in Iraq.

...more...

[kskiska]

9. DUPE

Contractor Will Try to Finish 20 of 142 Sites

Monday, April 3, 2006; A01

BAGHDAD -- A reconstruction contract for the building of 142 primary health centers across Iraq has run out of money, after two years and roughly $200 million, with no more than 20 clinics now expected to be completed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says.

The contract, awarded to U.S. construction giant Parsons Inc. in the flush, early days of reconstruction in Iraq, was expected to lay the foundation of a modern health-care system for the country, putting quality medical care within reach of all Iraqis.

Parsons, according to the Corps, will walk away from more than 120 clinics that on average are two-thirds finished. Auditors say its failure serves as a warning for other U.S. reconstruction efforts due to be completed this year.

Brig. Gen. William McCoy, the Army Corps commander overseeing reconstruction in Iraq, said he still hoped to complete all 142 clinics as promised and was seeking emergency funds from the U.S. military and foreign donors. "I'm fairly confident," McCoy said.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/02/AR2006040201209.html

[Roland99]

10. These same people want to shut clinics here in the US

:banghead:

[Erika]

11. This was just previously posted.

Yes, W is shutting down our health care clinics and is being brutal in doing so. He feels that the Iraqis are far more deserving of our tax $ than our own citizens.

[mallard]

13. Re: It's not that America doesn't owe Iraq

... some kind of tangeable benefit for being invaded and having most of its public venues bombed out, above and beyond the quality of life adjustments that go with destroyed power and water systems, etc.

We can agree perhaps that the reasons for this debt were totally avoidable, and accruing them involved radical bold lies by an aministration promising many other good results.

The point is there were 140-something clinics planned for and even supposedly paid for, but those promises of good results have again fallen miserably short.

The Iraqis were way better off before the invasion, before the lights went out and before the rape and pillage ever turned into widespread insurgency, terrorism and civil war.

[gratuitous]

12. Gee another contractor defaults

But I'll bet they collected every penny of tax dollars promised under the contract.

I wonder who in the White House is on the Parsons payroll?

[UpInArms]

14. some background on Parsons

http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=15954&s2=21

The present Chairman / CEO James McNulty was a STAR WARS program director in the Pentagon.

Parsons, through its Board of Governors, has connections with AT&T, Citigroup, Wal-Mart, Safeway, Pepsi Co. Food Systems, Ernst & Young, Dunhill Technologies and the Pentagon, as well as universities and further institutions.

The CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY, a \"non-profit, nonpartisan watchdog organization that investigates public service and ethics-related issues, provides further information.

In July 2003, \"Parsons and Australia-based Worley Corp. submitted a proposal to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair and restore Iraq's OIL infrastructure, a job previously awarded to HALLIBURTON Corp., on a sole-source basis.... Among its many notable projects in the area is the ongoing redesign and restoration program for the KUWAIT OIL COMPANY —a contract issued to Parsons following the first Gulf war.
Read more ...

"On January 22, 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority's Program Management Office in Baghdad awarded Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group Inc. a contract worth $31,136,252 for the renovation of the Tadji military base and the Iraqi Armed Forces recruiting stations."
Read more ...

Campaign Contributions of Post-war Contractors
From 1990 through fiscal year 2002

Parsons Corp. $1,403,508

at OpenSecrets.org

http://opensecrets.org/industries/indus.asp?Ind=C04

the trend for Construction Services is definitely skewed to the GOPpiggies.

http://opensecrets.org/industries/indus.asp?Ind=C04

(you have to go to the link to see the graphs)

[struggle4progress]

15. A good example of Republican health care reform. eom

[Pirate Smile]

17. kick

[LeftHander]

19. We want healthcare for Iraqi's!!!.......

So we spent $200 million on healthcare for Iraqi's when we have gobs of people without healthcare here.

I think I want the US to invade Wisconsin. Maybe we will get some healthcare and education funding then.

Can we lobby Washington for a invasion of Wisconsin? We could say it is to liberate Wisconsinites from...from...chesse! Or BEER or something...I don't know.