The Political Chase

More Halliburton Overcharges

Halliburton, according to a Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) audit dated October 8, 2004, allegedly overcharged the U.S. government by more than $100 million. California Democrat Rep. Henry Waxman released parts of the audit today on his Web site, Committee on Government Reform Minority Office . Waxman questioned $108 million in costs by  Halliburton’s (VP Cheney former CEO) subsidiary Kellog, Brown and Root (KBR).

According to a Reuter’s report, “Halliburton defended its work in Iraq and said it had delivered fuel for the best possible price.”

I have two simple questions.

1. How many times is a government contractor, on a no-bid contract, allowed to say, “Oops!”?
2. Why does Iraq, which had 60% of the world’s oil reserves before the US invasion, have to import oil?

Reflect on the second question a bit. Regardless of what the answer to the question is, it cannot be a positive reflection on the U.S. government’s management of the peace (or absence of).

• Inability to produce or distribute internally is the wrong answer.
• I don’t know where it all went is certainly not the answer.
• We had to outsource the management of oil because we were not prepared to take on that function and thereby imports were required is not the right answer.

This too will be just like the 2004 Bush campaign. Say it does not exist or that it is not a problem enough times and it becomes reality. If the administration denies any impropriety, well then that’s obviously the facts and they are not to be disputed. C’est tu.

A December 2003 audit found that Halliburton overcharged the U.S. government. President Bush said if Halliburton  overcharged the U.S. government the money would have to be repaid.

Waxman et. al, in a letter to the President today stated, “Contrary to your assertions, however, the administration has withheld these audits from Congress for months and Halliburton has repaid nothing under this contract.” Waxman’s committee complained to the president that the administration had ignored more than a dozen requests for copies of KBR oil contracts.

Was Vice President Cheney tasked by the president to respond to the committee’s numerous requests or did the president just not respond?

The Past in the Present

Harry S. Truman said, “If you cannot convince them, confuse them.”

Another notable quote to consider is Ernest Benn’s: “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.”

George Bush, December 17, 2004 signing the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Act:

“…In a few minutes, I will sign into law the most dramatic reform of our nation’s intelligence capabilities since President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947.

Under this new law, our vast intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective. It will enable us to better do our duty, which is to protect the American people.