Feith-Based Initiative (Bush Admin Iraq Man has firm involved w/ Iraq?)

[Khephra]

With a great chunk of President Bush's proposed $87 billion scheduled to flow to Iraqi reconstruction "big time," as they say, we've come across a most timely announcement from the highly regarded international corporate and commercial law firm of Zell, Goldberg & Co.

The firm "has recently established a task force dealing with issues and opportunities relating to the recently ended war with Iraq," its Web site announced. With offices in Israel and Washington, the firm says it "is assisting regional construction and logistics firms to collaborate with contractors from the United States and other coalition countries in implementing infrastructure and other reconstruction projects in Iraq. Through its Washington, D.C., office, ZGC is also assisting American companies in their relations with the United States government in connection with Iraqi reconstruction projects as prime contractors and consultants."

Interested parties can reach the law firm through its Web site, at www.fandz.com. Fandz.com? Hmmm. Rings a bell. Oh, yes, that was the Web site of the Washington law firm of Feith & Zell, P.C., as in Douglas J. Feith, former Pentagon official in the Reagan administration and now undersecretary of defense for policy and head of -- what else? -- reconstruction matters in Iraq.

It would be impossible indeed to overestimate how perfect ZGC would be in "assisting American companies in their relations with the United States government in connection with Iraqi reconstruction projects."

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

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51378-2003Sep9.html

[teryang]

1. It is only fitting that a regime based on corruption

Should reward its political appointees with the plums of patronage so that lobbyists for Israel and former law firms can become wealthier than gods. Don't worry I'm sure there is a "chinese wall" that makes this gross war profiteering and appearance of absolute corruption perfectly "legal."

Our enemies are rejoicing. A corrupt government is a weak government.

[izzie]

3. With the crooks we has around now , we will all need to stake out

our own garbage can for supper.

[punpirate]

2. In the not-too-distant past...

... these people would be in jail for graft and influence-peddling.

Now, they're brazen about it. Perle gets caught, and he gives up the Defense Policy Board chairmanship for an ordinary seat on the board, instead of getting his ass thrown out and prosecuted.

A company formerly headed by the current Vice-President of the United States (and which is still paying him a million dollars a year) gets open-ended, non-competitive contracts to provide support services and reconstruction of oil fields in a country the V-P plotted to invade.

Friends in the administration are now going so slowly in the investigations of major fraud-related bankruptcies such as WorldCom and Enron that the top people in those corporations may never be indicted before the statute of limitations runs out.

But lying about a blow-job is impeachable. Boggles the mind, does it not?

[xchrom]

4. nice lay-out

that's it exactly -- huge financial wrong doings -- i.e. the taxppayers are footing the bill for this outrageous behavior.
and leave us not forget the money that polluting energy producers won't have to spend cleaning up after themselves.
the little guy pays out his/her pocket and with his/her health.

[punpirate]

5. A good point...

... made more particular by Bush's rules to modify Superfund funding--as the fund depletes because polluters have not paid into the fund, over half of the cost will likely now be borne by the taxpayers. The guiding principle of the Superfund legislation was that the polluters must pay to clean up their messes. They managed to drag their feet long enough for a compliant Bush to enter the White House, and it's a good chance now (depending upon court rulings) that the taxpayers will foot the bill.

That does not even address changes in EPA rules which allow polluters to build onto old equipment without adhering to new rules.

Yours is a point well-taken--it's yet another instance of the corruption of this bunch.

Cheers.

[TacticalPeek]

6. So that goddam love of moola rears it's ugly head again.

These creeps need rooting out.