Congress strips profiteering penalties from $87.5 billion Iraqi bill

[Karmadillo]

I hadn't heard this anywhere else. Since the bill didn't need approval ASAP, it seems like the Democrats could have opposed passage until the Bush Administration accepted the anti-profiteering provisions. Might have, at least, forced a compromise and it might even have alerted the nation to the looting of the treasury by Bush cronies.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/nov2003/sena-n13.shtml

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Along with that provision, House and Senate conferees charged with reconciling differences in the versions of the bill passed by their respective bodies also cut out anti-profiteering and oversight provisions added in the original Senate debate. One amendment would have imposed jail terms of up to 20 years and heavy fines on anyone found defrauding either the US or Iraq.

That provision was added in the context of numerous reports of price gouging on contracts for government work in Iraq. Most notably, it was recently documented that Halliburton—the company that Richard Cheney headed for five years, which gave him a $33 million payout when he left to run for vice president, and which still pays him $180,000 a year—was charging the US Army $2.65 a gallon for gasoline imports, which would cost them only $0.90 a gallon to purchase in neighboring Kuwait.

According to a recent NBC News report, another politically connected Pentagon contractor, DynCorp, is hiring senior people to train Iraqi police at a cost to American taxpayers of some $400,000 a year per trainer, counting living expenses and tax liability reimbursements. Worth about $50 million so far, the contract—which had only one other bidder—is expected to generate $800 million in revenue to DynCorp over the next two years.

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A number of prominent Democrats made public statements critical of the dropping of the anti-profiteering amendment, including its co-sponsors Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Diane Feinstein of California, as well as Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, but not one of them dared demand a roll-call vote on the final bill, which would have put their votes on record.

more...

[papau]

1. 4 weeks of GOP speeches on Marsh Arab land fix - then they cut the $'s

Seems that the GOP was not really all that concerned with paradise being restored - and that evil Saddam draining the Marshes destroying the Shia home so as to control them -

After 4 weeks of speeches that had this as a major reason for $87 billion, the damn GOP cut it out - one of the few cuts to the bill.

Is there anything the GOP is NOT two faced about.

Is there anything that our US media will ever tell the public that even while true, might hurt the GOP/Bush image?

I love our media whores.

[RichM]

4. Bullshit. If you read the article, you'd see the Dems were just as bad.

Two parties, one corporate master. Get it?

[bryant69]

5. yeah

We may as well not even vote or bother working in politics in all. Democrats and Republicans are just as bad; we should just let whoevers in charge do whatever they want. Why be active when you can be apathetic?

Unless, you know, RichM is wrong and there is a difference between the two parties.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[redqueen]

2. And what exaclty is it that ails the Dem party?

How many bothered to show up at the vote on the $87 billion at all?

:mad:

[1songbird]

3. Now we know the real reason for the 30 hour debate

Operation distract and grab.....Organized crime in full effect.