Krugman NYT: As Bechtel Goes

[seafan]

As Bechtel Goes

By PAUL KRUGMAN
November 3, 2006

Bechtel, the giant engineering company, is leaving Iraq. Its mission
- to rebuild power, water and sewage plants - wasn't
accomplished: Baghdad received less than six hours a day of electricity
last month, and much of Iraq's population lives with untreated sewage
and without clean water. But Bechtel, having received $2.3 billion of
taxpayers' money and having lost the lives of 52 employees, has come
to the end of its last government contract.

As Bechtel goes, so goes the whole reconstruction effort. Whatever our
leaders may say about their determination to stay the course complete
the mission, when it comes to rebuilding Iraq they've already cut and
run. The $21 billion allocated for reconstruction over the last three
years has been spent, much of it on security rather than its intended
purpose, and there's no more money in the pipeline.
The failure of reconstruction in Iraq raises three questions. First,
how much did that failure contribute to the overall failure of the war?
Second, how was it that America, the great can-do nation, in this case
couldn't and didn't? Finally, if we've given up on rebuilding
Iraq, what are our troops dying for?

snip

As for how this could have happened, that's easy: major contractors
believed, correctly, that their political connections insulated them
from accountability. Halliburton and other companies with huge Iraq
contracts were basically in the same position as Donald Rumsfeld: they
were so closely identified with President Bush and, especially, Vice
President Cheney that firing or even disciplining them would have been
seen as an admission of personal failure on the part of top elected
officials.

snip

Back in June, after a photo-op trip to Iraq, Mr. Bush said something I
agree with. "You can measure progress in megawatts of electricity
delivered," he declared. "You can measure progress in terms of oil
sold on the market on behalf of the Iraqi people." But what those
measures actually show is the absence of progress. By any material
measure, Iraqis are worse off than they were under Saddam.

And we're not planning to do anything about it: the U.S.-led
reconstruction effort in Iraq is basically over. I don't know whether
the administration is afraid to ask U.S. voters for more money, or
simply considers the situation hopeless. Either way, the United States
has accepted defeat on reconstruction.

Yet Americans are still fighting and dying in Iraq. For what?

[Marnieworld]

1. It's a times select article

Just mentioning this for anyone not registered. Love Krugman. Thanks for posting.

[beltanefauve]

4. The whole editorial here:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110306M.shtml

[seafan]

6. Thank you, beltanefauve! Information like this is critical, yet the NYT expects $$$$$.

People desperately need immediate access to information like this, to illuminate what is happening to us, and it absolutely shouldn't be hidden behind a pay firewall.

Thanks again.

[beltanefauve]

8. You're welcome

Other sites have tried to post "Times Select" and have been shut down, but Truthout.org seems to be able to prevail consistently.

[Jack Rabbit]

9. Thank you, beltranefauve

And to The New York Times:

[Danascot]

10. Read it here too

Krugman, Dowd, Herbert, Rich

Many of the Times Select columnists are posted here:

http://wealthyfrenchman.blogspot.com/

talking points:

As Bechtel goes, so goes the whole reconstruction effort. Whatever our leaders may say about their determination to stay the course complete the mission, when it comes to rebuilding Iraq they’ve already cut and run.

... the U.S.-led reconstruction effort in Iraq is basically over. I don’t know whether the administration is afraid to ask U.S. voters for more money, or simply considers the situation hopeless. Either way, the United States has accepted defeat on reconstruction.

[TomInTib]

2. So it is back to Domestic Fraud

Like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

A friend of mine is still getting screwed on that one.

[JDPriestly]

3. Iraq= money for Bechtel, Halliburton and other contractors

That's all it was ever about -- oh, yes, and then there was the oil.

[enough]

5. k&r

[Uncle Joe]

7. Well, after cutting out 21 billion, they are now running with it n/t

[Straight Shooter]

11. When it comes to profits, they know they've hit the point of diminishing returns.

It's time for the war profiteers to cut and run.