The Palace at Halliburton Square is now officially "ours"

[Yael]

Today, the US government took possession of the $600 million (!!!!!) US Embassy in downtown Baghdad.

is entirely self-sufficient with its own fresh water supply, electricity plant, sewage treatment facility, maintenance shops and warehouses.

You know -- those luxuries that the Iraqi people used to have before we bombed the snot out of their country...

[Yael]

1. Forgot the linkage

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2364255.ece

[Cooley Hurd]

2. To get a sense of the sheer SIZE of it:

Outlined in RED is the new US Embassy. Outlined in BLUE is the Iraqi Parliament Building.

:wow:

[slipslidingaway]

7. Thanks for the comparison photo, the Iraqi's must be so happy!

:sarcasm:

[Faux pas]

3. Is that where rove(r), gonzo, snow, bush, cheney etc, etc, are

going to retire? Fluckers.

[Cooley Hurd]

5. No, but the ROOF is where Petraeus and Crocker will make their exit...

Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It.

[Faux pas]

16. Makes you go tsk, tsk, huh? n/t

[Faux pas]

17. ah hah, thanks for the info.

;)

[BlueManDude]

18. either that or be held as hostages some day.

[onehandle]

4. How does this castle compare in size to our embassies in other countries?

What is smirk's excuse for its size?

[Contrary1]

8. Largest US embassy ever.

How's this for opulence?

"UPDATE: The residence of the U.S. ambassador to Iraq will be 16,000 square feet. The deputy chief of mission in Iraq will have a “cozy cottage” measuring 9,500 square feet."

Way to win the hearts and minds, Chimp.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/29/photos-embassy-iraq/

[slipslidingaway]

9. From the link it is the largest...eastern Whitehouse???

"This is the largest US Embassy built – roughly the size of Vatican City – and at $600 million (£300 million) the most expensive. At a time when millions of Baghdadis outside the green zone receive only a couple of hours of water and electricity daily, Iraqis observe that this project has been completed on time, on budget, and is entirely self-sufficient with its own fresh water supply, electricity plant, sewage treatment facility, maintenance shops and warehouses...

Critics also portray the new compound as a symbol of American isolation and occupation, and a sign of how little confidence the US has in Iraq’s future. Jane Loeffler, an expert on the architecture of embassies, writes in the latest edition of Foreign Policy magazine: “Encircled by blast walls and cut off from the rest of Baghdad, it stands out like the crusader castles that once dominated the Middle East.”

Embassies were traditionally designed to promote interaction with their host communities, she says, but not this one. “Although US diplomats will technically be ‘in Iraq’ they may as well be in Washington.

“Although the US Government regularly proclaims confidence in Iraq’s democratic future, the US has designed an embassy that conveys no confidence in Iraqis and little hope for their future. Instead, the US has built a fortress capable of sustaining a massive, long-term presence in the face of continued violence.”

[Yael]

10. Doesn't that just make you want to spit nails?

:grr:

[slipslidingaway]

11. Sure does... this and the draft Oil Law. n/t

[kineneb]

21. crusader castles eventually failed

and it only takes one person to betray a whole fortress... another lesson from history they seem to have overlooked...

(that Medieval Studies minor may yet do some good...)

[slipslidingaway]

6. K&R thanks n/t

[donkeyotay]

12. Such a deal at $600m. Square footage is important in a fixer-upper.

Who knows what it'll cost for repairs, but it's going to cost $1.8 Billion to run the first year.

[Yael]

13. $1.8 billion? A year?

Dear Lord.

Is this published somewhere? I want to send a link to my mom.

Thanks for any help.

[Contrary1]

14. Here ya go. 10th paragraph down.

"'We have 1,000 Americans at the embassy in Baghdad," Leahy told Rice at a hearing. "You add the contractors and the local staff, it comes to 4,000 . . . a deviation from the plan that we'd agreed to.'" According to Senate staffers, operating costs now total $1.2 billon a year."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301344_pf.html

[Yael]

15. Thank you!!

[donkeyotay]

19. Hmmm. I haven't found the original article where I read that, but

Here is some supplemental funding, but how much is for the embassy isn't clear.

ADDITIONAL FY 2008 FUNDING REQUEST
Diplomatic and Consular Programs – $1,881,608,000
Iraq Operations – $1,881,608,000

Additional FY 2008 funding is requested for the full year of personnel, logistical, security, and other costs associated with operating the U.S. Mission in Iraq, including funding to continue expansion of operations at Provincial Reconstruction Teams throughout Iraq.

The size and scope of U.S. Embassy operations in FY 2008 will be impacted by two major considerations: the move into the New Embassy Compound (NEC) and ongoing support requirements for security and reconstruction efforts to rebuild Iraq.

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/79842.pdf

[Yael]

20. Thanks donkeyotay

Enjoy the holiday tomorrow! :hi: