The Baghdad Billions: BBC Investigates Where the Reconstruction Money Has Gone.

[marmar]

The Baghdad Billions
In these documentaries produced for the BBC World Service, we investigate how Iraq’s reconstruction is being funded. Since the war began in 2003, the U.S. has spent around $30 billion dollars - and an additional 20 billion of Iraq's own money - in rebuilding the country. But where has it all gone?

Here's a link to the MP3 and podcasts of the series: http://www.thechangingworld.org/

[Maggie_May]

1. Oh look

Laura Bush would be upset that even the BBC is reporting bad new about Iraq. Well to bad Laura this is not on our new stations. I hope that someone picks up the story.

[marmar]

3. It's all part of an international leftist conspiracy against her husband....

Who she really doesn't seem to like anyway.

[tblue37]

20. But if he goes down, so does she.

She made her bargain with the devil long ago, and is well medicated to deal with it. No way she wants her gravy train derailed after having sacrificed so much (peace of mind, decency, honor, integrity, etc.) to ride it.

[Roland99]

2. Nice find. Thanks!

[marmar]

11. You bet....

:hi:

[C_U_L8R]

4. Hope they look in Paraguay

They might find our pilfered treasury on Chimps new estate

[Pachamama]

16. Probably already converted from USD $$$ into something else like Gold etc.

Especially handy after the Dollar has been completely collapsed and is worthless.... :eyes:

[DrDebug]

5. Interesting they still talk about Bechtel

Bechtel left on November 1 after three years of no-bid contracts. Most projects - usually caused by the US army blowing things up - are still unfinished and the majority which they managed to finish have been blown up by the insurgency. So they had lots of fun for three years, earned billions and left without making much difference whatsoever...

Isn't corruption great :)

[marmar]

6. The Dems have got to these these pigs' snouts out of the public trough....

They are bankrupting the future.

[eppur_se_muova]

22. "Earned" billions? Watch your language! nt

[Double T]

7. Billions have gone into the bush democracy and freedom monument......

(aka U.S. Embassy in Iraq). What about the $9 Billion that simply vanished with NO EXPLANATION. Just 2 examples of the MANY IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES committed by bushco.

[Blackhatjack]

8. Well all those US military bases constructed in Iraq did not build themselves...

.... no one has explained how all these military bases were constructed in Iraq without funds allocations. One step better.... look at all the military bases we helped to build in other countries(like Uzebekistan) and show us where the money for those expenditures came from.

Funding the Iraq war with supplemental funding bills rather than as part of the budget has been part of the concealment process from the very beginning.

However, not all the $9 billion was likely spirited away and into some individuals' pockets. At least part of the 'missing $9 billion' likely went to fund 'black ops and unapproved military construction' within the country.

[marmar]

10. "went to fund 'black ops and unapproved military construction' within the country."

You know it.

[Felinity]

19. Anybody ask our Bud Vlad

Where he got the 9 billion to buy back Russian oil company from private industry?

And by the way, remember way back, before 911, there was a news story about 9 billion (million?) (could have been 8 billion) of personal purchases made on Pentagon charge cards by Pentagon employees? Never heard any follow up there.

Funny thing about the 9 billion number; it comes up a lot.

[nam78_two]

9. K&R.nt

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

12. Here's a recent British TV documentary on the same subject

The reporter, Dr Ali Fadhil, won this years Rory Peck award for freelance journalism.

Iraq's Missing Billions
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3904382605215032226

& an online Guardian article covering the main points
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/maggie_okane/2006/03/post_4.html

(as a slight word of caution, the last five minutes or so are pretty tough going)

---------------

Thanks for that link marmar -- looks like some really interesting stuff for my mp3 player.

[marmar]

13. Thanks for your links....

:hi:

[cascadiance]

14. They also talk about this on the current Spotlight on FSTV...

I think this would make a good double feature along with "Iraq For Sale". Showing it to the uninformed should hopefully *inform* them the real reasons why we went to war in Iraq!

[Jcrowley]

15. K & R n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

17. Thank god for the free, adversarial, investigative press.

Sure, you know... it's, like, in Britain.

...But if we need to find out whether Britney Spears's crotch shots indicate a personal meltdown, our Merkin Mainstream Media is ON THE CASE!

[moondust]

18. Did they look in Texas?

That would be my guess.

[Toots]

21. Either there or under the desk in the oval office where the WMDs were thought to be..

:shrug: America is truly a stupid nation....A con artist's dream country...