phone sex

An article appeared in Sunday's Washington Post by Timothy Carney. Carney just spent 90 days working in Iraq assisting with reconstruction efforts. It's an American insider's view of the realities on the ground in Iraq.

But that's not what caught our eye.

Security, communications and transport problems -- as well as a "failure to marry the civilian and military staffs," as one colleague charitably put it -- plague the mission to this day . Three culprits contributed to our woes: The first was the military communications staff where, with one or two notable exceptions, the lack of vision was exceeded only by the lack of competence. The second, outside contractor Raytheon, provided a weak communications network; Internet and printer capabilities were down again from June 14 to 16. The third, cell-phone contractor MCI, did not produce a functioning telephone during the entire six weeks of Garner's tenure, crippling our mission. A few phones finally appeared on June 3. These failures merit investigation.

According to an AP article published on May 22, MCI/WorldCom reportedly signed the contract for cellular service in Iraq at the beginning of May. But today's Washington Post notes that cellular service was already being provided during Jay Garner's tenure. If MCI/WorldCom was responsible for cellular service during the 6 weeks of Garner's tenure, then the cellular contract was actually awarded in April.

Why is this significant? According to an article in the June 9th issue of the Mercury News, Australia's Telstra and AT&T had sent executives to Baghdad in May to pursue the cellular contract. A lucrative contract that now looks to have already been awarded.

Time Line

Jay Garner arrives in Baghdad on April 21, 2003

Timothy Carney arrives in Baghdad the night of April 24.

President Bush announces on May 6 that Paul Bremer will soon be replacing Garner.

Bremer arrives in Baghdad on May 12.

AT&T/Telstra visit Baghdad on approximately May 19.

Report of MCI/WorldCom contract on May 22.

Garner leaves Baghdad on May 31 - 6 weeks after arriving.

Simple math says the MCI/WorldCom contract had already been awarded by April 21. AT&T/Telstra looks to have never had a chance. (The original bpost on MCI/WorldCom here)

And Raytheon? Who knew they were also providing network and internet service in Iraq in addition to their defense communications technology. Must be another one of those task orders we hear so little about.

halliburton update as of june 21

Based on the information available thru the USACE website and yesterday's New York Times article, the following is an update on the Halliburton contracts.

Total to date: $840.7 million dollars

Halliburton, issued an assessment and contingency plan for fighting oil well fires under an existing DoD contract issued on December 14, 2001, LOGCAPIII.

A new Implementation Contract for extinguishing well fires was issued thru the Army Corps of Engineers to Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR Engineering & Construction) on March 8, 2003.

Halliburton owns Kellogg Brown & Root. KBR Engineering & Construction owns Boots & Coots International Well Control, Inc. KBR has also subcontracted to Superior Energy Services' Wild Well Control, Inc.

The New York Times reported on April 10, 2003 that an additional contract was awarded to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Company Halliburton KBR Government Operations
Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity 10 year contract
Task Orders $596.8 million as of June 20, 2003
Agency Army Material Command
Date of RFP
Pre-planning
Date of Award December 14, 2001
Nature of work For support services to US military in Iraq under LOGCAPIII. KBRGO will provide for the construction of facilities and infrastructure of base camps including billeting, mess hall, food preparation, potable water, sanitation, showers, laundry, transportation, utilities, warehousing and other logistical support. Also included is support of the Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, Integration (RSOI) process of U.S. Forces as they enter or depart their theater of operation by sea, air or rail.
References
Halliburton Press Release
December 17, 2001

Halliburton contract caters to Americans in Iraq
By Mark Fineman / Los Angeles Times
The Detroit News
May 9, 2003

Halliburton Unit Gets Over $800 Million
By Reuters
New York Times
June 20, 2003

Company Kellogg Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton)
Award $7 billion (cost plus 7% Implementation Contract) paid by Task Order
Task Orders $213.786 million as of June 13, 2003 (see below)
Agency U.S. Defense Department
Date of RFP
Pre-planning
Date of Award March 8, 2003
Nature of work Rebuild Iraq's oil production infrastructure
Reference
Halliburton contract could reach $7B
Emergency government contract to fix Iraqi oil fields lasts 2 years, offers 7% profit margin.
April 11, 2003: 2:45 PM EDT
By Mark Gongloff
CNN/Money

Company Kellogg Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton)
Award $30 million
Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Date of RFP
Pre-planning
Date of Award
Nature of work To dismantle and neutralize any chemical or nuclear weapons found in the region
Reference
Competing for Work in Postwar Iraq
By Diana B. Henriques
New York Times
April 10, 2003

Task Orders under the March 8 Implementation Contract

Company Kellogg, Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton)
Subcontractors Boots & Coots International Well Control, Inc. and Superior Energy Services' Wild Well Control, Inc.
Award See original Implementation Contract
TO 1 $14.7 million (Initially $34M)
Agency USACOE
Pre-planning November 2002
Date of RFP
Date of Award March 8, 2003
Date of additional work order
Nature of work To train and advise for safe shut-down, oil spill equipment propositioning and damage assessment:
Reference
USACE website
Engineer Support to Operation Iraqi Freedom
Frequently asked questions
June 13, 2003
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/faq.htm

Company Kellogg, Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton)
Subcontractors Boots & Coots International Well Control, Inc. and Superior Energy Services' Wild Well Control, Inc.
Award See original Implementation Contract
TO 2 $1.7 million
Agency USACOE
Pre-planning November 2002
Date of RFP
Date of Award March 8, 2003
Date of additional work order
Nature of work Design for quick repair of oil facilities
Reference
USACE website
Engineer Support to Operation Iraqi Freedom
Frequently asked questions
June 13, 2003
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/faq.htm

Company Kellogg, Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton)
Subcontractors
Award See original Implementation Contract
TO 3 $87.8 million (Initially $36.9M)
Agency USACOE
Pre-planning November 2002
Date of RFP
Date of Award March 8, 2003
Date of additional work order
Nature of work Damage assessment, fire fighting and repairs
Reference
USACE website
Engineer Support to Operation Iraqi Freedom
Frequently asked questions
June 13, 2003
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/faq.htm

Company Kellogg, Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton)
Subcontractors
Award See original Implementation Contract
TO 4 $16.3 million
Agency USACOE
Pre-planning November 2002
Date of RFP
Date of Award March 8, 2003
Date of additional work order
Nature of work Construction of base camp facilities for workers
Reference
USACE website
Engineer Support to Operation Iraqi Freedom
Frequently asked questions
June 13, 2003
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/faq.htm

Company Kellogg, Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton)
Subcontractors
Award See original Implementation Contract
TO 5 $93.4 million
Agency USACOE
Pre-planning November 2002
Date of RFP
Date of Award March 8, 2003
Date of additional work order May 4, 2003
Nature of work Preserve distribution capability and fuel distribution support including repairs of fuel product distribution systems, procurement and transportation of refined products to support the Iraqi refining and distribution organizations in order to meet the domestic demand for fuels for power production, domestic humanitarian use within Iraq. (This amount will change because the amounts of gasoline and LPG needed are not finalized. The total amount of gasoline and LPG needed is directly tied to how quickly Iraq can restart the oil system production.)
Reference
USACE website
Engineer Support to Operation Iraqi Freedom
Frequently asked questions
June 13, 2003
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/faq.htm

The total NTE amount for the March 8 Implementation Contract is, as of 13 June 2003, $213,786,000. The TO amounts may incrementally increase or decrease. For example: if not all the money put against TO3, for example, is needed and the cost rises for TO5, the extra money in TO3 may be shifted. Even the NTE amount may change if work is increased or if additional funding is provided.

being taken to the cleaners

The New York Times carried a Reuters article last night clarifying more information of Halliburton's various contract amounts in Iraq. Under LOGCAP III, Halliburton has now billed approximately $596.8 million. This amount is in addition to the Task Orders issued under a separate contract with Halliburton/KBR reported on the USACE website (See bpost June 18).

By the end of May, task orders for Iraq accounted for $596.8 million of the $708 million earmarked under that deal.

Under that contract, the Halliburton subsidiary has provided housing, recreation, laundry, power and sanitation for troops in Iraq, said Dan Carlson, a spokesman for U.S. Army Field Support Command in Rock Island, Illinois.

A recap of LOGCAP III and Halliburton: On December 14, 2001, the Army Material Command awarded Halliburton KBR Government Operations an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity 10 year contract known as the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program III (LOGCAPIII)

[Halliburton KBR Government Operations] will provide for the construction of facilities and infrastructure of base camps including billeting, mess hall, food preparation, potable water, sanitation, showers, laundry, transportation, utilities, warehousing and other logistical support. Also included is support of the Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, Integration (RSOI) process of U.S. Forces as they enter or depart their theater of operation by sea, air or rail.

Just to be clear, there are three contracts with Halliburton in use in Iraq: 1) LOGCAP III, 2) the March 8, 2003 Implementation Contract 3) the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Contract. 1) & 2) issue Task Orders. Little is known about the third contract.

A recent article in Gov Exec attempts to explain where the money for reconstruction is coming from. On the surface, the numbers appear satisfactory. However, there is the ongoing reporting of "vested assets" totaling $1.7 billion dollars while the 2002 seized assets report lists $2.43 billion dollars.

Details on "vested assets" : For the year ending December 31, 2002, according to the Annual Report to the Congress, Terrorist Assets Report available in pdf, Iraq had $2.43 billion dollars in assets blocked in the US.

The money included assets frozen (blocked) in 1990, belonging to the Iraqi government that has been sitting in accounts at U.S. banks and their foreign branches. The institutions include Citigroup, Bank of America and Wachovia. The March 20, 2003 executive order signed by President Bush allows these assets to be transferred to an account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The information is available on line. Is Bpost really the only one who has noticed this discrepancy?

By the way, just in case the curiosity is killing you, Paul Bremer gets his suits dry-cleaned in Kuwait. Halliburton's LOGCAP III contract with the US military covers laundry. So is Halliburton handling Bremer's suits? Being taken to the cleaners is taking on a whole new meaning.

Are we the only ones who see the irony of this today?

halliburton task orders

The following information on Task Orders issued for work by Halliburton under the March 8 Implementation Contract was posted on June 13, 2003 at USACE.

Task Order 1: Train and advise for safe shut-down, oil spill equipment propositioning and damage assessment: $14.7 million (Initially $34M)

Task Order 2: Design for quick repair of oil facilities: $1.7 million

Task Order 3: Damage assessment, fire fighting and repairs for $87.8 million (Initially $36.9M)

Task Order 4: Construction of base camp facilities for workers for $16.3 million

Task Order 5: Preserve distribution capability and fuel distribution support including repairs of fuel product distribution systems, procurement and transportation of refined products to support the Iraqi refining and distribution organizations in order to meet the domestic demand for fuels for power production, domestic humanitarian use within Iraq for $93.4 million. (This amount will change because the amounts of gasoline and LPG needed are not finalized. The total amount of gasoline and LPG needed is directly tied to how quickly Iraq can restart the oil system production.)

Unfortunately dates are not included in the above list. The following clarification is also included at the USACE website.

The total NTE amount for the contract is, as of 13 June 2003, $213,786,000. The TO amounts may incrementally increase or decrease. For example: if not all the money put against TO3, for example, is needed and the cost rises for TO5, the extra money in TO3 may be shifted. Even the NTE amount may change if work is increased or if additional funding is provided.

what's up

The U.S. Agency for International Development will pay the Army Corps of Engineers $3 million under an existing contract to keep track of Bechtel National Inc.'s $680 million construction contract over the first year

Company USACOE
Award $3 million
Agency USAID
Pre-planning
Date of RFP
Date of Award June 12, 2003
Nature of work To keep track of Bechtel National Inc.'s $680 million construction contract over the first year
Reference

The U.S. Department of Commerce has prepared a Quick Glance Chart for U.S. businesses on contracts awarded for Iraq reconstruction. The Chart provides information on U.S. Government contracts awarded to date and links to Prime Contractors and Subcontractors.

Funding Summary #49 is out at the USAID. Visit the USAID for link to pdf file and other info.

Watch the USAID site for a webcast of the June 17th Pre-bid Conference on the Agriculture Reconstruction and Development for Iraq (ARDI) RFP The RFP is available at: FedGovBiz

The June 13, 2003 CENTCOM News Releases/ U.S. Central Command includes the following information:

Completed payments to 500 additional Iraqi government ministry personnel. Also met with Ministry contractors and obtained a written contract for reconstruction of main Ministry building and 4 additional buildings.

[...]

Delivered $25,500 to the Karbala Minister of Health for renovation of the Al Hussein Hospital’s emergency room and general infrastructure, and to requisition a 2-month supply of sanitation and pollution testing chemicals.

[...]

Monitored and provided security for the distribution of bonuses to the Headmasters of the Al Kut schools. An estimated 6,574 teachers received their $30 bonuses Thursday, for a total of $197,000.

[...]

Made final arrangements for the shipment of 4,000 soccer balls from Karachi, Pakistan. The shipment will fly to Kuwait (via Kuwait Air) but will require military ground transport from Kuwait to Baghdad. Nike has donated 4 x 40’ mil vans as part of the international effort to support youth sports within Iraq. The OCPA Youth Ministry has developed a distribution plan for the soccer balls.

[...]

Received $20 million to support payments for wheat harvest in Northern Iraq. Additionally, received $200,000 for the silos in four Northern Governates.

It is unclear which contracts are covering the above or if these are additional expenditures under the vague heading of "Iraqi assets" being used to assist Iraq's reconstruction.

By the way, the US Soccer Foundation is taking donations "to contribute to the purchase of basic soccer equipment for soccer and youth clubs and schools in Iraq. Visit http://www.ussoccerfoundation.org for more info.

Tracking the contracts is starting to get more difficult. Motorola, who won a contract to set up a radio communications network for Iraqi security and coalition forces in Baghdad, is now a subcontractor to WorldCom. And Research Triangle Institute (RTI International), in turn, has hired Creative Associates as a subcontractor. Creative Associates won a contract to oversee the Revitalization of Iraqi Schools and Stabilization of Education (RISE), which involves upgrading schools, restocking classrooms and training teachers.


Global Research has a list of the officials who are involved in running Iraq. It includes links and brief bios as well as industry connections. It's a good overview for names.

Bpost is trying to update the current information on Halliburton. We will be posting it soon.

snips

Ray McGovern of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity has a new article in Counterpunch, Deceived into War.

Powell said it was "nonsense" to brand as "bogus" the intelligence adduced to justify making war on Iraq. But, sadly, "bogus" is precisely the correct word to apply to the key piece of "evidence" used to deceive our representatives and senators into voting to give President Bush permission to launch an unprovoked war on Iraq.

However strong a word, "bogus" pales in comparison with the seven-letter F-word to which Powell and Rice showed themselves allergic: F for forgery.

snips

CNN Money reports Iraq's state oil marketing company SOMO has awarded the first of 6 contracts to refiners out of 52 bids tendered. Approval is still needed by acting ministry chief Thamir Ghadhban and from US advisor Philip Carroll (formerly of Shell)

Iraq's state oil marketing company SOMO awarded its first post-war crude contract Thursday to six companies for 10 million barrels of oil held in storage.

The companies are Repsol and Cepsa of Spain, Tupras of Turkey, ENI of Italy, Total of France. ChevronTexaco was the only U.S. company.

Condoleezza Rice must be happy to see her former company make the cut. It's a shame the Condoleezza Rice tanker won't be pulling into port in Umm Qasr. Apparently Chevron/Texaco has changed it's name.

Iraq is going to go cellular.

The authority reversed its previous policy that a cellular system would wait until an Iraqi government took office. The spokesman said the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).
had decided to move after "discussions with Iraqi advisers and businessmen" revealed a national mobile phone system was urgently needed

According to the Financial Times, Motorola is said to be a serious contender along with Ericcson and Orascom Telecom of Egypt in bidding on a new cellular network in Iraq. No indications if WorldCom will be in on the bidding. Alcatel of France built much of Iraq's communications network and after Gulf War I received a $75 mllion dollar contract for repairs. Expect this contract to go much higher.

Bloomberg News report in the Toronto Star that a "squabble over wheat" Australia was expecting to export $526 million in wheat to Iraq this year. Shut out by Saddam Hussein afer Gulf War I, the trade group U.S. Wheat Associates wants in on the competitive bidding again. At stake is $2.5 billion dollars in contracts.

There is a lot of money flying around these days. But. Where is it going, who is it going to, who is cashing the checks? A little transparency on the various financial transactions would be nice. When Rep. Henry Waxman finishes with analyzing the Halliburton contracts, here's hoping he'll ask for a complete accounting of financial transactions. Here's also hoping most of the money is making its way into the pockets of the Iraqi people (as opposed to the pockets of Chalabi).

tasks

Ok. Now we are really confused. The New York Times ran an AP article Army Backtracks on Halliburton Contract yesterday.

The total as of last week was $184.7 million, up from $76.7 million a month ago, shortly after the assigned work expanded significantly.

So what exactly did Halliburton do to rack up $107.9 million?

Company Kellogg, Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton)
Subcontractors
Award $7 billion cap (cost plus 7% contract) paid by Task Order
TO 6+ $ 107.9 million
Agency USACOE/Unknown
Pre-planning November 2002
Date of RFP
Date of Award March 8, 2003
Date of additional work order(s) between May 4 to June 12
Nature of work Additional work - unknown
Reference

iraq talk

BBC carried a short report on the recent forum RECONSTRUCTION IRAQ: Contracting To Restore Critical Infrastructure hosted by the King Publishing Group in Washington this week. Speaker Richard Perle of the Defense Policy Board had his usual pearls of wisdom to share:

There will be a natural disinclination to reward a company from a country which opposed the liberation of Iraq.

So if your company is in one of 142 countries that did not sign on as part of the Coalition of the Willing does that mean you're just out of luck? Of course, Perle has no authority in making contract decisions but he can say whatever he wants as a "private citizen" and find his words printed in papers around the globe.

Perle is also pushing for erasing Iraq's debt although one assumes only in retaliation for France and Russia's UN Security Council vetoes, which were never used in the build up to war. Perle often looks for an opportunity to openly criticize France. He must have taken the veto threats personally but not personally enough to sell his house in southern France.

We're not sure what this means.

The top U.S. civil administrator in Iraq announced a program today aimed at dealing with rampant unemployment by spending $100 million in Iraqi funds to hire Iraqis to rebuild the shattered infrastructure.

The article says the funds will come from the "Iraqi Central Bank as well as Iraqi funds seized by the United States and its allies" Whose money exactly is in the Iraqi Central Bank? Is it part of the $900 million dollars that has been found in Iraq that has now been placed in the Iraqi Central Bank? As our readers know, bpost does not like it when the administration is ambiguous or vague about numbers. We will be looking for further clarification from the State Department.

Washington Times reports that a small translation company is under contract with the Pentagon.

LLE, formerly known as Language Learning Enterprise, won a $30,000 contract in October to teach Arabic to Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., who later deployed to Iraq. The program evolved into a $200,000 contract this year, with federal officials expressing "interest" in sending some of LLE's 15 full-time interpreters to Iraq, Ms. Diamond said.

Company Language Learning Enterprise
Award $30,000
Agency USMC
Date of RFP
Pre-planning
Date of Award October 2002
Nature of work To teach Arabic refresher courses to Marine linguists at Camp Lejeune, N.C., who later deployed to Iraq
Reference

Company Language Learning Enterprise
Award $200,000
Agency Department of Defense
Date of RFP
Pre-planning
Date of Award 2003
Nature of work To send 15 full-time interpreters to Iraq
Reference

voting

It does not matter if you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green or Libertarian. Voting and how your vote is counted in the next election may not be to your liking.

Voter Registration

A postcard informing you of your place of voting is not an indication that you are registered. In the Presidential election of 2000, 94,000 people were purged from the voter rolls in Florida as convicted felons who had lost their right to vote. Of those, only 3,000 were justified. 91,000 voters were denied their civil rights to participate in the election and cast their ballot. So contact your local board of elections and be sure you are registered to vote.

While a subscription is required, Salon has an article by investigative reporter Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, that goes into detail on voting irregularities in Florida during the 2000 election. The first chapter in pdf of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy is also available on-line.

Electronic Voting Machines

Electronic voting machines in their current form have no paper trail to audit in the event of a recount or voting irregularity. In other words, there is no way to verify that your vote was cast, counted, and the candidate you chose was reported. Sure the screen can say your vote was tabulated, but was it? How will you know?

Kim Alexander of the Cal-Voter Foundation in her editorial in the San Diego Union Tribune (October 20, 2002), "It seems reckless to experiment with paperless voting transactions in the one transaction that is most integral to living in a democracy. Few people would use ATMs if the content of their transaction was secret from their bank and there was no paper trail verifying the transaction. Yet this is exactly what we are asking voters to do with paperless touchscreen voting systems."

Electronic voting machines are commercial products developed for profit by companies. Companies have investors. In the case of one company, Election Systems & Software (called American Information Systems until name change filed in 1997), Senator Chuck Hagle (R-NE) was the former owner, Chairman and CEO and continues to have a 25% investment in the company. The system was used in his own state during 1996 and 2002 elections. When his opponent in the last election lost and asked for a recount, state legislation forbid a manual count of the ballots. Recounts were mandated to rely solely on the very machine count his opponent had found objectionable to begin with.

Recently, a group of software professionals have come out in opposition to electronic voting that cannot be verified on paper. CalVoter has been closely following the developments and includes a list of the various machines and manufacturers currently in use through out the state of California. Other states are watching California decision making on which technology to use. The result is likely to have consequences nationally.

Bev Harris at BlackBoxVoting.com has been following electronic voting machines. Be sure to visit the site and educate yourself.

Paper Trail

Avante has produced the first voter-verifiable touch-screen voting machine, called Vote-Trakker.

After the voter makes their selections on the touch screen, they press the "Cast Ballot" button. A printout of their choices appears under a protective viewing window. The voter then can review the paper. They will see their selections for each contest. Also on the top they will see a header that contains a randomly generated number that does not tie the vote to their identity. Once the voter leaves the voting machine, a presence sensor sends a signal to the printer to retract the paper record into the voting machine. There is no intervention required by a poll worker.

Sounds great. Is great. But would you believe there is opposition?

You can read more about Vote-Trakker at their website including their rebuttal to criticism.

Legislation

Congressman Rush D. Holt (D-NJ) has introduced legislation to address the concerns of the 'integrity of future elections' by introducing reform legislation, HR2239 The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003.

The measure would require all voting machines to produce an actual paper record by 2004 that voters can view to check the accuracy of their votes and that election officials can use to verify votes in the event of a computer malfunction, hacking, or other irregularity. Experts often refer to this paper record as a 'voter-verified paper trail.'

To view the text of the bill visit:
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Enter HR2239 in the box after Bill Number.

Consider contacting your representative and asking them to co-sponsor HR2239.

To find your representative visit:
http://clerk.house.gov/members/index.php

To write to your representative visit:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

More

An extensive list of articles and links related to election reform has been compiled at Failure is Impossible.

Information on California's election reform has been compiled at Cal Voter.

war and money

The inspector general of the USAID has concluded that the agency did not comply with federal regulations in awarding one contract for reconstruction efforts in Iraq. The agency also did not adequately document the procurement process. Gee. We could have told them that and we're not even lawyers.

In its report, the inspector general reported that AID procurement officers had not documented the methods used to narrow the list of potential contractors. Some of the officers told the inspector general that the procurement office did not conduct any research into potential contractors but had chosen the five potential bidders based on “institutional knowledge” built up over years working with educational development contractors. But the AID inspector general took issue with the procurement officials’ reasoning, arguing that federal regulations require the agency to conduct market research and that “expecting that this process be documented and clearly explained is reasonable.”

The IG also criticized AID for inviting a representative from Creative Associates to a November 2002 roundtable discussion with AID personnel and outside academics to share information and discuss the current state of the Iraqi educational system. None of the other solicited bidders were invited to participate in the roundtable discussion.

A collaborative report Bechtel: Profitting on Destruction was recently issued on June 5, by CorpWatch, Global Exchange, and Public Citizen. You can view the report online or download the pdf. It's long by the way.

This report provides case studies from Bechtel's history of operating in the water, nuclear, energy and public works sectors. These case studies reveal a legacy of unsustainable and destructive practices that have reaped permanent human, environmental and community devastation around the globe. Letters from "Bechtel affected communities" included here provide first-hand descriptions of these impacts, from Bolivia to Native American lands in Nevada. The report reveals a 100-year history spent capitalizing on the most brutal technologies, reaping immense profits and ignoring the social and environmental costs.

With Bechtel's new contract in Iraq, the opportunity for expansion throughout the region would be further advanced by a recently announced Bush Administration plan for a U.S.-Middle East Free Trade Area by 2013. Bechtel even had a role in this, with Riley P. Bechtel, the chairman and CEO, appointed in February to the President's Export Council - President Bush's advisory committee on international trade. Such an agreement would make the corporate invasion of the entire region a reality, and Bechtel, as usual, would be in the lead.

Back in August of 1997, the Nation published an article Privatizing War How affairs of state are outsourced to corporations beyond public control written by Ken Silverstein. While some of the information is now out of date, for instance Vinnell is no longer owned by Carlyle, it would be a good idea to re-read the original.

The history of American foreign and military policy abounds with deception and scandal, with shadowy actors, monied interests and efforts to keep the public out of what are properly public decisions. Now those efforts have taken an unprecedented turn in scale and degree. Privatization, the process by which the responsibilities of government are transferred to unaccountable corporate hands, now occupies the halls of warmaking.

We recommend the article in the Nation because of a reference to MacDill and its possible bearing on today's news. General (Ret) Peter J. Schoomaker was the Commander of US Special Operations Command at MacDill from late 1997 to October of 2000. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has selected Schoomaker to become the next Army chief of staff.

Security may still be lacking in Iraq and the US military haven't found any weapons of mass destruction but by God, they've got Burger King there now.

odds & ends

New blogger in Baghdad named G. Salam Pax at Where is Raed? posted the link.

Another forum coming up

Global Trade Network is hosting an invitation only forum on reconstruction in Iraq on June 17th at the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington DC. Reconstruction of Iraq: bringing the Global Community Together Deloitte & Touche, Patton Boggs, The National Association of manufacturers, Halliburton/KBR and other organizations will be participating. For info contact: partners@globaltradenetwork.com

Bechtel awarded two subcontracts to Saudi companies Al-Tamimi Global Company and National Catering Company for housing and catering.

National Industries for the Severely Handicapped are providing dried milk under contract to the USDA for distribution in Iraq.

And the news is filled with claims and counter-claims and a resolution on an intelligence failure in Iraq. If true, that brings the total to two: September 11 and Iraq. Does anyone really want to wait for a third?

who else is tracking info on Iraq

There is no one comprehensive web site (that we are yet aware of) that is tracking all of the post-war Iraq contracts and relief efforts being paid for by the US taxpayer. Unfortunately, that includes the US government whose information is spread out over many of their sites. There are, however, a number of blogs and websites following selected and related information.

In addition to the pay subscription newsletters posted earlier on June 2, below is a list of some of the resources we have come across. If you know of others, please email us at blogistonpost@yahoo.com.

Academic Info Studies on Post war-Iraq
Links to useful documents on Iraq.
http://www.academicinfo.net/iraqwar.html

AlterNet
News log
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Iraq: before, during and after the war.
http://www.ceip.org/files/Iraq/index.htm

Center for Contemporary Conflict
Naval post-graduate school - papers on post-war Iraq
http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/rsepResources/si/june03/middleEast.asp

Center for Cooperative Research
Timelines and relationships of companies and players
http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/wot/iraq/default.html

Citizen Works
Information on war profiteering
http://www.citizenworks.org/corp/warcontracts/warcontracts.php

Corp Watch
Follows accountability of companies - search by company
http://www.corpwatch.org/home/PHH.jsp

Department of Defense - Defense Link
Daily updates on DoD contract awards over $5 million
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/contracts.html

Development Gateway
Information on development opportunities
http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/481546/

Ethical Corporation On Line
Search by company name
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/

Global Policy Forum
Iraq: before, during and after the war.
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/irqindx.htm

Global Security
Looks at non-proliferation issues
http://globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_reconstruction.htm

Iraq Democracy Watch
Events of concern to democracy in Iraq
http://blogs.salon.com/0002515/

Jubilee Iraq
Information on Iraq debt
http://www.jubileeiraq.org/index.html

Major Barbara
Blogger following the news on Halliburton
http://majorbarbara.blogspot.com/

Open Secrets
Campaign contributions and contracts
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/rebuilding_iraq/index.asp

Washington File - State Department
Announcements of USAID contracts and information
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/washfile/

Elected officials following events in Iraq

Representative Henry Waxman
Outspoken critic of no-bid contracts
http://www.waxman.house.gov/issues/foreignaffairs/iraq.htm

Senator Robert C. Byrd
Outspoken critic of Iraq War
http://www.senate.gov/~byrd/byrd_newsroom/byrd_newsroom.html

Representative Dennis Kucinich
http://www.house.gov/kucinich/

how odd

Defense Policy Board member Richard Perle will be one of the presenters at the upcoming conference RECONSTRUCTION IRAQ: Contracting To Restore Critical Infrastructure focusing on the restoration of Iraq's critical infrastructure and utilities-electric power, oil, gas, and telecommunications-transportation, water, and other economic foundations. The announcement resembles closely a zen koan paradox.

Dr. Richard Perle, a leading architect of the recent war in Iraq, will present an overview of U.S. policy respecting Iraq's reconstruction at a Washington conference next week.

Perle is an architect of war, planning the constructs of the destruction of construction, and at the same time he constructs the re-construction of the destruction. Perhaps they should have written the announcement as a limerick.

The conference is being hosted by King Publishing Group and will take place at the Cafritz Convention Center, George Washington University, 800 21st Street NW, 3rd floor June 11-12.

Information on the conference is available at http://www.kingpublishing.com/conferences/index.html.

at least it's public

USAID has posted a synopsis for a $40 million dollar contract to "expand agriculture productivity, rehabilitate key agroecosystems, and restore the capacity of rural agroenterprise to produce, process, and market agricultural goods and services." It will be interesting to see which US federally subsidized agri-business gets the contract and if genetically engineered agricultural crops will play a key role in the decision.

USAID also posted a $30 million dollar grant to "establish partnerships between U.S and Iraqi colleges and universities to invigorate and modernize Iraq’s institutions of higher education" The partners will be up to 6 American schools (and/or consortiums) and their Iraqi counterparts. Harvard, Yale, Texas?

Perhaps we are too cynical today.

five people

Douglas Feith
Judith Miller
Laurie Mylroie
Richard Perle
Paul Wolfowitz

Five names you really should know. But how do they connect to each other? Two work for the Department of Defense. Two are known authors. Two have personal contact with Ahmad Chalabi. Three share the same agent. But it appears that all of them have had a vested interest in Iraq.

Brian Whitaker for the Guardian

Jack Shafer for Slate Part I

Jack Shafer for Slate Part II

Federal News Service

Walter Pincus and Dana Priest for the Washington Post

you can't bid

The U.S. Agency for International Development will be conducting a limited competition to award a contract for the Economic Recovery, Reform, and Sustained Growth in Iraq.

The firms invited to bid on this effort are Abt Asociates; Bearing Point; Booz Allen, Hamilton; Carana Corporation; Chemonics; Deloitte Touche; Development Alternatives Inc.; Financial Markets International; IBM Business Consulting Services; and Nathan Associates. This notice is for informational purposes only.

No word on how much the contract is worth although USAID mention the Statement of Work will be available for viewing at their website on June 9th. Anyone else offended that once again the pre-solicitation list is filled with corporate insiders one of which is under investigation by the SEC? Ok. Innocent until proven guilty. But....James Woolsey of the Defense Policy Board had been the vice president of Booz, Allen, Hamilton. If BAH gets the contract, that will make three Defense Policy Board members with connections to firms who have directly profited from the war. (Sheehan and Shultz of Bechtel being the other two.) "That ain't right" as Chris Rock says.

Major Barbara is keeping up the heat on Halliburton over on her blog, Arms and the Man.

Black Enterprise ran a short article on the difficulties facing small businesses who hope to secure work thru government contracts. Includes useful links for small businesses.

One of the main reasons that smaller companies are having a difficult time getting contracts is because the government is increasingly bundling them, says Courtland Cox, a consultant on small business issues with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Contract bundling occurs when an agency consolidates two or more contracts into a single contract when they are renewed.

In the past, contracts as small as $100,000 were given to individuals. But over the last decade, in an attempt to increase efficiencies, contract sizes have been regularly increasing, which prevents smaller business owners from participating. Smaller companies used to work with contract officers to gain access. But the decline in the use of contract officers has left many minority business owners out of the loop.

Florida today reports that an exiled Iraqi Kurd, Rubar Sandi, is the President of the US- Iraq Business Council. USIBC will be holding a seminar in Washington on Iraqi reconstruction in July. Representatives of USAID, the United Nations and other agencies are scheduled to be present. At the rate at which contracts are being awarded, July seems to be a little late.

Bechtel swears it's going to be giving the bulk of it's subcontracts, around 75%, to Iraqi firms Bechtel backed it up by giving Al-Bunnia Trading Company a contract for minor bridge and overpass repairs.

That's cold comfort to the thousands of foreign firms who participated in Bechtel's conferences held in Washington, London, and Kuwait.

Quote of the day:

"Look, the primarily difference -- to put it a little too simply -- between North Korea and Iraq is that we had virtually no economic options with Iraq because the country floats on a sea of oil. In the case of North Korea, the country is teetering on the edge of economic collapse and that I believe is a major point of leverage whereas the military picture with North Korea is very different from that with Iraq. The problems in both cases have some similarities but the solutions have got to be tailored to the circumstances which are very different." - Paul Wolfowitz.

All that oil and still no weapons of mass destruction.

how to find work in iraq

Since compiling our initial list of reconstruction contracts in Iraq, we have received inquiries on how to find information on job and business opportunities in Iraq. A common complaint is how difficult it is to find out where to start. Unfortunately, the US Govt has not made it as simple as they could have by posting all of the relevant information on one web site.

As a courtesy for those looking, below is a list of some of the links that might prove helpful for researching information. Visit the websites for more details before calling or sending an email. Please be sure to read all of the related restrictions and requirements posted at these sites.

Disclaimer: The information was collected from sources on the web as of June 1, 2003. We make no warranty that the information provided is correct, complete, or up to date. This does not represent an endorsement of any of the groups or individuals listed.

General Information:

Iraq Reconstruction Task Force within the International Trade Administration
http://www.export.gov/iraq/
(866) 352-IRAQ (4727)
IraqInfo@mail.doc.gov

Defense Procurement Policy and Acquisition
http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/iraqreconstruction/iraqcontractinfo.htm

Information on US Govt Iraq Reconstruction Contracts:

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) website
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/about_reconstruction.html
For a list of prime contractors:
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/form/company.html

Department of Defense (DOD) Army Corps of Engineers
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/iraq.htm
Contractors interested in work related to Iraqi oil facilities should contact the DoD contractor hotline 866-461-5171

U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
http://www.export.gov/iraq/

U.S. Department of State (DOS)
http://www.state.gov/g/inl/

All inquiries or information regarding capabilities should be sent to dpap@osd.mil.

For a list of services and supplies to be imported to Iraq by sector:
http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/dp/dp12/dp12toc.htm

Additional Agencies for information on commercial opportunities in Iraq:

U.S. Department of Commerce -- Bureau of Industry and Security
http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/

U.S. Department of Agriculture -- Foreign Agricultural Service
http://www.fas.usda.gov/excredits/iraq.htm

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/iraq/iraq.htm

U.S. Department of the Treasury -- Office of Foreign Asset Control
http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/

Information related to the repair of the Iraqi oil infrastructure:

Synopses and solicitations will be posted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Southwestern Division (SWD), at the Federal Business Opportunities website - click Vendors
http://www.fedbizopps.gov

The Point of Contact (POC) in SWD is the Director of Contracting
214-767-2476

Information about this mission is available at the Corps of Engineers website:
http://www.usace.army.mil

Information about subcontracting opportunities with the current prime contractor (BRS) can be obtained by contacting the contractor's point of contact
dwayne.bourque@halliburton.com

Information on commercial opportunities with Halliburton/KBR:

Halliburton/KBR - general info
http://halliburton.com/news/archive/2003/kbrnws_032403.jsp

Employment Contact
jobs@halliburton.com
(p) 800.888.7668
ext. 8005

Supplier/Procurement Contact
Dave Ireland
dave.ireland@halliburton.com

Supplier Diversity Contact
Linda Holloway
linda.holloway@halliburton.com

Information on commercial opportunities with Bechtel:

Bechtel's Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program
http://www.bechtel.com/iraq.html

For a list of Bechtel subcontractors:
http://www.export.gov/iraq/commercial/index.html

Interested suppliers and contractors should access Bechtel's global supplier and contractor data base
https://supplier.bechtel.com

For employment with Bechtel, as an individual, send your resume/CV and a cover letter using the following phrase: "Reference: Iraq," to the following e-mail address: staffpx@bechtel.com

For reconstruction work with Bechtel in Iraq, please forward resume/CV and a cover letter and use the following phrase: "Reference: Iraq," to the following e-mail address: staffpx@bechtel.com

Publications:

Iraq Business Reporter
weekly $50 week Free copies of the first four published issues
http://www.TradeDataSource.com/

Iraq Reconstruction Report
bi-monthly publication by World Trade Executive $1495 year
http://www.wtexec.com/irr.html

Iraq Reconstruction Reporter
http://www.topiksolutions.com/issues/gingg/

Information on humanitarian assistance in Iraq:

List of NGO's working in Iraq (you will need to research contact info)
http://www.agoodplacetostart.org/wdww.php

For humanitarian work with Bechtel in Iraq, please forward resume/CV and a cover letter and use the following phrase: "Reference: Iraq," to the following e-mail address: staffpx@bechtel.com

Additional:

Gulf Job Sites
Employment opportunities in the Gulf. Sporadically reports jobs.
http://www.gulfjobsites.com/jobsites/articles/iraqi_reconstruction.shtml

Job listings have also been posted on sites like monster.com and in the want ads of newspapers. Try "Middle East" and/or "Iraq" when searching on-line job sites.

Google of "Jobs" "Iraq" brought up quite a few listings. Also try "Employment" "Iraq"

Note:

We wish everyone success in their search for work and/or business opportunities.

tech stuff

We are experiencing a little archive technical difficulty. They come, they go, they come back again.

If you are looking for the original April 19th post on reconstruciton contracts its here You can also search us on google. Type in the search field:

blogiston "month day"

For instance, blogiston "April 19" would bring up original post.

Bpost has been posting updated information on contracts more or less on a daily basis since the April 19th. Sorry for the inconvenience. We know its a drag. Hopefully it will clear up soon. Email us if you need any assistance.

intelligence matters

In recent days, critics of intelligence gathering that lead to an invasion of Iraq increased exponentially. Whether this news will reach middle America on CNN remains to be seen.

In early May, the New Yorker carried an expose Selective Intelligence by Seymour Hersh about the Office of Special Plans. OSP was created for gathering and analyzing intelligence that supported a War in Iraq. While the Hersh article went into great detail on Straussian philosophy used to assess intelligence, it is where the intelligence came from that is disturbing.

The intelligence on Iraq did not come out of the CIA or the DIA or any of the other members of the established Intelligence Community. The intelligence came out of the Policy formation branch of the Department of Defense.

The unusual ladder in descending order by which Iraq intelligence reached the President was:

President George W. Bush
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Deputy Secretary of Defense is Paul Wolfowitz
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Peter W. Rodman.
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense in charge of Special Plans and Near East and South Asia Dr. William J. Luti
Director of the Office of Special Plans Abram Shulsky and 3 assistants
Ahmad Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress
Informants and varied sources

If you were looking for or expecting the CIA, you would be looking for a different ladder.

News Hour

Margaret Warner on News Hour recently held a discussion with two members of Donald Rumsfeld's Defense Policy Board.

James Schlesinger, former secretary of defense and CIA director during the Nixon and Ford administrations and Richard Perle, former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration.

Joining Schlesinger and Perle were Judith Yaphe, a 20-year CIA analyst who specialized in the Middle East, now a senior research fellow at the National Defense University in Washington and David Albright, who worked with U.N. inspectors on Iraq in the mid '90s, now president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington.

MARGARET WARNER: But are you saying then though that you do think that perhaps the consumers of the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction misread it -- or were too quick to connect the dots in a way that they wanted to connect, whether consciously or unconsciously?

JAMES SCHLESINGER: I think that Secretary Wolfowitz had it right. There were bureaucratic reasons that they centered down on weapons of mass destruction as the only common reason for going ahead. But there were more powerful reasons to go ahead. If one thinks back to 9/11 and thinks in what shape the United States was at that time, we have repaired our relations with Russia and China, and we have scored two decisive victories in the Middle East that have made a major impression in the region. Those are powerful reasons to go ahead, and one should not focus exclusively on weapons of mass destruction.

JUDITH YAPHE: There are a couple of misconceptions here. One is that intelligence shapes policy. It doesn't. The second one is that policy uses intelligence. That doesn't happen either. So you can have the best, most accurate intelligence available, but the people who are in charge of the government, the president, the National Security Council, the advisers, they have to decide if they want to use it or not, believe it or not or discard it.

New York Times

Nicholas Kristof chimes in with Save Our Spooks in the New York Times.

On Day 71 of the Hunt for Iraqi W.M.D., yesterday, once again nothing turned up.

Maybe we'll do better on Day 72. But we might have better luck searching for something just as alarming: the growing evidence that the administration grossly manipulated intelligence about those weapons of mass destruction in the run up to the Iraq war.

All Things Considered

All Things Considered on NPR aired a very short interview with former CIA analyst, Larry Johnson. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Larry Johnson about Nicholas Kristof's New York Times article "Save Our Spooks." Kristof writes the Department of Defense deliberately skewed the facts to convince the Bush administration to go to war with Iraq. Larry Johnson says he believes the people behind this represent a "clear and present danger" to America.

NPR Click on the icon to hear the broadcast (requires RealOne Player)

Oversees

Across both ponds, things are not going so well. Tony Blair and John Howard are facing strong criticism for what their countries perceive as intelligence failures. Failure may be too kind a word as some of the press accuses their leaders of promoting outright lies.

The Independent

In the UK, Paul Waugh of The Independent weighs in:

A senior minister warned yesterday that the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq would constitute 'Britain's biggest ever intelligence failure' and would trigger an overhaul of the security services.

The minister told The Independent that the security services were responsible for Downing Street's uncompromising stance on Saddam Hussein's weapons. He spoke after a row erupted between politicians and the intelligence community over the Government's justification for going to war.

A senior intelligence official also told the BBC that Downing Street had wanted the Government dossier outlining Saddam's capability 'sexed up' and that Downing Street included information against security service advice.

Waugh's colleague at the Independent, Glen Rangwala, pens a pre-quel on early intelligence reports with The lies that led us into war ...

There is no UN report after 1994 that claims that Iraq continued to possess weapons of mass destruction. This was well known in intelligence circles. That such a claim could appear in a purported intelligence document is a clear sign that the information was "pumped up" for political purposes, to support the case for an invasion.

The Guardian

Based on reports of a classified document called the Waldorf Transcript, the Guardian writes that Powell and Straw knew all along the intelligence was shaky.

Mr Powell told the foreign secretary [Straw] he hoped the facts, when they came out, would not "explode in their faces".

What are called the "Waldorf transcripts" are being circulated in Nato diplomatic circles. It is not being revealed how the transcripts came to be made; however, they appear to have been leaked by diplomats who supported the war against Iraq even when the evidence about Saddam Hussein's programme of weapons of mass destruction was fuzzy, and who now believe they were lied to.

Sydney Morning Herald

Heading west, Australia's Sydney Morning Herald has an article by Andrew Wilkie, a former analyst at the Office of National Assessments who resigned in protest at the Federal Government's actions over the Iraq war.

Another big concern is the dumbing-down and politicisation of Australia's intelligence. Most junior analysts try to offer frank and fearless advice. But the process is flawed. It involves so many layers of politically astute managers that the final result is often a report so bland as to be virtually worthless, or skewed ever so subtly towards the Government's preferred line. Better that, management would argue, than a brave report prepared in good faith that contradicts Government thinking or is likely to prove wrong over time.

Not that leaving the sharp edges on the intelligence reports would make much difference if a government chooses to believe only what it wants to believe and selects from the intelligence only what best suits its political purposes. The Federal Government pays much more attention to the mush of politicians' and advisers' views, public opinion and media commentary. And it applies a good dose of pro-US sycophancy. The result can be a fine compost indeed, as this whole Iraq business has proven.

The Australian

The Australian reports that everyone wants the intelligence investigated and published.

Pressure is mounting on British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W. Bush to publish the evidence on weapons of mass destruction they used to justify the war on Iraq.

The US Congress will investigate the Bush administration's claims that Saddam Hussein held massive stockpiles of illegal weapons, while scores of British MPs have backed a motion demanding their government justify its case.

[...]

A former director of Middle East analysis at the Defence Intelligence Agency, Patrick Lang, said this month that the Office of Special Plans "started picking out things that supported their thesis and stringing them into arguments that they could use with the President".

"It's not intelligence. It's political propaganda," he said.

Policy to Blame

When a CIA spokesman was contacted by the AFP in April to comment on criticism that had begun to surface, Tim Crispell replied:

"They're criticizing policy, not intelligence."

What the AFP did not realize in transcribing the statement is it should have read: "They're criticizing Policy, not Intelligence."

veteran intelligence professionals for sanity

The Birmingham News ran an opinion by Ray McGovern of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity(VIPS) Its a follow up to a memorandum Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times quotes from in his recent article Save Our Spooks

VIPS was formed in January 2003 by former veteran intelligence officials from the FBI and CIA, mostly comprised of analysts. VIPS has been writing opinion pieces, memos to President Bush, and conducting interviews for several months voicing their unease with the handling of intelligence on Iraq. Comprised of 25 former members of the Intelligence Community, their commentary can sometimes be stinging. In one memorandum, they politely order the President to re-read a CIA report.

We recommend you re-read the CIA assessment of last fall that pointed out that "the forces fueling hatred of the US and fueling al Qaeda recruiting are not being addressed," and that "the underlying causes that drive terrorists will persist." That CIA report cited a Gallup poll last year of almost 10,000 Muslims in nine countries in which respondents described the United States as 'ruthless, aggressive, conceited, arrogant, easily provoked and biased.'

The most recent memorandum and follow up Opinion addresses inspectors returning to Iraq.

Washington's decision to bar the very people with the international mandate, the unique experience and the credibility to undertake a serious search for weapons of mass destruction defies logic. U.N. inspectors know Iraq, know the weaponry in question, know the Iraqi scientists/engineers who have been involved, know how the necessary materials are procured and processed.

Unquestionably, their familiarity with the nuclear facilities would go a long way toward ending the looting and thefts there. Yet repeated U.N. offers to make inspectors available have been rebuffed.

This only compounds Washington's credibility problem. Many are already unwilling to take at face value the intelligence reporting offered by the United States on Iraq, particularly since several of the detailed assertions by Powell at the United Nations on Feb. 5 did not bear close scrutiny.

Particularly distressing to us as intelligence professionals has been the revelation that some of the most important evidence used to rally congressional support for the war resolution of Oct. 11 was known to be based on forged documents.

Members of VIPS have published six memorandums to date. The memos are long, detailed and at times, highly entertaining with their no holds barred attitude. Not many are feeling bold enough to criticize this particular administration for fear of being Dixie Chicked. But if you are ex-CIA, you've probably seen worse albeit in other countries.

February 8, 2003 Re: War on Iraq

March 15, 2003 Re: Cooking Intelligence for War

March 18, 2003 Re: Forgery, Hyperbole, Half-Truth: A Problem

April 26, 2003 Re: The Stakes in the Search for Weapons of Mass Destruction

May 1, 2003 Re: Intelligence Fiasco

May 19, 2003 Re: We are Perplexed at the US Refusal to Permit the Return of UN Inspectors to Iraq

May 25, 2003 Re: We need Inspectors to Return to Iraq

Members of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity include:

Richard Beske
Eugene Betit
Ray Close
Kathleen McGrath Christison
William Christison
Patrick Eddington
David MacMichael (added July 15)
Raymond McGovern

Take the time to read VIPS memos. It is well worth the effort.

dan quayle

News of former Vice President Dan Quayle is just too too rare. He'll be playing in the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, Nevada in mid-July.

halliburton: the saga continues

Everyone (most especially Representative Henry Waxman) is still very annoyed over the Halliburton contracts. And now it turns out Halliburton has been collecting for their work in Iraq since March--of 2002.

Halliburton quickly fired back, saying, "To suggest that either Halliburton or any of the firms that support the Department of Defense advocate war in order to make money is an affront to all hard-working, honorable Halliburton employees, who are dedicated to serving our customers and doing what is right."

What does Halliburton expect people to say when all of the biggest contracts go to companies with direct ties to the White House? "Money had nothing to do with it."

Everyone is just calling it like they see it.

more contracts awarded

If you've got an extra $50 a week, you can sign up for the new Iraq Business Reporter. Free copies of the first four published issues are available at TradeDataSource.com

'Iraq Business Reporter is a weekly electronic newsletter providing current business news, leads and other information on rapidly evolving business and commercial activity in Iraq,' publisher Christopher Beard explains. 'It is an essential resource for persons identifying and tracking new opportunities and developments in that fluid environment.'

We love Business Wire. We missed reading their reports during our break. Meanwhile, Washington File has a new announcement from the USAID.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded five contracts to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to promote citizen involvement in community development in Iraq.

Company Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance
Award $7 million
Agency USAID Iraq Community Action Program
Pre-planning
Date of RFP
Date of Award May 27, 2003
Nature of work To promote citizen involvement in community development efforts
Reference

Company Cooperative Housing Foundation International
Award $7 million
Agency USAID Iraq Community Action Program
Pre-planning
Date of RFP
Date of Award May 27, 2003
Nature of work To promote citizen involvement in community development efforts
Reference

Company International Relief and Development, Inc.
Award $7 million
Agency USAID Iraq Community Action Program
Pre-planning
Date of RFP
Date of Award May 27, 2003
Nature of work To promote citizen involvement in community development efforts
Reference

Company Mercy Corps
Award $7 million
Agency USAID Iraq Community Action Program
Pre-planning
Date of RFP
Date of Award May 27, 2003
Nature of work To promote citizen involvement in community development efforts
Reference

Company Save the Children Federation, Inc.
Award $7 million
Agency USAID Iraq Community Action Program
Pre-planning
Date of RFP
Date of Award May 27, 2003
Nature of work To promote citizen involvement in community development efforts
Reference

BearingPoint is still rumored to be in the running for a USAID contract to improve Iraq's financial sector. (BearingPoint recently won a three-year, $40 million contract to rebuild the financial system in Afghanistan.)

How do you feel about off-shore corporations?

Bearing Point moves around depending on economic climate.

Though India has long been considered the global hot spot for U.S. offshore application development -- due to low-cost labor, friendly laws and a high degree of English proficiency -- Bearing Point, formerly KPMG Consulting, has selected China as the location for its new offshore application-development facility.

The decision was made because China offers the promise of even lower real estate and labor costs than India.

"The biggest driver is the cost advantage we can deliver to firms from being in China," says Judy List, senior vice president of Bearing Point's Services Solutions Group. "Some rode the India wave but now we see China as the next wave and want to get on the bandwagon early."

media power

Some feel the media isn't all that powerful but a close examination of their choice of words and how they use them can be quite telling.

Reuters edited two paragraphs (after on-line publication) in a recent article that ran in the NYTimes: Bush Signs Tax Cut Bill; Republicans Promise More While the changes in words are minor, the difference in meaning is immense.

original 12:27 pm:

Eventually, Bush could create a flat-tax system, under which savings and investment would be tax-free, said Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, a political action committee.

"Everything that Bush has done on tax policy since 2001 (has had) one common theme -- that is, to lead us to the promised land of a flat tax," Moore said. "We're crossing this river in five or six jumps rather than one huge leap."

revised 8:16 pm:

Conservatives said many of the tax law changes have brought them closer to their goal of transforming the existing income-tax code into a flat tax or consumption-based system, under which savings and investment would be tax-free.

``We're crossing this river in five or six jumps rather than one huge leap,'' said Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, which backed the tax cuts.

Is Reuters now under the Rove thumb?

war games

You too can play war profiteer with your own special deck of cards. While bpost would have included some different faces in the group, all in all, its a great way to learn who the players are.

back to work

After the USAID awarded controversial contracts to Bechtel and Halliburton for work in Iraq, should it come as any surprise that WorldCom can be added to the list?

One day after agreeing to pay a $500 million dollar fine with the SEC for an $11 billion dollar accounting fraud, it was announced that WorldCom had snagged a $45 million dollar contract for work in Iraq. According to an AP news report, the company is "to build a small wireless network with 19 cell towers that can serve 5,000 to 10,000 mobile phones used by reconstruction officials and aid workers in the Baghdad area." There is no evidence the contract was competitively bid.

Motorola Corporation has been awarded a contract for up to $25 million to set up a radio communications network for Iraqi security and coalition forces in Baghdad. Motorola also manages contracts for similar services in nearby Oman.

Company WorldCom (also known as MCI)
Award $45 million
Agency Department of Defense
Pre-planning
Date of RFP
Date of Award early May 2003
Nature of work To build a small wireless network for use by reconstruction officials and aid workers in the Baghdad area.
Reference

Company Motorola Corp
Award $25 million
Agency Department of Defense
Pre-planning
Date of RFP
Date of Award May 2003
Nature of work To set up a radio communications network for Iraqi security and coalition forces in Baghdad.
Reference

meanwhile, back in Texas

The law firm of Haynes & Boone has announced a new specialty division:

Haynes and Boone, LLP, an international corporate law firm, recently announced the formation of its Iraq Transactions and Claims Practice Group, built to assist clients in securing business opportunities in the risky and uncertain markets emerging in Iraq. The firm will leverage its attorneys' expertise in working with countries in transition, its excellent governmental contacts, and the firm's extensive knowledge and experience of establishing a viable business presence in the international arena.

Now just who would those excellent governmental contacts be? Well, President George W. Bush would be one. Haynes & Boone contributed $52,600 to Bush's 2000 presidential campaign by 'bundling' contributions supposedly from employees. Co-founder Michael M. Boone has been a long time Bush supporter having also personally contributed to Bush's earlier Texas Gubernatorial campaigns. Boone is also one of the 'Pioneers' each of who raised at least $100,000 for Bush's Presidential Campaign.

Boone and Bush go back a bit. In 1990, Haynes & Boone advised Harken Energy on Bush's pending stock sale and whether it would represent a conflict of interest.

On June 22 1990, George W. Bush sold 212,140 of his 317,152 shares in Harken Energy in an allegedly prearranged stock trade for a total of $848,560; 41 days before Iraq invaded Kuwait and 8 days prior to the end of the second quarter during which it had become apparent that Harken would have to restate its 1989 earnings (major loss) in addition to other operating losses it had incurred that quarter. He managed to sell his stock near its high at $4/share. He made a 200% profit on the trade. This insider trade was not disclosed to the SEC until some 8 months later.

Haynes & Boone issued a 9 page memo outlining their point of view. The memo was withheld from the SEC until one day after their inquiry into the sale had ended.

Harken Energy executive's claimed client-attorney privilege for withholding the Haynes and Boone memo from the SEC. It should come as no surprise that Vice President Dick Cheney is claiming executive priviledge for why he will not release his notes on energy meetings to the GAO.