Reconstruction Corruption Watch

As we enter Year 4 in Iraq, it's getting tougher to track the extent of waste, fraud and war profiteering perpetrated every day. This is the first in a series of entries on The Notion that will attempt to do just that--by featuring revelations made by the media, whistleblowers, the inspector general, and other activists as they emerge. To read my previous posts on the need for an Independent War Profiteering Commission, click here and here.

Entry 1: Root's Dirty Water

Dick Cheney's favorite Halliburton subsidiary, Kellogg Brown & Root, is back in the news, and its already infamous reputation is sinking to even lower, Enron-like depths. An internal company memo recently obtained by the Associated Press reveals that it provided American soldiers in Iraq with tainted water from the Euphrates.

Larry Margasak of the Associated Press reports that Halliburton water expert, Wil Granger, wrote that KBR's failure to use water purification equipment "...should be considered a 'near miss' as the consequences of these actions could have been very severe resulting in mass sickness or death." Granger further cited that throughout Iraq "there is no formalized training for anyone at any level in concerns to water operations," and inadequate or absent records on water quality audits.

KBR's water expert at the base, Ben Carter, initially discovered the contaminated water at Camp Ar Ramandi. Carter said he resigned when his supervisors told him to stop e-mailing company officials off-base and that he was not to inform the military. It was only through the threat of litigation that the event was reported to senior management and Granger investigated.

But last Thursday--on the same day that the Pentagon announced that its internal watchdog will investigate the matter--Halliburton released a second report attempting to cast doubt on Granger's assertions. The new Halliburton report offered such stellar alternative explanations as larvae found in a commode could have actually been an "optical illusion caused by a leak in the toilet fixture."

Indeed. The same optical illusion that caused Harry Whittington to look like a pheasant.

Good to see that the Pentagon is investigating, but how much faith can the American people have in its ability to reach an independent conclusion? Or even if it does, that Halliburton's patron saint won't intervene on the company's behalf? Another case underlining the need for an independent, bipartisan commission on war profiteering if we are to ever learn the truth about any of this waste, fraud and corruption.

Comments (9)

1. A commission? Reforms? The Military-Industrial Complex lives on waste, fraud and corruption. When it was started in the early Fifties, few saw the dangers because we were all united in the war against the Commie menace. Ike's warning, eloquent and accurate, has gone unheeded for more than four decades. To the boys in the Pentagon and in Congress, there's no other way of doing business. In the past, a set of reforms was introduced every ten years or so, and they quickly disappeared among the platters of pork both sides of the complex serve up. We'd have to tear down the whole system and start a new one, pehaps along the lines of the French one. But hey, that violates the "not made here" rule, holy and untouchable in these Beltway parts. Commission reports make good scrap paper after a brief summary and industry/Pentagon pledges appear on p. A21 of the Washington Post.

   Posted by donescobar at 03/30/2006 @ 10:23am

2. "Ike's warning, eloquent and accurate, has gone unheeded for more than four decades."

   that warning went unheeded by Ike himself. in his draft Ike mentioned the congressional military industrial complex. I think we should use this nomenclature to refer to this, as it includes the third leg of the stool.

   Posted by johannesrolf at 03/30/2006 @ 12:31pm

3. V IS FOR VANDUMBEVIL

   Your performance on "This Week" was an unbelievable new low for you. For you to suggest that Tancredo is trying to enforce existing border laws is somehow "White Supremacist like David Duke" is totally disgusting. It is so easy for you coming from a very rich background to throw thunderbolts from upon high, bitching about everything American that gave you the wealth that you enjoy today. I suggest it is you the marxist freak that is the racist by your following positions:

   1. Opposing a war to free 50 million muslims who are of darker skin than you

   2. To suggest in that spew on ABC that the Mexicans contribute to this economy by cutting lawns and babysitting. I know for a fact Mexican "LEGAL" immigrants own biz, have high tech jobs, involved with unions etc.

   So before you start throwing stones at congressmen who are trying to protect our borders you should think about where you came from and how you got it you silly racist LIB nitwit

   Posted by libzsuk at 03/30/2006 @ 1:48pm

4. JOHANNESROLF

   Or, as it used to be known--The Iron Triangle (Congress-Pentagon-Contractor). Nobody with the will, guts or means to brak it.

   Posted by donescobar at 03/30/2006 @ 2:14pm

5. that is really, really sick. This is how we "support our troops?" by selling them tainted water?

   Posted by LClaire at 03/30/2006 @ 4:08pm

6. that's no worse than cutting vets money back here at home. you damn libs worry too much, just put that yellow ribbon sticker on your truck, and shut up

   Posted by johannesrolf at 03/30/2006 @ 5:29pm

7. I think you need to cut the Haliburton staff some slack. They are no doubt experts in seeing hallucinations involving various wildlife, both real and mythical, in the executive restrooms after a celebratory three nights of binge drinking with the release of the new quarterly reports.

   Posted by Sabokat at 03/30/2006 @ 9:24pm

8. Maasch

   Former DeLay aide pleads guilty in lobbyist fraud probe

   still so certain that DeLay will escape a guilty verdict?

   Posted by johannesrolf at 03/31/2006 @ 12:24pm

9. The story of the lack of clean water in Iraq brought back memorys of Vet Nam were I was a Marine, plumber, water purifacation guy. Privatavation of military occupation specialtys is wrong it allows this kind of corruption and eliminates good training for people in civilian life.

   Posted by john super at 04/03/2006 @ 2:00pm