LAVISH CLAIM: $34,000 a day for food at Baghdad hotel

[Nottingham]

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,211252,00.html?

LAVISH CLAIM: $34,000 a day for food at Baghdad hotel
BAGHDAD - The staff of the US administrator in Iraq sends its laundry to Kuwait, while it costs US$20,000 (S$34,600) a day to feed the Americans at the Al Rashid Hotel, Baghdad's leading hotel.


Mr Bremer sets out his case for funds before Congress.
Iraq's Governing Council members cited such examples of spending by the occupation forces in arguing that reconstruction costs for the country could be cut by billions of dollars if the council was given sovereignty more rapidly.

But US administrator Paul Bremer has rejected the accusations. He conceded he initially sent his washing to Kuwait, but no longer. It is now being done in Iraq. Newsday also quoted him as saying the US authority spent about US$5 a person on food a day.

But the council members still plan to go before the US Congress to argue that the overheads from supporting and protecting the large American and British presence are less cost-efficient than granting direct aid to Iraqi ministries that operate at a fraction of the cost.

more....

Well I hear Holiday Express is cheaper! :bounce:

[Vikingking66]

1. my god

American families live for a year on Bremer's room service bills.
That's a sick waste of money.

[Nottingham]

2. I loved his Laundry is done in Kuwait! Must be Kuwait Downey

is Better! I think I will have my laundry done in France!! Nothing like going out of the country to find good help these days!

:bounce:

[Paschall]

3. $5 a day on food?!? Total bullshit!

Does that include freight costs from the US to Baghdad?

[Nottingham]

4. Paschall! HA HA HA! That won't by ya a Happy Meal!

:bounce:

[priller]

5. That's $20K US

But still, at $5 a day per head, that's food for 4,000 people. Do we have 4,000 people at the Al Rashid hotel? I have no idea.

[Bozita]

6. $34,600/$5.00=6920 .... Bremer must have a large staff...

...and that must be a pretty big hotel.

[Paschall]

10. Could be

Don't all viceroys maintain a big staff of food-tasters?

[Rose Siding]

7. "the council members" as in Chalabi?

Is there a good guy in this story?

[TahitiNut]

8. Solution:

Put the fat cats in the tents under the sun, eating MRE's, and put the troops up in the Al Rashid in a rotating basis where they can get something decent to eat, showers, mattresses, and real linens.

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. As was predicted some time ago

We will now begin to be treated to an endless parade of stories about extreme forms of waste and corrupt behavior - overruns, mismanagement, theft, graft, bribes, overcharges, quid pro quo, you name it. $100,000,000,000+ attracts lot of flies.

[Nottingham]

11. 87 Billion is alot of money! Thats a bunch of Disney Dollars

Ya we have to wonder who watching how OUR MONEY IS SPENT

cause this is the US TAXPAYERS MONEY!

:bounce:

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Especially in Iraqi dollars

It's not like the Iraqis even have a minimum wage or anything like that. So WTF is going to cost $87 billion+ in Iraq. Iraq only has 24 million people and their expected annual income from oil revenues is around $16 billion. So what the hell does Bremmer plan to spend all this money on besides filet mignon and laundry service? A big part of it is to pay off Iraq debt to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Why are US tax payers being asked to pay Saddam's debts and to bankrupt the US economy in order to do it?

[Bozita]

12. Are you speaking about the US or Iraq?

"We will now begin to be treated to an endless parade of stories about extreme forms of waste and corrupt behavior - overruns, mismanagement, theft, graft, bribes, overcharges, quid pro quo, you name it. $100,000,000,000+ attracts lot of flies."

Just where should we look for waste and corrupt behavior?