Iraq Embassy Scandal Expands: Contractor May Have to Repay $130 Million

[laststeamtrain]

Iraq Embassy Scandal Expands: Contractor May Have to Repay $130 Million

A new State Department audit zeroes in on a politically-connected Kuwaiti company over shoddy work in constructing the world’s largest embassy

By Jeremy Scahill

The extent of the massive waste and abuse surrounding the construction of the monstrous US embassy in Baghdad continues to expand. The State Department has just released another audit of the embassy’s construction and suggests that the Kuwaiti contractor hired by the Bush administration to do most of the construction work may have to repay more than $130 million to US taxpayers as a result of construction deficiencies, incomplete and undocumented design work, inadequate quality control and interest on unauthorized payments.

First a bit of background:

The Baghdad embassy—the largest of any nation on planet earth and ten times bigger than any other US embassy—is striking evidence indicating a continued US presence in the country for many years to come. The structure cost more than $700 million and is the size of 80 football fields. It is bigger than the Vatican, six times larger than the United Nations compound in New York and is about two thirds the size of the National Mall in Washington. It has space for 1,000 employees who are guarded by scores of paramilitary mercenary forces. In other words it is the perfect structure for a nation that claims to be leaving Iraq very soon.

The embassy is more like a fortress and hardly sends a message of warm diplomacy. “What kind of embassy is it when everybody lives inside and it’s blast-proof, and people are running around with helmets and crouching behind sandbags?” said Edward Peck, the former US ambassador to Iraq when the embassy was first being constructed. ... http://rebelreports.com/post/221011301/iraq-embassy-scandal-expands-contractor-may-have-to

[orpupilofnature57]

1. The jewel of the Vile, what an offshore bank.

[AndyA]

2. The Baghdad Embassy = Bush's folly.

Some day, this will all come back to haunt him. What a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. Really, the Democrats should be highlighting the waste that happened during the Bush years. The Republicans--EVERY ONE OF THEM--rubber stamped this waste.

It will be difficult for them to explain to their constituents why this happened, given their conservative values. :eyes:

I think it should be brought down to the individual level, as well: for instance, tell people that for every dollar they paid in taxes during the Bush years, XX went to build the Baghdad Embassy, which is suffering from shoddy construction, and cost more than it should have due to the Bush admin's no-bid contracts.

Let the Republicans explain that to their fiscally conservative constituents at home and see how far that goes.

[orpupilofnature57]

4. They haven't uttered his name in months.

[malaise]

3. This will be the biggest white elephant in history

so appropriate for the party of old white Rethug criminals and fools.