Chicken Roosting Time
Halliburton investigation

Like my co-blogger, I have a very busy weekend, after being on the go all day. Returning from from an NC State basketball game at 9:30 PM our time, I had to check out the net. Lo, and behold! On CNN's site Whistleblower's Iraq fraud claims to be investigated was a over-due and joyous announcement:

A whistleblower's claims that reconstruction in Iraq has been rife with waste, fraud and abuse -- particularly in regard to a division of Halliburton -- will be turned over to the Justice Department, a U.S. senator said Friday.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, has championed the cause of whistleblower Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, a former high-ranking civilian employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Greenhouse has testified that the contracts awarded to Kellogg, Brown and Root represent "the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career." (Read about a U.N. report on KBR's work in Iraq)

In testimony before Democratic hearings (held because the congressional Republicans refused to investigate), a number of horror stories emerged, including the following:

One example given was the torching of new $85,000 trucks because of easily reparable deficiencies, such flat tires and clogged fuel pumps.

Republicans have been saying that government ought to be run more like businesses--which businesses? Enron? Halliburton? Actually, Bush can legitimately claim to be the first CEO president, since today's CEOs often loot companies before receiving golden parachutes. Many think only in terms of short-term profits, instead of long-term growth and stability. What better describes what Bush is doing to the United States of America, INC?