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unhappycamper

(60,364 posts)
Thu Mar 7, 2013, 07:40 AM Mar 2013

Inspector general report: U.S. cannot account for $1.7 billion spent in Iraq

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/06/inspector-general-report-u-s-cannot-account-for-1-7-billion-spent-in-iraq/



Stuart Bowen, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, attends a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill on November 18, 2010 in Washington, DC.

Inspector general report: U.S. cannot account for $1.7 billion spent in Iraq
By Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 15:07 EST

After invading Iraq ten years ago, the United States spent $60 billion on a vast reconstruction effort that left behind few successes and a litany of failures, an auditor’s report said Wednesday.

The ambitious plan to transform the country after the fall of Saddam Hussein has been marked by half-finished projects and crushed expectations, according to the final report of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart Bowen.

The aid effort was plagued by in-fighting among US agencies and an improvised “adhocracy” approach, with no one clearly in charge of a massive investment that was supposed to put Iraq on a stable footing, said the report to Congress.

~snip~

Some of the reconstruction money was stolen, with a number of US military officers and contractors now imprisoned for fraud, while other funds remain unaccounted for to this day, it said.



unhappycamper comment: Lest you think only $1.7 billion dollars disappeared in Iraq, there was also this little gem from 2004:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,129489,00.html

Audit Shows $8.8B Missing in Iraq
Published August 20, 2004
FoxNews.com

A soon-to-be-released audit will show that at least $8.8 billion in Iraqi money that was given to Iraqi ministries by the former U.S.-led authority there cannot be accounted for, FOX News has confirmed.

~snip~

The draft audit by the Coalition Provisional Authority's (search) inspector general chastises the CPA — formerly led by L. Paul Bremer — for "not providing adequate stewardship" of at least $8.8 billion from the Development Fund for Iraq. The audit is not expected to be released for at least two or three more weeks, possibly longer.

The audit was first reported on a Web site earlier this month by journalist and retired Col. David Hackworth. A U.S. official first confirmed to Reuters the contents of the leaked audit cited by Hackworth were accurate.

~snip~

One of the main benefactors of the Iraq funds was Texas-based firm Halliburton, which was paid more than $1 billion of that money to bring in fuel for Iraqi civilians. The monitoring board said it had not been given access to U.S. audits of contracts held by Halliburton (search).


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Color me surprised. Not.....
14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Inspector general report: U.S. cannot account for $1.7 billion spent in Iraq (Original Post) unhappycamper Mar 2013 OP
Yup, Sherman A1 Mar 2013 #1
And that worked so well newfie11 Mar 2013 #2
We pissed away $58.3 Billion in Iraq. The other $1.7 Billion we can't account for. nt Xipe Totec Mar 2013 #3
Is this $1.7 billion on top of the $9 billion stolen Submariner Mar 2013 #4
On top of the 2 trillion Rummy couldn't account for on 9/10/01. nt valerief Mar 2013 #8
I have to wonder. Heywood J Mar 2013 #14
It wan't about the oil....... DainBramaged Mar 2013 #5
What's the big deal? it not like it's something people go to prison for Snake Plissken Mar 2013 #6
Everytime a republicon Mention the so call debt that has increased under bonniebgood Mar 2013 #7
Each and every one of those crooks Sadie5 Mar 2013 #9
It wasn't 'Shock and Awe', More like ' Awe Shucks' on point Mar 2013 #10
anyone try looking in the pockets of the no bid contractors? Javaman Mar 2013 #11
War profiteers randr Mar 2013 #12
I don't know why we're getting excited about this NOW JayhawkSD Mar 2013 #13

Submariner

(12,485 posts)
4. Is this $1.7 billion on top of the $9 billion stolen
Thu Mar 7, 2013, 07:55 AM
Mar 2013

from the big cash airlift to Iraq in 2004 that the republicans decided was okay by them?



I wonder how many yachts and mini-mansions Halliburton/KBR and Blackwater employees bought with their blood money.

Heywood J

(2,515 posts)
14. I have to wonder.
Fri Mar 8, 2013, 09:11 AM
Mar 2013

Would it have just been cheaper to give one of those bricks to every man, woman and child there?

Snake Plissken

(4,103 posts)
6. What's the big deal? it not like it's something people go to prison for
Thu Mar 7, 2013, 08:34 AM
Mar 2013

like stealing a pack of gum from Walmart

bonniebgood

(937 posts)
7. Everytime a republicon Mention the so call debt that has increased under
Thu Mar 7, 2013, 08:53 AM
Mar 2013

President Obama, EVERY come-back line should be: where's the boat load of money
that disappeared in Iraq? wimpy ass dem will never mention the money stolen in Iraq.

Sadie5

(1,933 posts)
9. Each and every one of those crooks
Thu Mar 7, 2013, 09:18 AM
Mar 2013

should have to pay back their share of stolen money. Whether in prison or not then the Bush administration should be tried for war crimes against the American people.

on point

(2,506 posts)
10. It wasn't 'Shock and Awe', More like ' Awe Shucks'
Thu Mar 7, 2013, 09:30 AM
Mar 2013

Lies Incompetence Fraud deceit.

When will the Bush Cabal go down for their war crimes???

I suggest an audit looking at the other side of the accounting.

See if Carlisle group, other companies AND friends of Bush CO can account for extra millions income in this period of time.

Don't forget to look in Switzerland and the Caymans...

 

JayhawkSD

(3,163 posts)
13. I don't know why we're getting excited about this NOW
Thu Mar 7, 2013, 10:38 AM
Mar 2013

This is old news. We've known about this waste and profiteering for five or six years, and we've known about the extent of it. Bringing it up now may feel good in terms of painting the Bush administration as bad guys, or bashing Republicans, but we've got to move past that.

Bashing Republicans feels good, but it is not really going to solve the problems we face. The party we support has got to start coming up with and talking about the policies we support going forward. Health care reform was great, but it didn't solve the jobs problem, and bashing Republicans isn't going to solve that problem either.

We may think that if we bash Republicans hard enough long enough that we can get them out of office, but that's not going to work. Does people calling Obama a Kenyan or a Socialist make you want to vote Republican? It doesn't work that way. Calling people names and talking about how bad they are does not make them want to join your side.

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