Al Franken: Has fraud in Iraq gone unchallenged? Yes.
Posted in From Al's Desk, News Clips on September 29th, 2008By AL FRANKEN
September 28, 2008
There is no denying that the reconstruction of Iraq -an endeavor to which we have committed tens of billions of dollars and a significant amount of our prestige on the world stage- has been a disaster. Less well-known, but just as important for Minnesotans to consider, is Sen. Norm Coleman’s role in that disaster.
Because of waste, fraud, incompetence and abusive contracting practices by companies our government trusted to do this important job, billions were wasted, stolen or lost. Pallets of shrink-wrapped American currency simply disappeared from airport hangars. Greedy contractors got no-bid “cost-plus” contracts that guaranteed a set percentage over and above every dollar they managed to spend. Some, not content with this sweetheart arrangement, even made up fake invoices claiming they’d spent more than they did. And we paid Halliburton billions while it overcharged the military for oil it delivered from Kuwait and served our troops rotten food.
Let’s be very clear here: Ripping off the taxpayer in a time of war is a betrayal of the highest order. And the cost of this fraud cannot be measured in dollars alone.
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Read full op-ed after the break…
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