The LNS has said over and over again that the 2004 election is a national referendum on the CREDIBILITY, COMPETENCE and CHARACTER of the incredible shrinking _resident and the entire Bush abomination. But now as attacks on their utter lack of CREDIBILITY (e.g., WMD and Medifraud) and almost incomprehensible INCOMPETENCE (e.g. the pre-9/11 failures that Richard Clark and others have brought to light, and their failed plan for the conquest and occupation of Iraq, that Gen. Zinni and others have brought to light) flow into attacks on the DISTURBING CHARACTER (e.g., Abu Ghraib, Gen. Boykin, Rush Limbaugh, etc.), there is a fourth "C" that will finally come into play...CORRUPTION...Evidence suggesting it brought to light by US Army Corp of Engineers. Published, admirably, in TIME Magazine. Why do you think the LNS dubbed in VICE _resident? Oh, there has been plenty of evidence of war-profiteering and crony-coddling from before the beginning -- but this evidence was publishhed in TIME, indicating deepening fracturing of the Bush cabal's stranglehold on the "US Mainstream News Media."
Timothy Burger, Adam Zagorin, Time Magazine: Cheney's
relationship with Halliburton has been nothing but
trouble since he left the company in 2000. Both he and
the company say they have no ongoing connections. But
TIME has obtained an internal Pentagon e-mail sent by
an Army Corps of Engineers official-whose name was
blacked out by the Pentagon-that raises questions
about Cheney's arm's-length policy toward his old
employer. Dated March 5, 2003, the e-mail says "action" on a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract was "coordinated" with Cheney's office. The e-mail
says Douglas Feith, a high-ranking Pentagon hawk, got
the "authority to execute RIO," or Restore Iraqi Oil,
from his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul
Wolfowitz. RIO is one of several large contracts the
U.S. awarded to Halliburton last year.
Cleanse the White House of the Chickenhawk Coup and
the War Profiteering Cronies, Show Up for Democracy in
2004: Defeat Bush (again!)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/053104E.shtml
The Paper Trail
By Timothy J. Burger and Adam Zagorin
Time
Sunday 30 May 2004
Did Cheney Okay a Deal?
Vice President Dick Cheney was a guest on NBC's Meet
the Press last September when host Tim Russert brought
up Halliburton. Citing the company's role in
rebuilding Iraq as well as Cheney's prior service as
Halliburton's CEO, Russert asked, "Were you involved
in any way in the awarding of those contracts?"
Cheney's reply: "Of course not, Tim ... And as Vice
President, I have absolutely no influence of,
involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form
of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or
anybody else in the Federal Government."
Cheney's relationship with Halliburton has been
nothing but trouble since he left the company in 2000.
Both he and the company say they have no ongoing
connections. But TIME has obtained an internal
Pentagon e-mail sent by an Army Corps of Engineers
official-whose name was blacked out by the
Pentagon-that raises questions about Cheney's
arm's-length policy toward his old employer. Dated
March 5, 2003, the e-mail says "action" on a
multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract was
"coordinated" with Cheney's office. The e-mail says
Douglas Feith, a high-ranking Pentagon hawk, got the
"authority to execute RIO," or Restore Iraqi Oil, from
his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul
Wolfowitz. RIO is one of several large contracts the
U.S. awarded to Halliburton last year.
The e-mail says Feith approved arrangements for the
contract "contingent on informing WH [White House]
tomorrow. We anticipate no issues since action has
been coordinated w VP's [Vice President's] office."
Three days later, the Army Corps of Engineers gave
Halliburton the contract, without seeking other bids.
TIME located the e-mail among documents provided by
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group.
Cheney spokesman Kevin Kellems says the Vice
President "has played no role whatsoever in
government-contract decisions involving Halliburton"
since 2000. A Pentagon spokesman says the e-mail means
merely that "in anticipation of controversy over the
award of a sole-source contract to Halliburton, we
wanted to give the Vice President's staff a heads-up."
Cheney is linked to his old firm in at least one
other way. His recently filed 2003
financial-disclosure form reveals that Halliburton
last year invoked an insurance policy to indemnify
Cheney for what could be steep legal bills "arising
from his service" at the company. Past and present
Halliburton execs face an array of potentially costly
litigation, including multibillion-dollar asbestos
claims.
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Posted by richard at May 31, 2004 10:54 AM