Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Halliburton Charges Into Iraq Gee, what a shock. Remember the Bob Herbert column we referenced last Thursday? The feeding frenzy has apparently begun. According to The Motley Fool, Halliburton has received a $1 billion contract from the US Army Corps of Engineers to "work" in Iraq. It is an especially auspicious first awardee, however, because Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton until 2000. Upon entering the vice president's office, Cheney divested himself of his holdings, although he reportedly still receives about $1 million a year in compensation from the company. When US forces haven't even reached Baghdad yet, why the rush? Halliburton claims to have won the first Iraq contract because it was the only firm able to launch its services on short notice. Uh, sure. Short notice? What was the urgency in awarding a contract before US forces even reach Baghdad? 9:24:51 AM    Oh yeah? []