Audit Finds U.S. Hid Actual Cost of Iraq Projects

[mcscajun]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 29 — The State Department agency in charge of $1.4 billion in reconstruction money in Iraq used an accounting shell game to hide ballooning cost overruns on its projects there and knowingly withheld information on schedule delays from Congress, a federal audit released late Friday has found.

The agency hid construction overruns by listing them as overhead or administrative costs, according to the audit, written by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, an independent office that reports to Congress and the Pentagon.

(snip)

The United States Embassy in Baghdad referred questions to the State Department in Washington, which declined to comment immediately.

In March 2005, A.I.D. asked the Iraq Reconstruction and Management Office at the United States Embassy in Baghdad for permission to downsize some projects to ease widespread financing problems. In its request, it said that it had to “to absorb greatly increased construction costs” at the Basra hospital, and that it would make a modest shift of priorities and reduce “contractor overhead” on the project.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/world/middleeast/30reconstruct.html?hp&ex=1154232000&en=8b11e105dbfa0141&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Another Big Lie from the folks who brought you BushCo.

[Hissyspit]

1. They lie like you and I get out of bed each morning. n/t

[napi21]

2. Is this a surprise to anyone? I'd be willing to bet that ANY

gov't project would turn this up in a decent audit! It seems like, when people are spending other people's money, at an level, they just don't care! SUDDENLY, some points out ONE of their screwups, and they shreik "OH MY, I NEVER KNEW!"

BS BS BS BS BS

[Norquist Nemesis]

24. I can hear Condi now!

"No one ever thought this could happen." :eyes: So, why isn't Congress calling HER on to the carpet?

[catzies]

3. Enron accounting strikes again. n/t

[rodeodance]

4. and who will hold these people accountable?

[mcscajun]

6. Just us.

Nobody else, it seems.

[Barkley]

5. using "accounting shell game to hide ballooning cost overruns ..."

where in the dickens did they learn to that!?!?!?

and no one will be punish/ held accountable.

Let's see, who is in charge of the State Dept....

[KoKo]

7. Another item for our list....that one that stretches for miles now....

or seems like it does. This Crime Administration just knows no shame...and has little accountability.

[Earth_First]

8. Another classic Friday afternoon newsdump...

The State Department agency in charge of $1.4 billion in reconstruction money in Iraq used an accounting shell game to hide ballooning cost overruns on its projects there and knowingly withheld information on schedule delays from Congress, a federal audit released late Friday has found.

[LiberalHeart]

9. Hey, America -- Hello? Is anyone paying attention?

[Massachusetts]

34. Hello? Is anyone paying attention?

Sadly, no.

[bemildred]

10. Why, you could just knock me over with a feather. nt

[sakabatou]

11. What did they expect?

The truth?

[xchrom]

12. quelle surprise.

i knew kenny boy lay wasn't dead.

[enough]

13. Mission Accomplished. (nt)

[Lifelong Protester]

14. I'm shocked. Deeply shocked.

:sarcasm: but you already knew that...

[smacky44]

15. Has anyone heard about this on the news? or FOX?

[Telly Savalas]

25. I don't know, but it had a prominent headline at the NYT webpage.

You can't really place the blame on FOX News for the electorate being too fucking lazy to read to get its news.

[threadkillaz]

16. Bushron Inc.

nt

[OneBlueSky]

17. remember when Jimmy Carter promised "I will never lie to you?" . . .

I don't know how well he kept that promise, but my guess is pretty well . . .

for BushCo, on the other hand, lying is their stock in trade . . . to the point where everything they say must be held suspect, and the first assumption made about their statements is that they are lies . . .

what a way to run a government . . . and a country . . . and, to a large extent, a planet . . .

I'd love to see someone just list all of the major lies that BushCo officials have told since taking office ("taking" in the literal sense) . . . unfortunately, it would be a full-time job for several people that would likely take months to complete, and most of us don't have that kind of free time . . . not to mention free energy . . .

[Heidi]

18. .

:kick:

[BrentWill4U]

19. Audit Finds U.S. Hid Cost of Iraq Projects

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/world/middleeast/30reconstruct.html?hp&ex=1154232000&en=8b11e105dbfa0141&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Audit Finds U.S. Hid Cost of Iraq Projects
By JAMES GLANZ

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 29 — The State Department agency in charge of $1.4 billion in reconstruction money in Iraq used an accounting shell game to hide ballooning cost overruns on its projects there and knowingly withheld information on schedule delays from Congress, a federal audit released late Friday has found.

The agency hid construction overruns by listing them as overhead or administrative costs, according to the audit, written by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, an independent office that reports to Congress, the Pentagon and the State Department.

Called the United States Agency for International Development, or A.I.D., the agency administers foreign aid projects around the world. It has been working in Iraq on reconstruction since shortly after the 2003 invasion.

The report by the inspector general’s office does not give a full accounting of all projects financed by the agency’s $1.4 billion budget, but cites several examples.

Continued...

[bullimiami]

20. they mean LIED again? bushco s.o.p.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

21. I wonder how much of the overruns went into Republican campaign funds,

and private overseas bank accounts.

Without oversight I guess we'll never know, eh?

[Monkeyman]

23. Yep lets see how much the claim and how much they spend

[MannyGoldstein]

22. No Shit? (eom)

[HuffleClaw]

26. no big surprise

just one more in a litany of lies from BushCo.

[mcscajun]

27. Exactly right...and the Hits just KEEP ON Comin'

Horrifying, but true.

[texpatriot2004]

28. LIARS! When their lips are moving they are LYING! nm

[rumpel]

29. released late Friday

any other news source talking about this?

[Blue_Tires]

30. who didn't see THAT coming??

[newspeak]

31. so, this is new?

Doncha know that preparing burgers are manufacturing jobs? I wish people would WAKE UP and realize that this is our money they're spending like there is no tomorrow!!! Oh wait, at the rate this loco administration is going, there might not be a tomorrow (for at least humanity)!!!! Fekkin greedy, sociopathic war profiteers!!! And, our military is flat busted broke. Maybe they thought that if they broke our military, they could just let corporations like Dynacorp or Blackwater take over. I heard Dynacorp did a bang up job in Bosnia--detaining young women by taking their passports, forcing them into prostitution. :eyes: There are some good corporations in the world, but apparently, not the ones that like to associate with this administration. Can we all wake up now??? I don't like the "reality" that they're trying to shove down our throats!!!!!!

[Quantess]

32. What a surprise! I thought they were Christians!

That doesn't sound very Christian to me.....

[josh nelson]

33. This is disgusting

I can't believe that a failed and illegal war is driving our budget deficit to record levels.