Billions Stolen From Iraq? 60 Minutes tonight....

[DemInDistress]

Billions Stolen From Iraq?

Some $8.8 billion dispersed for reconstruction efforts in Iraq is unaccounted for, says the U.S. official in charge of tracing it.

02/09/06 "CBS" -- -- For a report to be broadcast this Sunday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. ET/PT,

60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft investigates the billions spent on reconstruction-related work, particularly money paid to a contractor, Custer Battles, now being sued for fraud.

Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, says $8.8 billion is unaccounted for because oversight on the part of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the entity governing Iraq after the war, "was relatively nonexistent."

The former number two man at the Coalition's transportation ministry, Frank Willis, concurs. "I would describe as nonexistent." Without a financial infrastructure, checks and money transfers were not possible, so the Coalition kept billions in cash to pay for its multitude of projects. "Fresh, new, crisp, unspent, just-printed $100 bills. It was the Wild West," says Willis.

more on story...http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11856.htm

[Beelzebud]

1. It's about time this got some Corporate Press attention!

THIS is the story of Iraq. 8.8 BILLION MISSING.

[marmar]

2. And just think of what $8.8 billion could do at home...

and in places abroad where aid is so desperately needed... :think:
Thinking about it just burns me up! :argh: I'm as calm and collected a person as there is, but BushCo makes me irrationally angry. :grr:

[JeffR]

5. Your anger doesn't sound irrational at all

eom

[marmar]

8. Thank you...

And at DU, I know I'm not the only one!
:grouphug:

[JeffR]

10. Amen to that

:patriot:

[flyarm]

26. it wasn't our money!! it was the Iraqi's money..think what they could

have done with that money..like have water with no feces in it..or power to cook and eat with .and get their electrical grids back up and working...

and think it may have stablized their country and our troops could have been home already ..instead of dealing with frustrated Iraqis who are now shooting at them!

fly

[Lerkfish]

9. as I said in another thread: its being used for black ops against IRan

IMHO.

otherwise, why is no one trying real hard to find it?

[Beelzebud]

11. You're probably right. Leaking money into black projects wouldn't suprise

me a bit...

[DemInDistress]

17. I saw dan senor in iraq a few weeks ago..he said," there's

zero accountability in Iraq" they don't have modern day billing equipment like, adding machines,faxes,file cabinets..I was livid..billions of cash trading hands and ZERO \ACCOUNTABILITY

[babylonsister]

3. I hope every freeper tunes in to listen to this; wake 'em up! nt

[DemInDistress]

20. freepers/gopers/gophers will probably blame..BUBBA

for not starting this war while he was POTUS...sick people those gop scumbags

[Pirate Smile]

4. Thanks for the reminder.

[DemInDistress]

19. YW.. I hope all America tunes in and sees the thieves HARD

AT WORK..STEALING OUR BADLY NEEDED TAX DOLLARS AT WORK...

[demosincebirth]

6. I can see money being pissed away during operations, but...

9 billion??? Makes me very sick!

[DemInDistress]

22. shrink wrapped packs of fresh new 100's bills...100,000 dollars

to each package....wow..the fucking scumbag thieves...

sorry for my french but I'm mad as hell and can't take more of this

brand new money..mom's and pop's pay more now for meds..kids college help cut...the list goes on..

[calimary]

7. Gee, "60 Minutes" finally noticed.

How long have we known about that, even just around here?

Crikey...

[tmooses]

12. This is only one crime associated with this story. The other is

the failure of Congress to investigate this when it was out in the open for everyone to see. I wrote to my senators and congressmen about this and never heard anything but Al Franken talk about it on AAR. I think the bigger point than the missing money is the fact that our reps never question military allocations because they know they will get smeared as anti-American by the RW. Until somebody stands up we will continue to be screwed by the military industrial complex.

[DemInDistress]

30. Congress critters are about to give that bastard child

another 120 billion badly needed dollars..how's your outrage meter stand?

[LynnTheDem]

13. Yet bush says no milk for US kids, no food for US elderly,

no medicines, no doctors, no medicaid for US poor.

Got his priorities and they ain't We the American people.

[DemInDistress]

28. that's right lynn..elderly pay more for meds nutrition for elderly

has been cut..grants for kids college cut..energy costs through the roof..the list goes on...

SCREW THE IRAQI PEOPLE LET OTHER ARABS STEP UP WITH THEIR BILLIONS AND HELP THEM..WE AMERICANS DESPERATELY NEED OUR MONEY BACK..AND POS POTUS WANTS ANOTHER 120 BILLION FOR THAT BASTARD CHILD= IRAQ

[TahitiNut]

14. $8.8 billion is 200,000 median wage jobs for one year!

That's 200,000 middle class families - with health care and food and shelter!

[DemInDistress]

31. if 200k middle families could benefit than 1 million poor families

could also benefit..but we're talking about 8.8 bill.. where is the 18 billion of re-construction funds? and
since bush invaded the iraqi's have produced at least 20-30 billion dollars worth of oil themselves, where is that money? Iraq, the new land of milk and honey where billions disappear faster than the MINT can print it..

[Ethan M Gaits]

15. Hmm. I wonder what they will do with that money.

[DemInDistress]

27. I hope they use that cash for lawyers, and the funeral parlors...

because when the American people see this maybe outrage will finally set in..

[Montagnard]

16. Male parta male dilabuntur

then again maybe not.

[DemInDistress]

25. Is that reply...DANISH?? OR BUSHSPEAK?

[Doctor_J]

18. Clinton took it!

:eyes:

[JohnnyRingo]

21. They say that when someone needed cash they just took a wheelbarrow to

the vault and took what they wanted with little or no accounting.
I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be double that ammount.

You just can't trust republicans with your money.
Putting them in charge of tax money is like asking a crackhead to pay your utility bills on his way to town.

Now we're waiting to wake up some day with no water, electricity, or cable, as the crackhead republicans just shrug their shoulders and blame the previous tennant.

Time for an intervention.

[DemInDistress]

24. the wheel barrel was to haul thos packs of cash to the truck...

DAMM THE FUCKING THIEVES STEAL BIG TIME...

[Terran1212]

23. Twice as many Iraqi kids starving and...

The occupation stealing billions..

[DemInDistress]

29. WOULD I love to see an army of concerned people us,arabs,

and others march on these corporate thieves and pummel them into the ground..

[adarling]

32. They seem to be the only ones that are responsible

in their journalistic presentations. I actually started watching CBS news at night, after all my life watching NBC. I am just sick of NBC and their increase toward the right, except for David white house correspondent :). Anyone that skewers scotty boy is a good friend of mine.

[DemInDistress]

33. David Gregory whitehouse slayer...and damn good...ty, nt