Reconstruction Woes Continue In Iraq
Reconstruction Woes Continue In Iraq
Staurt Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, delivered his quarterly report to Congress today. It’s 114 pages and it’s not pretty. Some of the lowlights –
Planning for post-hostilities reconstruction was woefully inadequate (pg. 80):
In Iraq, however, systematic planning for the post-hostilities period was insufficient in both scope and implementation. With respect to human capital, no comprehensive policy or regulatory guidelines were in place for staffing the management of post-war Iraq.
Security problems continue to hamper reconstruction efforts (pg. 1):
Nearly two years ago, the U.S. developed a reconstruction plan that specified a target number of projects that would be executed using the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund. That target number was revised downward during last year’s reprogrammings. Now it appears that the actual number of projects completed will be even lower. The reasons for the shortfall are many, security being the most salient.
Contractor deaths are on the rise (pg. 16):
The number of insurance death-claims filed this quarter by contractors from all countries rose by 82 (70%) from the previous quarter, bringing the total number of non-Iraqi contractor deaths to 412 for the period March 11, 2003 through September 30, 2005.
Political milestones are great, but reconstruction is what really makes an impact in the day-to-day lives of Iraqis. That’s why successful reconstruction is essential to creating longterm stability.
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The problem is that we've screwed up so much in the past, it's almost impossible to get this right now.
October 30th, 2005 at 7:17 pmHey, these guys are only good at breaking things and stealing other people's assets. They don't do nation rebuilding, not even at home. Witness our own domestic natural disasters made worse by Republican mismanagement. Because every disaster is a chance to steal more from the public.
October 30th, 2005 at 7:25 pmWhen our leaders said we would be greeted with flowers, they sure weren't making reconstruction plans.
October 30th, 2005 at 7:30 pmSad for us, sad for the Iraqis.
Well, now we have an official report stating that there is a complete lack of planning. You know, the same thing we have been saying for years.
How much you wanna bet this doesn't end up on any front pages of the "liberal" newspapers.
This sh!t is starting to really get frustrating as hell. Where is the outrage from the general public?
October 30th, 2005 at 7:59 pmGood planning GWB. My daughter will enjoy paying for this her whole life. She's only 8 months old. What have we gained? The removal of a dictator we probably originally installed in the first place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Donald_saddam.jpg
October 30th, 2005 at 8:00 pmAndy,
October 30th, 2005 at 8:26 pmWhat's really striking here is that should we succeed beyond our wildest dreams in Iraq, and even actually establish a democracy, we will simply have one more democracy that hates us.
I believe they call these situations lose lose.
This invasion was concocted at the time Cheney picked Bush to head his ticket.
Nowar
Should we have expected anything less than failure from the failure that lives in the White House?
votetoimpeach.org
October 30th, 2005 at 9:33 pm#4, I am afraid that we will see Bush attending the funeral of Rosa Parks on the front pages -- the so called "liberal" media will put this story on page 19, if they cover it at all.
October 30th, 2005 at 9:36 pmIt's so frustrating that we have been shouting for years about the need for honest criticism and challenge of the WH spin; it's finally beginning to happen, but it is too little and too late.
There is a lot of evidence that supports the assumption that Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfawitze, John Ashcroft, and yes, George W. Bush were either directly or indirectly involved with the travasties that occured on September 11, 2001 at both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. All of you are aware of the PNAC.
October 30th, 2005 at 9:39 pmI'm convinced Matthew that the above mentioned were involved. No assumptions here.
October 30th, 2005 at 9:41 pmThink about it. Bush and Cheney were aware of the plots by the Saudi Royals and Al Queda. They set charges inside the twin towers and detonated them within 30 minutes of the suicide bombings so as to increase the death toll of the attack. You know how they keep bullshitting about how the heat of the fire weakened the steel supports of the twin towers. If that is th case, then why were there people still alive on the floors hit in the terrorist attacks?
October 30th, 2005 at 9:45 pmDeclare victory, leave.
October 30th, 2005 at 9:46 pmThose people would have been cooked alive by the heat of the explosions resulting from the ignited jet fuel if what the 9-11 commision said is true. Only 4 entities had anything to gain from 9-11: the Bush Administration, Corporate America, the Neo-Cons, and the Saudi Royals. Think about it people. Seriously.
October 30th, 2005 at 9:49 pmAverage TV viewer,
October 30th, 2005 at 9:52 pmThat's what will happen. The question is when? Must we kill 2000 more of our young men and women, 5000 or 10,000 or more
I'm not saying Bin Laden wasen't partially responsible. He had something to do with it alright, but Bush's family have known members of the Saudi Royal family for over 30 years as well as members of the Bin Laden family. Perhaps Bush made a deal with Osama Bin Laden through using a member of Osama's family as a messenger?
October 30th, 2005 at 9:53 pmHere's the senerio! Bin Laden's boys fly planes into the world trade center while the night before, the secret service sets up explosives inside of the two towers set to detonate at the flick of a switch. This way people would be fooled into believing the suicide bombers brought down the twin towers.
October 30th, 2005 at 9:57 pmnowar, We are never leaving Iraq as long as the neocons are in charge. Iraq is the start of an all out offensive on the middle east. Impeach or watch more troops die in the mid east, those are our choices.
votetoimpeach.org
October 30th, 2005 at 9:58 pmMy best guess is that another 500 to 1000 soldiers will have to die over the next year, 2006, before the main stream press and the public start to demand troop withdrawal from Iraq. And then full withdrawal probably won't happen until 2008 at the earliest. The right doesn't have a chance until and unless the troops come home. It's a shame more soldiers will have to die for this President's failings.
October 30th, 2005 at 10:01 pmBushie did not falsify pre-war intelligence and pay Bid Laden to take responsibility for 9-11 only to pull troops out of Iraq and claim victory..
Nope, he has much bigger plans. John Bolton and Condi Rice is doing his dirty work this time.
Demand impeachment hearings by writing or calling your representatives and Senators.
October 30th, 2005 at 10:07 pmThe report says that insurance claims for contractors are increasing. Who in hell is insuring guys working in Iraq and who is paying the premiums? Want to bet it's the US taxpayers? You can bet your ass that Halliburton isn't paying the bill out of their war profits.
October 30th, 2005 at 10:21 pmMatthew J. Price,
October 30th, 2005 at 10:22 pmYou're forgetting our country is split because of 911.
That benefits Islamic terrorists.
What benefits Islamic terrorists is our wide open borders. There are more undocumented people in America today than there was on 9-11-01. So much for Homeland Security.
October 30th, 2005 at 10:32 pmDeclare error, apologize, leave.
October 30th, 2005 at 11:10 pm#22
"You’re forgetting our country is split because of 911.
That benefits Islamic terrorists."
Our country is split because of George W. Bush and all of his NeoCon cronies.
October 30th, 2005 at 11:54 pmI commend TP for bringing reconstruction to your attention. How many of you actually read the report?
"The United States has made steady progress in its part of Iraq’s reconstruction,
October 31st, 2005 at 12:03 amdespite the hazardous security environment, the fluid political situation,
and the harsh realities of working in a war zone. In light of these significant
variables and limitations, the positive results achieved in the reconstruction
program are impressive. As of October 14, 2005, 2,784 projects had been
started, 1,887 had been completed, and 897 are ongoing."
#26
"I commend TP for bringing reconstruction to your attention. How many of you actually read the report?"
We wouldn't have to be reconstructing Iraq if George W. Bush and all of his NeoCon cronies hadn't of illegaly got the United States into a preemptive war with a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
October 31st, 2005 at 12:14 amI wish we would have just caught saddam , killed his ass, left Iraq and focused our efforts on border control!
October 31st, 2005 at 2:09 am#29
"I wish we would have just caught saddam , killed his ass, left Iraq and focused our efforts on border control!"
Since Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11, I wish that we would have focused on capturing/killing Osama Bin Laden, since he was the mastermind behind 9/11.
October 31st, 2005 at 2:28 amMatthew j in tha dogg pound. price
dont automatically assume T-H-to-tha-izzat coz 9-11 was/is a hoax n false fliznag operation T-H-to-tha-izzat tha current adminizzles were tha culprits . I'm a mutha fuckin 2-time felon.. granted they may be -- is there proof? there certainly is proof thizzat sum-m sum-m stinks, but can you truly crazy ass nigga tha odor wittall tha mask'n dis-informizzles available.
October 31st, 2005 at 1:37 pmSpudgeBoy
"I wish that we would have focused on capturing/killing Osama Bin Laden, since he was the mastermind behind 9/11."
Where is tha world d-ya git this kind of information? maybe you were tha culprit n yo B-U-Double-Dizzy osama is cover'n yo ass . Put ya mutha fuckin choppers up if ya feel this.. they, tha good old quasi-fizzles government tells you tizzy you drug deala git yo vaccinizzles in crazy ass nigga
October 31st, 2005 at 1:42 pmWell, it's 7:15 in the midwest. I worked half a day today and had the CNN/MSNBC since I got home. Not one word about this report to Congress.
October 31st, 2005 at 8:15 pmIt amazes me that 24/7 news channels cannot focus on more than one topic per day. Alito, all day, all the time, with an end-of-program salute to Rosa Parks. That's it for the news folks.
Marie
October 31st, 2005 at 9:05 pmGoing so soon. It shouldn't amaze you Marie that 24/7 news covers no more than one topic per day - we planned it that way.
#29 Chelsea
I agree! Send the US army to fight along the Mexican border.
October 31st, 2005 at 9:06 pmWe need to pour what money we can into reconstruction as quickly as possible and embolden the Iraqis by explaining to them we're leaving soon and it would be best if every resource they had that has an interest in securing the future of their country came forward right about now and got involved.
The faster they take over ownership for their country and the quicker we get our troops out of that country the sooner we can declare "victory." Of course, this doesn't mean we can put away the check book, but we can save a lot of lives if we get out of their country.
At current pace, even if we left by end of 2005 (which we won't) we'd likely see another 300 American soldiers die in Iraq. Enough is enough. This was wrong. We ruined their country (for which we should make it right) and innocent men and women are being killed or permanently wounded in the name of a lie.
I wonder if Bush would have an answer to the debate question on mistakes now.
November 1st, 2005 at 1:24 amThis is why we need more accountability from a president and from our government. We need to have majority somewhere, and it may have to start with the House or Senate. Sen. Reid has a new website (www.giveemhellharry.com) for winning Democratic Senate campaigns. He's got the right idea.
November 1st, 2005 at 8:55 am#30 Spudgeboy: Let's go one step further. Osama was the contractor, not the mastermind of 9-11. Just another PNAC toadie doing what he was hired to do. Why do you think he got the pass of all passes. Can't find him, my aching ass!
Highly speculative I understand but, also highly plausible.
November 1st, 2005 at 3:07 pmheyyyyyy.you rock my socks.all the people who died on september 11 th are truly missed.
November 17th, 2006 at 10:20 am