GAO Comptroller: ‘Significant’ Amount Of U.S. Funds For Iraq Funneled To Sunni And Shiite Militias
GAO Comptroller: ‘Significant’ Amount Of U.S. Funds For Iraq Funneled To Sunni And Shiite Militias
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing today on waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq, GAO Comptroller David Walker said that “the Iraqis have a budget surplus” which “is not being spent.” He added that oil “revenues are going up” and therefore “one of the questions” regarding Iraq reconstruction is “who should be paying?”
Citing Iraq’s rising oil revenues and the fact that the U.S. has already spent $45 billion rebuilding the country, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said that instead of President Bush “asking for billions” more to rebuild Iraq, the Iraqis “ought to be able to use some of their oil to pay for their own costs and not keep sending the bill to the United States.”
Meanwhile, U.S. tax money is ending up in the hands of sectarian militias in Iraq. Later in the same hearing, Walker confirmed that a “significant” amount of what the U.S. spends on Iraqi contracts is being diverted to Sunni and Shiite militias. Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, agreed, adding that “it is a significant problem.”
Watch it:
Bottom line: We’re fighting them spending money over there so we don’t have to fight them spend money here at home.
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Nice racket, fellas. Paying the Iraqi militants not to kill Americans. Good job, Chimpy.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:02 pmIt’s called “blood money”.
We taxpayers give it to armed militants to make our Idiot-in-Chief look like less of an idiot.
We also give it to his “businessman” friends, so they can make our G.I.’s sick with rancid water.
We do all this because we’re so much “smarter” and “more civilized” than anyone else anywhere.
(I think the outrage is giving me a myocardial insnarktion)
Mr. Golly thinks it’s a Jim-Dandy idea.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:06 pmthe Iraqis “ought to be able to use some of their oil to pay for their own costs and not keep sending the bill to the United States.â€
Well, if the bill is for rebuilding what Bush’s Army destroyed during the war… then yeah, the US has to pay.
But as long as the Administration keeps borrowing money from China, no one (i.e. the voters) will notice those expenses, and they’ll keep voting Republican.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:06 pmI was talking to an Iraqi vet last week, and he said that on public works projects, they KNOW that 15% of the money they give the local contractors goes to insurgents. It’ the “cost of doing business”, just like in a mob-controlled neighborhood. Protection money.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:07 pmLet’s take bets on how much ended up in the hands of americans.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:08 pmI say 60 to 70%. Iraqi’s bribe easily, but it is going on and on and the spigot just doesn’t seem to close for them.
If it weren’t for this war profiteering, the war would be over.
Find me one stinking troll supporting this administrations way of diplomacy. Buying off our enemies? is that what this war was all about? The name of Bush will forever be linked to abysmal failure. In future volumes of dictionaries, the word bush will be know as a pejorative term. The name of Bush will be a sore on the buttocks of America. Good job, georgie!
March 11th, 2008 at 7:09 pmIt’s not just in Iraq… yesterday Salon had an article about how military aid to Pakistan is being funneled directly to the Taliban who use it to attack U.S. and allied forces in Afganistan…
March 11th, 2008 at 7:14 pmComment by StratRat — March 11, 2008 @ 7:09 pm
Republicans are selling this country, via our foreign creditors.
Republicans will do business with anyone, throw money at anything for the intended effect. Because they sure can’t do it with real intelligence.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:17 pm>is that what this war was all about?
I dont know about the war, but this is almost entirely what the surge is about…why else would Betrays be kicking around with Chalabi the convicted embezzler who has a well oiled bribing machine…we went in, got rid of saddam and a few of his highest ranking people, now we are paying everyone else lower on the food chain not to take pot shots at us…how long is united states going to continue to pay for peace? why dont we just pay the taliban not to attack us in afghanistan while we’re at it. why dont we use this brilliant model to deal with our immigratino problem and just pay every mexican within 100 miles of the border a monthly stipend to stay in mexico
what i want to know, is why the heck isnt congress getting betrayus up there and forcing him to admit whats going on? oh wait, they have no b@lls.. sorry
March 11th, 2008 at 7:17 pm‘Significant’ Amount Of U.S. Funds For Iraq Funneled To Sunni And Shiite Militias
Duh! No sh** Sherlock!
March 11th, 2008 at 7:18 pmThe American taxpayers are going to fund their civil war.
Money and weapons in the front door and out the back door.
The American taxpayers are being played for suckers.
Your pockets are being picked while you walk around in a 9/11-tv induced fog.
What the Iraqis don’t t get, the contractors and war profiteers will, while the dollar drops and gas goes to $5.00/gal.
Your grandchildren will still be paying off the loans (T-bills).
oh hey look.. someone else in the UK who was involving in outing
UK/USA mischief winds up dead…shocking..
UK top cop who led CIA probe found dead:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080311/ap_on_re_eu/britain_police_death;_ylt=AomJbraG2beMCA2wX7SiD3mbOrgF
MANCHESTER, England – A city police chief who led an investigation into charges that Britain cooperated with secret CIA flights to transport terrorism suspects without formal proceedings has been found dead, his deputy said Tuesday.
Manchester Chief Constable Michael Todd, 50, was found dead in Snowdonia, about 240 miles northwest of London, Deputy Chief Constable Dave Whatton said. He had been missing since going out for a walk Monday during his day off
March 11th, 2008 at 7:22 pmI hope bush does run off to paraguay after he leaves office. It will be much easier to get him to the Hague for trial from that small country than it will be from here.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:23 pmIt’s not just in Iraq… yesterday Salon had an article about how military aid to Pakistan is being funneled directly to the Taliban who use it to attack U.S. and allied forces in Afganistan…
Comment by belac — March 11, 2008 @ 7:14 pm
We spend more money on weapons than the rest of the world combined.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:27 pmWe are spending ourselves into oblivion.
We also arm Pakistan, we sell arms to India, we arm Saudi Arabia, we arm Israel.
What’s the deal?
Is it the plan for Armagedon to be put on the American taxpayers tab?
>Is it the plan for Armagedon to be
> put on the American taxpayers tab?
the meth-addled scatophiles/pedophiles/cannibals/necrophiles who run this country are so deluded they started to believe the myth of american invulnerability.. they are truly so stupid they think the united states could wind up on the winning end of Armageddon, when in truth there is no such place…
March 11th, 2008 at 7:30 pmGvien that “Iraqi costs” (Leahy) are even more directly attibutable to Bush’s policies than the increased costs the US taxpayers are having to shoulder I think the RNC, the GOP, the AEI, PNAC, The Washington Times, Wolfowitz, Rice, Cheney, Perle, the Kagans, Scaife, Rupert Murdoch, The National Review and all those god-fearing, Jesus-saved domestic Christian soldiers out in the “hearland” who have made this all possible shoud pony-up with their money and their muscles and get out there and help the Iraqis enjoy the freedoms that have been delivered unto them and reap the consequent rewards of the US free-market based economy and democratic government the US has established out there.
I’m afraid Leahy, a man who has my overall respect, misses the goddamn point ( as I’m afraid he often does in such cases):
It;s not that the Iraqi;s keep “sending the bill” to the US when the apparently have the money to pay for repairs themselves, its because the US caused the damage in the ifrst place and contiunes to do so and why the hell should the Iraqis pay for a mess that is neither their fault, nor an accident?
March 11th, 2008 at 7:34 pmOff topic but funny:
WASHINGTON – The United States branded China an authoritarian human rights abuser Tuesday, citing alleged torture, state control of basic aspects of daily life, tight controls on religion and harassment of foreign charities.
How was the Abu Ghraib’s chinese report?
March 11th, 2008 at 7:42 pmNice, we could sure use a few bridges, roads, schools, damns built here with that wasted money. Bush cronies are having a field day on our dime.
Bush is not just the worst president, but the most sucky one also.
Bush/Cheney
March 11th, 2008 at 7:51 pmHague Trials ‘09
It;s not that the Iraqi;s keep “sending the bill†to the US when the apparently have the money to pay for repairs themselves, its because the US caused the damage in the ifrst place and contiunes to do so and why the hell should the Iraqis pay for a mess that is neither their fault, nor an accident?
Comment by 5th Estate — March 11, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
We haven’t been that successful repairing the damage that we’ve done to Iraq.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:53 pmWe seem to be better at supplying people with weapons in the name of creating stability.
We would have been better off supplying jobs rather than weapons to create security.
I think that applies to most places from the Gaza strip to the streets of the US.
Unfortunately we let anarchy take over in Iraq (remember “stuff happens”) and like Humpty Dumpty;
all the Kings horses and all the King’s men….
lol
Gas, milk ,eggs…
Elections have consequences.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:53 pmthe meth-addled scatophiles/pedophiles/cannibals/necrophiles who run this country are so deluded they started to believe the myth of american invulnerability.. they are truly so stupid they think the united states could wind up on the winning end of Armageddon, when in truth there is no such place…Comment by Chocolate Jesus
Necrophiles do not deserve such an unfair comparison
March 11th, 2008 at 7:55 pm#11 Chocolate Jesus:
“oh hey look.. someone else in the UK who was involving in outing UK/USA mischief winds up dead…shocking..”
Nice try CJ, but you are jumping the gun, if this news report is all you have to go on,
1) It seems Chief Inspector Dodd of Machester found “no evidence” of the use of Machester airport etc, for US rendition flights.
2) Snowdonia is 75 miles from Manchester, about 1/2 hours away by car. Many British go walking about just to enjoy the countryside, because it is beautuful and available.
Snowdonia is rugged terrain and prone to rapid changes in weather, and day-trippers die out there all the time (as they also in theLake District). The SAS trains in Snowdonia.
So please, do a little research first to substantiate a conjecture.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:56 pmThe inmates are running the asylum.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:57 pm#19 Flavorino…
” Humpty Dumpty” !
Very apropos!
March 11th, 2008 at 7:58 pmSorry on #21 that should read Manchester NOT “machester” and 1-1/2 hours ( one and one-half), NOT “1/2 hours”.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:00 pmReconstruction??????!!!!! What reconstruction?????????????!!!!!!!!!! The only thing they ‘contruct in Iraq are the Military bases that follow the oil pipeline, nothing else! Financing para-military milicias is the ‘modus operadi’ of the US government. They did that in many other part of the globe. Ask the war criminal Negroponte, he knows all about financing terrorist milicias to overtrow a democratic elected president in Nicaragua! …and than comes Bush saying “who ever finances terrorist bla bla bla….”
March 11th, 2008 at 8:05 pm45 billion for the biggest sewer on the planet.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:18 pmCongrats, chymp, on another fubar snafu.
see? no warming, no weiners = no trolls
March 11th, 2008 at 8:36 pmSounds like we’re paying over there so they can kill us there and here.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:36 pmIf memory serves, Feith or somebody said the Iraq oil revenues would pay for the war and of course, famously, Cheney said, it would surprise him if it lasted six months. The real agenda was to stop oil production and drive up the price. What more evidence do we need of treason?
March 11th, 2008 at 8:49 pmso basically if u.s. tax money is being funnelled to miltias in iraq,that would make chimp’s admin state sponsers of terror right?
March 11th, 2008 at 8:51 pm# 27 Tombaker…
hmmm… it seems your hypothesis may be elevated to theory. Well done!
Do you have a Tardis?
March 11th, 2008 at 8:54 pmGood thing we’ve got us some oil men in the White House, or our economy could really be in trouble…
Funny thing is, Republican’s were touting Dick and Lil Shrub’s “oil business acumen” as an asset.
An asset indeed, but only for those in the oil industry.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:55 pmHow was the Abu Ghraib’s chinese report?
Comment by Juan C. — March 11, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
That would be China’s report on Abu Ghraib, Juan.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:09 pmNo Tardis in my study – it’s actually my name. I can state with relative certainty that Mr. Golly is a Dalek counter-agent, however.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:10 pmConsidering the considerable strife that still exists between various Christian denominations in the US (see Hagee, McCain, Catholics), why can’t these dipwads figure out that the Shia and Sunni aren’t gonna start liking each other just because Shrub tap dances on the White House lawn.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:27 pmNo Tardis in my study – it’s actually my name. I can state with relative certainty that Mr. Golly is a Dalek counter-agent, however.
Comment by tombaker — March 11, 2008 @ 9:10 pm
Damn. All this time I’ve been thinking you were the 5th Doctor. **sniff**
Actually, I’m pretty sure GG is a Cyberman. Del-ete….
March 11th, 2008 at 10:27 pmFinally the truth from someone in Washington. We pay them not to shoot at us while the CHIMP steals their OIL(operation Iraqi liberation).
March 11th, 2008 at 10:45 pm> It seems Chief Inspector Dodd of Machester found “no evidence†of >the use of Machester airport etc, for US rendition flights.
Thats what the his report concluded.. yet whether he actually found no evidence or not is uncertain….we all know the flights were taking place, as you failed to mention even though the article clearly states these flights were later admitted to. So the question is, why did his report fail to state the truth…was he threatened? I suppose you think kelly really killed himself too, even though days before he died he wrote emails about “dark actors lurking in the shadows”. Once again, I dont pretend to have proof, but its awfully suspicious..
Maybe its just a coincidence, who knows, I’d be curious to know how often people who arent investigating and/or exposing state secrets in britain die under mysterious circumstances..
March 11th, 2008 at 11:50 pm.
$7,700,000,000,000 IN DEBT!!!
SPENT ENOUGH?
.
March 12th, 2008 at 1:02 amThat would be China’s report on Abu Ghraib, Juan.
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity
The good thing about all this embarrasment is that I learned something. Thank you.
March 12th, 2008 at 1:11 amWorst.
President.
Ever.
That pretty much sums it up folks.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:03 amThis is the best way I know of to guarantee perpetual war.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:40 amGreat. We throw money at Iraqi militias, who then divide the money up and make sure that at least some of our tax dollars go toward… killing US soldiers.
There are no guarantees that the loose cash flying around isn’t doing just that. There’s no oversight, no accounting procedures. It’s just billions in hand-outs.
Who is running this occupation? Who are the people who need to have the word, “Idiot”, stamped on their respective foreheads???
March 12th, 2008 at 8:52 amBush wants US soldiers dead. He wants casualties. He wants to justify the occupation by strengthening the resistance, which provides a rationale for continuing the occupation. Where’s Kurt Vonnegut when we need him? Damn it.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:54 amBush used this strategy in the Palistinian territories buy supporting Fatah militias against Hamas (contra 2 affair) and totally failed. I would bet that this will also fail in Iraq.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:02 amBring the troops home, NOW!
And they (the republicans) call themselves “conservatives”. These so called “conservatives” are spending money like there was no end to it.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:56 amWell……….why not. The’re all rich and its not their money. They need to stop calling themselves “conservatives” or start conserving.
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!
What happened to the “adults” in charge?
March 12th, 2008 at 12:00 pmGvien that “Iraqi costs” (Leahy) are even more directly attibutable to Bush’s policies than the increased costs the US taxpayers are having to shoulder I think the RNC, the GOP, the AEI, PNAC, The Washington Times, Wolfowitz, Rice, Cheney, Perle, the Kagans, Scaife, Rupert Murdoch, The National Review and all those god-fearing, Jesus-saved domestic Christian soldiers out in the “hearland” who have made this all possible shoud pony-up with their money and their muscles and get out there and help the Iraqis enjoy the freedoms that have been delivered unto them and reap the consequent rewards of the US free-market based economy and democratic government the US has established out there.
I’m afraid Leahy, a man who has my overall respect, misses the goddamn point ( as I’m afraid he often does in such cases):
It;s not that the Iraqi;s keep “sending the bill” to the US when the apparently have the money to pay for repairs themselves, its because the US caused compaq evo n610c battery,compaq evo n610v battery the damage in the ifrst place and contiunes to do so and why the hell should the Iraqis pay for a mess that is neither their fault, nor an accident?
October 15th, 2008 at 4:27 am