WASHINGTON, April 29, 2007
Iraq Rebuild: Your Tax $ At Work (Not)
American Investment in Iraq Reconstruction Projects At Risk, Inspector General Report Finds
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Play CBS Video Video Iraq: Another New Way Forward? President Bush plans to discuss another way forward with Congressional leaders. Meanwhile a car bomb explosion in Karbala has provided another setback for progress in Iraq. Joie Chen reports.
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Video Walls For Security In Baghdad West Baghdad has now become a safer place. U.S. troops have found an effective way of keeping murder rates down, they build walls. Mark Strassmann has details.
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Video Petraeus: Army Making Progress Army Commander Gen. Petraeus tells David Martin the U.S. is making progress in Iraq but will not make a prediction of victory or defeat. He says he will know the fate of the invasion by September.
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An inspector general report on Iraqi reconstruction projects found that of 8 sampled projects declared successes and turned over to Iraqi control, 7 are no longer functioning properly, if at all. (Getty Images/Chris Hondros)
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Interactive Iraq: 4 Years Later The conflict wears on as the nation struggles to rebuild.
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In The Spotlight Bush's New Iraq Strategy A glimpse at some of the key elements in President Bush's new plan for Iraq.
Inspectors from the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, which is charged with reviewing Iraqi reconstruction projects that are financed by the U.S., visited eight facilities throughout the country, to determine whether the buildings were operating at full capacity.
What the inspectors discovered is that, even though those facilities had been completed and declared to be successes, and subsequently met the stated "objectives" of reconstruction, they were not functioning properly.
Sites suffered from deterioration, poor or no maintenance, or were not even being used by the people for whom they were built, at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of approximately $150 million.
And these were sites that the United States had previously declared to be signs of Iraq's rebirth: police stations, a military base, a maternity hospital, a recruiting center.
While officials said the eight sampled projects could not be the basis for solely judging the success or merits of U.S.-backed reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the functionality of the facilities raised serious concerns about the rebuild effort, which to Washington has been almost as important as a military victory.
For example, at a recruiting center in Al Hilla, inspectors found bathrooms with floors buckled by what appeared to be sewage backups, makeshift electrical wiring, and sewage holding tanks that were never evacuated because concrete barriers blocked access to the rear of the building where the tanks are located. The inspectors concluded that the quality of the recruiting center's construction met objectives, but that the problems, if left unresolved, would significantly shorten the useful life of the facility.
At a maternity and pediatric hospital in Erbil, inspectors again found a sewer system that was occasionally clogged, possibly as a result of improper disposal of large amounts of medical wastes, and a water purification system that was not working.
During the site visits there, inspectors saw needles, bandages and other examples of medical wastes in the sewer system's traps and septic tank. A new incinerator was not in use because those initially trained in running it were no longer employed. Also, workers were using an excessive amount of water to clean floors, leading to considerable amounts of water being absorbed into the walls.
The inspections were more positive for two police stations that were reviewed, both in Mosul. Each appeared to be able to operate at full capacity, the inspector general said.
At the Gaugli-Asher station, in particular, inspectors said that "full capacity operations over the long term will likely result" if Iraqi police continue to properly use and maintain the building and its equipment.
However, the review of a second station showed that some of the contractor work did not meet requirements; razor wire was secured by sand bags; and no one knew how to fix or run the generator providing electricity.
"As a result, the new generator system, which cost $79,000, is not being used and the repaired and upgraded electrical system and components have been degraded," inspectors said.
At Baghdad International Airport, $11.8 million worth of new electrical generators had been installed. The inspectors found that $8.6 million worth were no longer working.
"These first inspections indicate that the concerns that we and others have had about the Iraqis sustaining our investments in these projects are valid," Stuart W. Bowen Jr., who leads the office of the special inspector general, told The New York Times for an article published Sunday.
The inspector general's quarterly report on Iraq reconstruction is being released Monday. Reports dealing with specific aspects of the reconstruction were released over the last few days.
In Other Developments:
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- This is undoubtedly one of the most grevious sins committed on a people who were already being abused. George W Bush is the most mis-guided lunatic on the face of the earth. He is truly ignorance personified. And because he is a so-called christian, may his god have mercy on his soul.
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- So, based on what I read here it appears that the US model of wasted tax dollars has been fully accepted in IRAQ. So we really can spread the US model successfully.
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- I have got to admit this if it was Clinton we would have a witch burning. Oh wait if you are a GOP member you can be reborn and saved but only if you are a GOP. What a party of jokes this group is. They make excusses for themselves then try to blame Clinton. Clinton was a success your boy will go down all right straigh down to to you know where.
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- I want to know who is being held accountable for several of the out right theft and blunders in Iraq being perpetrated under the shade of the Fog of War. These thefts include but are not limited to; the Slant drilling being done by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in Iraqi Oil reserves, the theft of OIL during production and sale by not having meters on the line to account for the oil that is processed thru the line, and the remaining billions of dollars that have no audit trail from the 363 tons of money, indigenous Iraqi money found in Iraq, and the 400 billion American tax dollars that was sent to Iraq? I know that President Bush gave Paul Bremer a medal for his handling of Iraq and Promoted General Casey but should not someone be disciplined or jailed for this mismanagement?
The President's deceit is not only an abuse of power; it is a federal crime. Specifically, it is a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, which prohibits conspiracies to defraud the United States.
http://www.democrats.com/node/12313
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051114/delavega
If you think Americas sacrifice is worth it contact your ELECTED OFFICIAL and tell them http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
The House Speakers email address: AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov
info@gop.com Here is the Republican Party email address too!
democraticparty@democrats.org Here is the Democratic Party email address also! - Reply to this comment
- condumism,
Re: "liberal" press? who are you kidding?"
I think that you may have misunderstood. I think that sarcasm was in play here.
At any rate, this program was very good, and definitely worth watching. I watched as much as I could on the 'youtube' site the other day, until the video file became corrupted.
I will try this other URL provided:
pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html
I would like to see Moyers run for President. He would have my vote. - Reply to this comment
- rfield9 posted:
Every American should see the Moyers report documenting how our "liberal" press rubberstamped him on Iraq and failed their mission of true information.
"liberal" press? who are you kidding? The US press is dominated by inbred neocon imbeciles and Southern parasites who never publish the facts about the failings of the the reicht winged Republicon regime of lies, smoke, and mirrors. America is a fascist nation, or haven't you noticed? - Reply to this comment
- Re: "at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of approximately $150 million."
While CBS is focussed in on this relatively miniscule figure, the REAL cost to American taxpayers for the illegal war of aggression against Iraq is more like $2 TRILLION+!!!
"over $2 trillion, says Nobel prize-winning economist"
www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1681119,00.html - Reply to this comment
- Thread CC'd to;
CC:
info@aclu.org
reid.senate.gov/contact
speaker.gov/contact - Reply to this comment
Yet another almost non-reported aspect of Iraq.
"How to screw the public for a 1 Tril Slush Fund"
Every American should see the Moyers report
from last week, documenting how our "liberal"
press totally rubberstamped him on Iraq and
failed their mission of true information.
You can watch it on your computer;
pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html
You won't be getting up once you start into it,
it's riveting. Pass the link on please -- Reply to this comment
- ....worry not, taxpayer...the contractors, big or small, will get their check. As long as The Decider keeps shinning the path of democracy to our Iraqui brothers, everything should be fine.
Lead them on...... - Reply to this comment
Tank611
Please tell us oh master of bumper-sticker logic, what did Iraq have to do with 9/11?
Please tell us how invading and ocupying a Muslim country that did not attack us and posed no threat to us at all, prevents another 9/11?- Reply to this comment
- Should have been:
"We a are right on course for topping 100 more dead American soldiers (this month)"
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/28/iraq/main2738514.shtml - Reply to this comment
- Tank611,,,, How wrong you are -- Terrorist threats are higher against America & Europe -- Al Quida has grown & there are more like groups.... There where less terrorist attacks against our intrests in Clinton's 6 years.... 9/11 was on Bush's watch
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- 9 more dead American soldiers yesterday; Dead for deception, greed, ignorance, and blind hatred. Dead for the Bush puppet. Dead for Exxon-Mobile's record profits. We a are right on course for topping 100 more dead American soldiers in the illegal war against Iraq.
I'll bet that the friends and families of these soldiers would not have burried this story in the "Iraq after Saddan" section, the way that CBS Newz editors have done in this case. - Reply to this comment
- Millions? Wrong, Try 68,000;
UNAMI, reported that 34,452 civilians were killed and 36,685 were wounded in 06 alone..
CNN 4-25-06.
If you do the math over four plus years, that would push the figures a bit higher than 68,000.
Lets see, 68,000, or millions, well, its just iraqi's RIGHT? I wonder how many were children? How many more innocent Iraqi citizens will die?
Last count I read, was 99 American troops died this mongh alone. Well over 3300 so far. Mission Accomplished. Major Combat Is Over. Stay the course. - Reply to this comment
- QUOTE"
'THE BEAUTIFUL MOSQUES THAT HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY THE U.S'
The insurgents are disgracing and debasing Islam by using mosques to fire on Coaltion forces. - Reply to this comment
- Re: "The warnings to the policemen were signed by al-Qaida in Iraq and threatened to destroy their houses if they didn't comply."
Then they have nothing to worry about, since "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq' is little more than an imaginary black-propaganda fable.
Re: "A sniper shot to death an Iraqi woman near a market in western Baghdad, police said."
We know that an Iraqi sniper would have no reason to shoot an Iraqi woman, so are we talking about another U.S. soldier killing another Iraqi civilian? - Reply to this comment
- I've always said Republicans like to find enemies so they can spend government money away from social programs. They want to make the point that our own government is no good at helping people because its only function is supposed to be security.
People like Bush would rather have the biggest deficits in US history than make of the government a place every citizen can count on as a last refuge. - Reply to this comment
- All hail Haliburton! Mission Accomplished. The fleecing of America continues.
- Reply to this comment
- All hail Haliburton! Mission Accomplished. The fleecing of America continues.
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Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
