Bush Engineers Halliburton's Gravy Train

The story today, "Halliburton Cited For Iraq Overhead.... Costs in Oil Contract Called Extreme," is just the tip of the Halliburton war and outlaw-nations-profiteering. The iceberg could sink the Titanic, or even our country.

The tip..... The Decider's administration, anxious to please Dead-Eye Dick and his corporate buddies, has allowed Cheney's old firm, Halliburton, to cart off obscene profits from their Iraq no-bid contracts.

A report released yesterday by the inspector general's office overseeing Iraq spending, found that in a key Halliburton contact to restore Iraq's oil industry "administrative overhead accounted for more than half the costs." (WaPo)

As obscene as Halliburton's contract abuse is in Iraq, there is a more deadly serious Halliburton offense taking place... the Iran iceberg.

Halliburton allegedly sold key nuclear reactor components to a private Iranian oil company called Oriental Oil Kish as recently as 2005, using offshore subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands to circumvent U.S. sanctions.

In 2004 and 2005 Halliburton had a close business relationship with Cyrus Naseri, an Iranian Oriental Oil Kish official and key member of Iran's nuclear development team. London's Financial Times confirmed that Naseri "a senior Iranian diplomat negotiating with Europe over Iran's controversial nuclear programme... [was]... at the heart of deals with US energy companies to develop the country's oil industry." (WaPo)

It was reported in January that Halliburton had won a tender to drill a huge Iranian gas field, and although some in the Iranian parliament attacked the deal, the Iranian government defended it, saying that the project, called South Pars, "served the interests" of the Islamic state.

According to Fortune Magazine, Halliburton has opened an unmarked office on the 10th floor of a Tehran office building, and since the South Pars project is expected to take 52 months to complete, Halliburton seems likely to remain in Iran through 2009.

So.... while even in today's press conference, The Decider seemingly attacks Iran's nuclear ambitions, the Tehran government reaps the benefits of doing business with a U.S. firm.... Halliburton.... where VP Cheney served as president.

November....