Boondoggle: A project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation.
What struck me about WaPo's Special Report "Construction Woes Add to Fears at Embassy in Iraq" wasn't so much that this was just another contractor rip-off in Iraq, but the fact that it's a "$592 million project to build the largest embassy in the world."
The largest embassy in the world!
Why are we building the largest and most obscenely costly embassy in the world in unstable, war-torn, tribal feuding, terrorist saturated Iraq?
It will never be "safe" even without already worrying construction flaws in the 21 building embassy being cobbled together by a Kuwaiti contractor.
The guard base, a vital first-completion facility in that neighborhood, is uninhabitable with wiring problems, fuel leaks and noxious fumes in the sleeping trailers.... in general, "Poor quality construction....life safety issues."
Just what was the fix suggested for the formaldehyde fumes permeating the 252 prefabricated residential trailers built by a Saudi trailer manufacturer? The company confirmed it had used the toxic chemical in preparing the housing, and suggested the embassy keep the windows open and use charcoal in the rooms to absorb the odor.
How many millions did those trailers cost?
There's much, much more.... but you get the idea. The administration is throwing money around to Middle East buddy-buddy contractors for substandard work without proper oversight. For this White House, business as usual.
Regardless, the State Department is in a rush to complete the embassy this year.... guess The Decider wants to fit it into his legacy.
Which leads to the perfect solution for this "white elephant" enterprise.... why not make it the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
7 comments:
How soon "we" seem to have
forgotten the US embassy
boondoggle in Moscow....
Philip.... I don't equate an embassy in Moscow to one in Iraq, totally different national profiles.
And, if you're referring to the construction "bugging" problems with the embassy in Moscow, actually, this construction was undertaken during the Reagan and George H. W. administrations.
During Clinton's terms, a new "bug free" office building was constructed costing a third of the current boondoogle in Iraq.
This boondoggle in Baghdad for Bush's presidential library is certainly fitting...but his three comic books won't require that much space.
Second try - Your security mode
does effect us older people....
Americans, of either party, throw
money at any and everything.....
It seems to be their way of solving
a problem.....Iraq these days is
"awash" with US money, most of
which is going into Swiss bank
accounts....At the same time there
are US domestic policies which are
also "awash" with money which even
the GAO can not find....As a point
of a side note, the word boondoggle
came into fashion in 1935 when FDR
threw money around during the New
Deal.....(Like I said above - it's
an American thing).....
FDR's "throwing money around" on programs for the unemployed in our country doesn't really equate to throwing money around in the Middle East, benefiting no one except Bush's buddies.
Everybody makes money from MONEY...
Some people made "loads" of money
on the Hoover Dam and the TVA...
The labor force also welcomed
their pittance unaware, and perhaps
unconcerned, about the other
distribution of financial gains to
landowners and GCs....BTW, If I
ever wrote the way this "word
verification" says I have to - my
teacher would have given me "what
for" over the knuckles...Why are
you and thoughts so fearful that
you need this addled layer of
internet protection?.....(Hope
this "enters" this time).....NOTE:
Here is the second try....Did you
set it up this way?.....
Pumps, The word verification is purposely not like regular letters, otherwise spamers would be able to automatically access and post all kinds of silly/awful stuff. Sorry it's difficult for you, but that's the state of the world we live in.
(P.S. Even though I am the blog "owner", I also have to go throught the process so know what you mean.)
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