http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-rebuild9apr09,1,414244.story?coll=la-headlines-w
orld&ctrack=2&cset=true
Halliburton has become so incompetent for so long that even new Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is turning on them. Rice is shifting millions of dollars from Halliburton to local Iraqi firms whom they believe have lower overhead costs and fewer problems with insurgents.
This effort, typical of the administration, is completely unorganized. This is the third time that the administration has changed their rebuilding plans. This time, possibly to cover up their own incompetence in organization, Rice and the State Department are pointing the finger of blame at Halliburton and the Pentagon. Among the problems they cite:
1. Water treatment plants being built with no water lines, meaning no running water for Iraqis;
2. The Pentagon's failure to plan for insurgent violence and restrictive laws passed by the CPA;
3. Paying contractors to do nothing;
4. Cost overruns as high as 4:1;
5. Lousy accounting procedures; estimates of cost overruns range from $40 millions to $400 million. In the words of one auditor, "We could never make the costs add up."
Due to Halliburton's incompetence, the State Department has threatened to terminate Halliburton's $1.2 billion dollar oil contract.
In other Halliburton news:
A family of a worker killed in Iraq has sued them for lying to them about how safe working in Iraq would be.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/11354892.htm
In 2004, Halliburton ran a series of ads saying they were rebuilding Iraq because of what they know, not who they know. But now, they are losing business in Iraq based on what LITTLE they know. And who they know does not seem to matter anymore.