Pentagon Bars Three Nations From Iraq Bids

Bush flew into Baghdad and fed the troops. Hillary flew in and cut in line.

Class talks, bullshit walks.

Who else have they sold weapons too? Do you have any idea? I know I don't.

Frank, you need to get out more often. Try a military board maybe.

Furthermore it serves to reinforce the notion that this war is self-serving by making a petulant announcement that only those in the club will share the spoils of war.

It's sad, because the last thing we need is for more people to think we waged the war for the spoils.

It's absurd because we continue to be willing to ask those nations for money to help. This move is a feel-good move for the crowd that hates nations that do not agree with us but it's counterproductive to our efforts to convince nations to agree with us.

The stated reason (US security) is laughable. This is the type of move that portrays the US administration as petulant and childish and reflects on all Americans as this is our government.

I for one, do not think this has anything to do with our interests. I think it has more to do with the interests of the hawkish persons in the US administration who think that those who do not agree with us should be punished.

I think it is completely reasonable to not present any rewards to nations who didn't cooperate.

I further think it's a reasonable strategy to attempt to get more help in the future.

As the world's economic leader, we are not in a position of having to appease others. They must appease us.

We will remain upside down on this war no matter who gets the contracts. The so called spoils are no way worth the investment.

I think it is completely reasonable to not present any rewards to nations who didn't cooperate. I further think it's a reasonable strategy to attempt to get more help in the future. As the world's economic leader, we are not in a position of having to appease others. They must appease us.

And by the way; Kim Jong Il is a savage who starves people to death by the millions, while building weapons he uses to threaten to "turn Seoul into a sea of fire". He is a terrorist who needs to be stopped.

OCCOM BILL wrote:

And by the way; Kim Jong Il is a savage who starves people to death by the millions, while building weapons he uses to threaten to "turn Seoul into a sea of fire". He is a terrorist who needs to be stopped.

I disagree with several elements of this statement. But it does not address the things I said (namely that we have no legal basis to demand denuclearization of NK).

In short we are the only nation that has threatened the use of nukes. NK is not in the habit of threatening people with nukes. Since this administration has been in power we have made those threats and they haven't.

(CBS) North Korea denied Sunday ever admitting to U.S. officials that it had a secret nuclear weapons program and said it would unleash a "sea of fire" if the United States challenges the communist country.

The Pentagon policy prevents companies from countries that opposed war from bidding on reconstruction contracts because their governments opposed the American-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein's regime.

The directive from Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, dated Friday and posted on a Pentagon web site Tuesday, limits bidders to firms from the United States, Iraq, their coalition partners and other countries which have sent troops to Iraq. It says restricting contract bids "is necessary for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States."

"Musn't let them have the preciousssss..."

Matt Kelley, in Salon, wrote:

The Pentagon policy prevents companies from countries that opposed war from bidding on reconstruction contracts because their governments opposed the American-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein's regime.

The directive from Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, dated Friday and posted on a Pentagon web site Tuesday, limits bidders to firms from the United States, Iraq, their coalition partners and other countries which have sent troops to Iraq. It says restricting contract bids "is necessary for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States."

"False, tricksy hobbits! We ought to wring their filthy little necks!"

Undated-AP -- A conference for companies seeking to take part in the 18-point-six (b) billion dollars in Iraq rebuilding contracts has been delayed.

The meetings were to take place today, but have been pushed back to December 19th.

The delay comes amid a furor over a U-S order barring countries that didn't support the U-S-led war from bidding on the contracts.

A spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad declined to comment on whether the delay is linked to the dispute over the Pentagon directive. The spokesman simply mentions scheduling conflicts.

The conference was to have taken place in two locations in the United States. The coalition spokesman says the rescheduled conference will be held just outside Washington at a suburban Virginia hotel.