THE US, THE UN AND IRAQ, ELEVENTH THREAD

Bechtel's Projects Lacking In Iraq
Less Than Half Of Jobs Complete, Report Concludes

By Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 26, 2007; D08



A government oversight agency has found that Bechtel National successfully completed less than half of the reconstruction jobs that the government hired it to perform in Iraq.

In a report released yesterday, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction analyzed 24 job orders that Bechtel contracted to perform at a total direct cost of $761.2 million. Of those, 11 were successfully completed, 10 were incomplete, canceled or transferred to someone else, and the final status of 3 could not be determined.

"This is emblematic of the problem that contractors have experienced in Iraq reconstruction," said Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the inspector general for Iraq. He said his office has found that 40 percent of projects in Iraq were in danger of not being completed under the original contract.

"When you enter a contract, you expect the work to be done," Bowen said. "If half the job orders aren't met, you didn't get what you bargained for."

"It has been typical for [contractors] to have projects delayed because of security or delays by subcontractors," he said. "That's why virtually every project in Iraq has cost more or taken longer than expected, and as is the case with the Bechtel contract, some projects didn't get finished at all."

Bechtel was hired under a $2 billion contract to provide engineering, procurement and construction services and to rebuild infrastructure in Iraq. The report pointed out that Bechtel did finish several of its costliest undertakings, including an $88.4 million project to do maintenance work, provide spare parts and train Iraqis at 19 power plants, and a $126.5 million project to build and refurbish electrical substations.

Among the jobs that Bechtel did not successfully complete was one to build a landfill in Baghdad. After security problems and troubles with the land's ownership arose, the $3.7 million job was canceled. Bechtel was paid for its work, and $2.6 million worth of equipment was turned over to the Iraqis.

"We couldn't find an adequate site for the landfill," said Bill Shoaf, program director for Bechtel's work in Iraq. "It was determined the most beneficial use was for Bechtel to turn over the equipment. We had gone through all the options, and it was difficult finding a suitable site. So in time, the job order was amended."

Bechtel started work on a new $24.4 million water-treatment plant in Baghdad's volatile Sadr City district but did not finish the job. The company turned the project over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after completing 88 percent of the work.

In another case, Bechtel did not finish building a children's hospital in the southern city of Basra because of security threats. The hospital, championed by first lady Laura Bush, was supposed to provide state-of-the-art care. Bechtel transferred the hospital to the Corps of Engineers after completing 45 percent of the work.

I agree that in 2008, we damn well better elect someone president who is less incompetent than Bush.

The US ambassador to the United Nations said ally Saudi Arabia was undermining efforts to stabilize Iraq.

Zalmay Khalilzad's comments Sunday follow word from a senior defense official that a planned US weapons sale to Saudi Arabia and other moderate Gulf states was expected to be a topic this week when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates visit the Middle East. The sale is expected to total $20 billion in sophisticated weaponry.

Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Iraq, said an opinion column he wrote for The New York Times this month accusing US allies of pursuing destabilizing policies toward Iraq referred in part to Saudi Arabia.

"Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries are not doing all they can to help us in Iraq," he said Sunday. "At times, some of them are not only not helping, but they are doing things that are undermining the effort to make progress."

US officials have stepped up public criticism of Saudi Arabia but remain cautious in dealing with a crucial ally in the region.

Iraqi officials have accused Saudi Arabia of allowing a flow of funding to support Sunni insurgents and failing to prevent would-be suicide bombers from crossing the Saudi border to infiltrate Iraq.

On their trip, Rice and Gates are expected to ask Saudi King Abdullah for greater cooperation in Iraq. The United States says it will push for forgiving millions in Iraqi debt dating to the Saddam Hussein era and security help for the government of Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

Two House Democrats, Representatives Anthony Weiner and Jerrold Nadler of New York, said Sunday they would introduce legislation to block the Saudi arms deal.

"We need to send a crystal clear message to the Saudi Arabian government that their tacit approval of terrorism can't go unpunished," Weiner said at a news conference in New York. "Saudi Arabia should not get an ounce of military support from the US until they unequivocally denounced terrorism and take tangible steps to prevent it."

Weiner and Nadler noted that 15 of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001, were Saudi citizens.

A House Republican leader, Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri, said he was inclined to support the sale.

"But on these issues regarding Saudi Arabia, we have a bigger problem in the House all the time, because of the disappointments with the Saudis, who have traditionally been good friends of ours, who have been allies in the region, but continually seem to not understand the situation we're in right now," Blunt said.

"And so, the votes that we've had have been harder and harder as related to Saudi Arabia. And the administration's going to have to really make the case here that this is needed, that there are reasons beyond what we can see, that the Saudis continue to be helpful to us. And that will be a challenge for them, I think."

Iraq's 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on a 71st-minute header by captain Younis Mahmoud was an inspirational triumph for a team whose players straddle bitter and violent ethnic divides. After the game, Mahmoud called for the United States to withdraw its troops from his nation.

"I want America to go out," he said. "Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but out. I wish the American people didn't invade Iraq and, hopefully, it will be over soon."

Ican, you are entitled to be wrong now and then, but you definitely abuse the privilege. BTW, Gore is all about competence and accomplishments. No Rep can hold a candle to him.

Ican, you are entitled to be wrong now and then, but you definitely abuse the privilege. BTW, Gore is all about competence and accomplishments. No Rep can hold a candle to him.

They are obviously irrational.

Quote:

They are obviously irrational.

What about them is irrational, specifically?

I submit that you are losing your faculties to judge such things, due to the onset of senescence. therefore, more then just a blanket statement is necessary for you to be taken seriously on this or any other issue.

Cycloptichorn

Ican, are we supposed to bow and scrape considering your credentials. Relative to a2k, I am underwhelmed.

Cycloptichorn wrote:

Quote:

They are obviously irrational.

What about them is irrational, specifically?

I submit that you are losing your faculties to judge such things, due to the onset of senescence. therefore, more then just a blanket statement is necessary for you to be taken seriously on this or any other issue.

Cycloptichorn

I submit that you are not competent to judge whether anyone else is losing his faculties.

I'll try to help rescue you without transcribing Gore's first book on the cause of earth warming.

Gore's repeated reasoning technique:

If A were true, then by logical argument B is true.
Since B is true, C by logical argument is true.

Gore and other politicians of his competence level use this technique extensively.

However, my favorite is this: Excess CO2 emissions now can be "offset" by paying low emitters of CO2 to plant more trees now.

...
Unsourced allegations lacking in content. You'll have to do better then this; there is a vast wealth of material by and about Gore online, so no transcription is necessary.

Cycloptichorn

Cycloptichorn wrote:

...
Unsourced allegations lacking in content. You'll have to do better then this; there is a vast wealth of material by and about Gore online, so no transcription is necessary.

Cycloptichorn

Read his books! If those books were online, you could avoid transcription and resort merely to reading and copying excerpts on line.