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NY Times: No Evidence of Halliburton Profiteering
Newsmax ^ | MOnday Dec 29, 2003 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

Posted on 12/29/2003 2:40:40 PM PST by mware

NY Times: No Evidence of Halliburton Profiteering

A comprehensive investigation into Halliburton's multibillion-dollar contract to restore Iraq's oil infrastructure shows "no evidence of profiteering" by the Houston-based oil services company.

That's the verdict by the New York Times, which assigned its Whitewater sleuth Jeff Gerth and investigative ace Don Van Atta to lay bare all the tawdry details of how Vice President Dick Cheney's former company was reaping big-bucks profits from sweetheart deals imagined by Democrats.

One problem: Gerth and Van Atta found almost nothing for Dems to hang their hats on. In fact, not only couldn't the Times find any evidence that Halliburton was stuffing its pockets under-the-table - even the aboveboard revenue collected by the company hasn't been much to write home about.

"So far this year, Halliburton's profits from Iraq have been minimal," the Times admitted. "The company's latest report to the Securities and Exchange Commission shows $1.3 billion in revenues from work in Iraq and $46 million in pretax profits for the first nine months of 2003."

That's a slender 3.5 percent margin, hardly enough to make any self-respecting war profiteer look twice. No wonder this story hasn't been leading TV and radio news reports all day.

Too be sure, Times editors did their best to make it sound as if something fishy was going on. The report's front-page headline - "Halliburton Contracts in Iraq: The Struggle to Manage Costs" - gave no clue to the exoneration that followed.

And subheadlines like "Little Public Disclosure" and "An Absence of Competition" hinted darkly of shady deals where Cheney's friends were lining their pockets with blood money.

But even the Times had to admit that Halliburton's original Iraq contract was won "in a bidding process in December 2001."

What about that widely cited report last month claiming the company had overpaid by as much as 100 percent for Kuwaiti gasoline? Turns out that news is pretty much a political bust, too.

Company spokeswoman Wendy Hall explained that the Army Corps of Engineers needed the fuel imported to Iraq within 24-hours - not much time to launch a competitive bidding process.

"There's a premium for getting it done fast," explained Gordon Adams, a military procurement expert at George Washington University.

Anyone who disagrees ought to try sending all their mail by next-day-air and see what happens to their postage budget.

Another factor that sent job cost estimates through the roof: sabotage by terrorists.

"As the war wound down, more work came [Halliburton subsidiary] KBR's way, mostly because of acts of sabotage on pipelines and Iraq's oil facilities," the Times noted. "When security problems made the production of fuel inside Iraq even more difficult -- leading to shortages -- the government asked Halliburton to import fuel."

If the Times' report on Cheney's old company is the best the Democrats can do, it's time for Terry McAuliffe to begin searching for a new campaign boogeyman ASAP.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News
KEYWORDS: halliburton; noevidence; nyt; rebuildingiraq
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To: EggsAckley; All
I could not find any reference to this at the NYT website. If anyone finds a link other than Newsmax, please ping me.

I have lib aquaintances I want to forward the article to and they won't read Newsmax stuff.
21 posted on 12/29/2003 2:55:47 PM PST by Rebelbase (If I stay on topic for more than 2 posts something is wrong. Alert the authorities.)
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To: mware
Still won't stop the libs from charging that the purpose of the war was to stuff the pockets of Cheney's buddies, or for a similar corrupt purpose. Truth does not matter to them.
22 posted on 12/29/2003 2:57:56 PM PST by thoughtomator ("I will do whatever the Americans want because I saw what happened in Iraq, and I was afraid"-Qadafi)
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To: evad
"no evidence of profiteering"

NY Times equivalent of "no evidence of wife-beating". Same result -- leaves a negative image in the mind of the reader.

23 posted on 12/29/2003 2:58:14 PM PST by CedarDave
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To: Rebelbase
Would like to know what page it was on it the print edition -- not above the fold, that's for sure.
24 posted on 12/29/2003 3:00:10 PM PST by CedarDave
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To: mware
Mainstream corrections for such news will be nil.
25 posted on 12/29/2003 3:01:44 PM PST by RAY
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To: CedarDave
I would too. Page 38, perhaps ?
26 posted on 12/29/2003 3:07:31 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: mware
Quick! I need smelling salts!
27 posted on 12/29/2003 3:08:04 PM PST by MEG33 (We Got Him!)
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To: Rebelbase
Here is the link I have. You have to go to the print only. It was found in business section.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/29/international/middleeast/29CONT.html?pagewanted=all

28 posted on 12/29/2003 3:10:28 PM PST by mware
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To: mware
NPR this morning was wringing their hands and lamenting the bickering among the dwarves. Dean blamed the mad cow problem on Bush, naturally, and said he'd protect the public and the farmer if elected. On a sad note, Dean's flip flops were coming home to roost( Kerry, et. al. were taking turns nailing him). Worse, the wicked Republicans were taking notes and would recycle all the nasty details if Dean became the dem's candidate, which was looking more and more likely. Dean, so they said, profited from Gore's anointing by picking up 28 congressional endorsements over the past weekend. New Hampshire's primary was a hot topic, and from somewhere, maybe NPR's office?, they'd dug up a poll which showed good news! Bush is vulnerable for on a whole host of issues(which they didn't detail for some reason)! Yes, folks, although 48% of those polled said they'd vote for Bush were the election held today, but 48% said they wouldn't. This is so bogus, I can't believe they had the gall to broadcast it. On the other hand, as it's NPR, it's predictable.
29 posted on 12/29/2003 3:23:19 PM PST by hershey
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To: mware
The DNC must be having fits today.

When the NYT's can't find anything wrong they might as well hang it up.

Why? The accusations were top of the news for a week. This won't make any of the national news broadcast's which is where most people get their "reality" from. Ask Al Franken or Howie Dean about Halliburton and they'll repeat this lie and not be challenged about it.

Churchill said "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

30 posted on 12/29/2003 3:26:09 PM PST by Phsstpok (often wrong, but never in doubt)
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To: thoughtomator
Maybe they're warming up to supporting the WOT. The only way they can win back the votes they need is to co opt the issue to their liking. Since Bush has moved center, they have no winning points to speak of.

The Dems are losing health care, equality of minorities and women, CFR, immigration policy, the economy, education, etc. The Repubs have been looking real good to the swing voters these days--and they afford protection from insane terrorists, too.

31 posted on 12/29/2003 3:36:48 PM PST by Dec31,1999
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To: hershey
Dean blamed the mad cow problem on Bush, naturally, and said he'd protect the public and the farmer if elected.

It's important that MCD not become an important focus here. Dean is grasping at straws here.

A lot can happen between now and November. If prions are in fact a danger to humans, and our food supply is contaminated, the President and the Republican Congress must take responsible action to protect us now through intensive testing and quarantine and other measures.

Or at least give a heavy dose of lip service. If not, in the Dems' eyes, Bush will be kowtowing to "Big Beef".

32 posted on 12/29/2003 3:56:23 PM PST by Dec31,1999
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To: hershey
Dean is suffering from Mad Cow disease. He got it from Hillary.
33 posted on 12/29/2003 4:03:06 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY (((Some Thorazine for Mean Howard Dean)))
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To: Argus; onyx; FairOpinion; nopardons
Yeah, okay, but..but..BUSH LIED!"

The truth doesn't matter to Democrats. They are a broken record

Sort of like the anti-Bushes from allegedly the right...
34 posted on 12/29/2003 5:47:39 PM PST by gatorbait (Yesterday, today and tomorrow......The United States Army)
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To: mware
LOL!

The real headline should be:

NY Times: No Evidence of Halliburton Profiteering (ack, spit, #*@*#%(%~!)

35 posted on 12/29/2003 5:55:32 PM PST by mombonn
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To: gatorbait
We all know that the N.Y. Slimes is VERY biased. We all knows that the Dems are too. Both lie first and don't ever look back. What is galling, is that far too many supposed Conservatives, are even MORE guilty of this garbage.
36 posted on 12/29/2003 6:48:22 PM PST by nopardons
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To: nopardons
What is galling, is that far too many supposed Conservatives, are even MORE guilty of this garbage.

That's okay for them though;they have principles.

37 posted on 12/29/2003 6:51:41 PM PST by gatorbait (Yesterday, today and tomorrow......The United States Army)
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To: gatorbait
No, what they have , can't rationally be called " principles " at all.
38 posted on 12/29/2003 6:55:31 PM PST by nopardons
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To: gatorbait
That's okay for them though;they have principles.

They sure do. Principles ooze out of their ears, I tell ya.


39 posted on 12/29/2003 6:57:36 PM PST by rdb3 (The only problem I have with conservatism is conservatives.)
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To: rdb3; nopardons; FairOpinion; onyx; Howlin
That's okay for them though;they have principles. They sure do. Principles ooze out of their ears, I tell ya. Is that what you call that stuff?
40 posted on 12/29/2003 7:00:07 PM PST by gatorbait (Yesterday, today and tomorrow......The United States Army)
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