Posted on 10/10/2008 3:18:48 PM PDT by SJackson
U.S. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia wants the Pentagon to freeze up to $300 million in contracts with companies the military is hiring to place pro-U.S. news stories and entertainment programs in the Iraqi media .
Webb wrote Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday to ask that the deals be suspended until they can be reviewed by the Senate Armed Services Committee and the next presidential administration. A freshman Democrat, Webb sits on the Armed Services panel.
With the United States in "a grave economic crisis" and Iraq's government carrying a $79 billion budget surplus drawn from oil exports, "it makes little sense for the U.S. Department of Defense to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars to propagandize the Iraqi people," Webb wrote.
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
You've come a long way, James Webb.
“You’ve come a long way, James Webb.”
I wonder if he no longer thinks women should’t be in the military and that the “broads involved tailhhook were looking for it.”
A blind squirrel finds the acorn once in a while, so maybe on this freeze effort he hit the nut. Or maybe he's got something up his sleeve beside the arm he uses to reach in our wallets? Just askin'.
It's repulsive to think Virginia is going to send horse-face Mark Warner to add liberal-socialism to compliment Webb's work.
LLS
The sooner we can identify these pukes and run them out of Virginia the better off we all are.
Right now, the Pentagon should be doing all it can to create black accounts to squirrel away money. This is because they face two very dangerous possibilities that could strip much of their budget: Obama and a major economic downturn.
There are many ways of creating black accounts that are not illegal.
They should have been doing this for years already, setting aside billions of dollars so that critical systems can be preserved and contracts can be concluded even in the worst times.
The Chinese have their military own some industries, but this is too direct. But any number of defense contracts can be created that can later be canceled with only a small penalty. Assets can be stored with friendly armies, so they will be off the books. Operational contingency funds can be placed in storage in foreign banks.
In the last year, Afghanistan has almost doubled its opium production, but only a normal supply is passing through the illegal drug distribution networks. So perhaps others have the same idea, figuring that heroin is a stable market to fund their military.
The bottom line is that it is the duty of the Pentagon to protect and defend the United States, no matter the political or economic situation.
Annapolis grad, solid combat record, no assistant, he was Secretry of the Navy under Reagan. Obviously his politics changed. Whether a change of heart, or opportunity, I don't know.
Yes, that was an issue in his campaign. IMO it was more apparent in his primary run. At least one of his brochures was borderline, typical hooknosed characterization of his opponent with money falling out of his pockets. Of course he was Jewish, and a businessman. I'll see if I can still find it.
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