Posted on 10/19/2007 3:40:00 PM PDT by BGHater
The opening of the mammoth new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has been delayed indefinitely while its Kuwaiti contractor fixes a punch list of problems, the State Department said on Tuesday.
The sprawling complex, whose cost is edging toward $750 million, was set to open last month but U.S. lawmakers say shoddy work by the contractor and poor oversight by the State Department have delayed it.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack rejected claims of inadequate oversight and said there was no indication how long it would be before the new embassy opened.
"I can't tell you when the embassy is going to open," said McCormack. "We don't have an answer."
McCormack said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was prepared to "cut everybody involved some slack" if the delay fell within the norms of opening a large embassy complex but would demand answers if it dragged on too long.
"Anytime you have a large construction project you have punch list items, and we shall see in, I would hope, the not-too-distant future whether or not ... these delays ... fall outside the norms that one might expect for this kind of project," McCormack said.
"We're not going to buy ourself a turkey here. We're going to make sure that we get what we paid for," he said.
Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California, who heads an oversight committee in Congress, sent a letter to Rice on Tuesday asking her to explain the delay and accusing her department of incompetence and inadequate oversight.
OVER BUDGET
Congress originally allocated nearly $600 million to build the biggest U.S. Embassy in the world but Waxman said the project was now $144 million over that budget.
In addition, he said new documents showed hundreds of violations of fire codes and other regulations and electrical problems throughout the complex.
"These problems were so severe and widespread that the inspectors concluded that none of the buildings on the new embassy compound could be approved for occupancy," wrote Waxman, a staunch critic of the State Department's oversight of its contractors in Iraq.
McCormack said original specifications of the contract changed after it became clear that more office and living space was needed for civilian and military staff.
"It is not a cost overrun. It is an additional contract requirement," he said.
Waxman, in turn, accused the State Department of misleading his committee over the status of the embassy project at a hearing on July 26 when he said senior officials dismissed issues raised by his committee as minor problems.
"It would appear to be gross negligence if the department's senior management were unaware of the defects at the embassy when they testified before the committee," he said.
"Increasingly, it appears that the State Department's efforts in Iraq are in disarray," added Waxman, referring to an investigation involving U.S. security contractor Blackwater.
Asked about Waxman's comments that the State Department's efforts were in disarray, McCormack replied: "That is just a ridiculous statement."
Waxman has opened an inquiry into accusations that the State Department's inspector general interfered with investigations into waste and fraud involving the construction of the embassy. The inspector general rejected these claims.
I’ll be surprised if this complex is ever occupied. Building a new embassy in Baghdad today is like building a new embassy in Saigon in 1973.
“”I can’t tell you when the embassy is going to open,” said McCormack. “We don’t have an answer.””
Never, I hope. Give it to the Iraqis for a ministry. As an embassy it is a monstrosity, a symbol of the moneyed corruption of the “reconstruction”
Not to worry, I am sure it is being built on a cost plus contract.
gimmeabreak
There isn't a dem plan since the Manhattan project that was ever finished, didn't become a budget busting sink of ever more $, and wasn't a total disaster in every way.
maybe we should compare the embassy to the Big Dig in Boston, eh? where was the Waxman oversight on that fiasco?
That said, with the State Department in charge, I wouldn't bet on a stirling example of our construction expertise.
gimmeabreak
There isn't a dem plan since the Manhattan project that was ever finished, didn't become a budget busting sink of ever more $, and wasn't a total disaster in every way.
maybe we should compare the embassy to the Big Dig in Boston, eh? where was the Waxman oversight on that fiasco?
That said, with the State Department in charge, I wouldn't bet on a stirling example of our construction expertise.
gimmeabreak
There isn't a dem plan since the Manhattan project that was ever finished, didn't become a budget busting sink of ever more $, and wasn't a total disaster in every way.
maybe we should compare the embassy to the Big Dig in Boston, eh? where was the Waxman oversight on that fiasco?
That said, with the State Department in charge, I wouldn't bet on a stirling example of our construction expertise.
Next time, build an embassy not the palace of the viceroy!
I wish President Bush had fired the entire State Department and restocked it with real Americans.
oops, Greasy Waxman is a Democrat. I should have read the entire article before posting. Now, I am suspicious that the problems are not as bad.
Nah we will have to stay in Iraq for decades to come. Even the future President Hillary Clintn is not insane enough to leave Iraq.
Whose in charge? Do they have a construction supervisor at least? I think there are job openings for our illegal aliens there. They could introduce Iraqis to tacos, cerveza and cholas. If they need more problems.
$750 M for an embassy? I want to see the schematics for this boondoggle. You can duplicate the Bellagio in Vegas there for half that. Lake, water spouts, pools, restaurants and have a respectable place to go to.
whaaaat??? you spect the gummint to to anything for less than 10X what private industry could do???? where HAVE you been?? look at the cost of the border fence! he!! there were enough volunteers to have done it by now for a fraction of the gubmint cost.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.