Tuesday, June 15, 2004

HALLIBURTON - Play Contractopoly

HALLIBURTON
Play Contractopoly
(http://www.americanprogress.org/contractopoly)

Last September, Vice President Dick Cheney appeared on national television and denied that he had any advance knowledge of or involvement in lucrative government contracts given to his former employer, Halliburton. Cheney said, "I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040607-644111,00.html)
of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the Federal Government." But Cheney wasn't telling the truth. In a letter to the vice president on Sunday, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) reveals that the vice president's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby " was briefed in October 2002 about the proposal (http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_admin_halliburton_contract_inves_june_13_let.pdf)
to issue the November 11 task order [contract] to Halliburton." Earlier this month, Time Magazine unearthed an e-mail which indicates that a $7 billion no-bid contract awarded to Halliburton on March 8, 2003 was " coordinated (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040607-644111,00.html)
" with Cheney's office. Pentagon officials now acknowledge (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-halliburton14jun14,1,2397635.story)
that Undersecretary of Defense Douglas J. Feith discussed the March 2003 Halliburton contract in advance with Cheney's office. But don't let Dick Cheney have all the fun. Check out Contractopoly
(http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=90056) --
the new interactive game from American Progress that lets you win billions in sweetheart deals from the Bush administration as you rebuild Iraq.