World's Biggest U.S. Embassy May Not Be Quite Big Enough

[Barrett808]

Source: Washington Post

World's Biggest U.S. Embassy May Not Be Quite Big Enough
By Al Kamen
Wednesday, May 16, 2007; Page A13

For all those who keep whining about how the government can't do anything right, we're happy to report that the massive New Embassy Compound in Baghdad, the biggest U.S. embassy on earth, is going to be completed pretty much as scheduled in August.

The bad news is that it appears it's not going to have enough housing for all the employees who'll be moving to the 27-building complex on a 104-acre tract of land -- about the size of the Vatican, two-thirds the size of the Mall -- within the Green Zone.

In fact, our new man in Baghdad, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, is said to be concerned that, while there are more than 600 blast-resistant apartments in the NEC, there's a need for several hundred more apartments.

Problem seems to be that the original plans didn't account for hundreds of staff working in reconstruction, development, the inspector general's office and other security programs, who, though considered temporary, will need, at least for a few years, somewhere to live. There are 1,000 Americans working at the embassy, and Crocker is looking to downsize, but we hear he's having trouble finding even 100 to toss overboard.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051502027.html

[Missy M]

1. Why don't they call it what it really is....

the Middle East White House.

[TankLV]

14. It's the emperor's middle east palace residence...

Just the first one of many in the new Amerikkkan Empire...

We may not be following the Nazi's exactly, but I believe we are on target with the Romans...

I always thought the Romans lasted for hundreds of years - but they only had just over a couple hundred years - hmmm....

[Old and In the Way]

2. It's not an embassey...it's a fortress.

A fortress from which we'll attempt to run an occupied country. Like everything else these idiots have done, this will fail in spectacular fashion.

[daleo]

9. Time to re-make the old movie(s)

Fort Apache - The Green Zone.

[Eugene]

11. It's a Medieval castle.

It's there to assert U.S. authority over a hostile land,
with a full complement of soldiers, administrators, and
workers. They need to equip it for bigger mission than
they planned, if they can compel find enough people
to work there.

[bvar22]

13. Exactly right!

The Crusaders tried the EXACT SAME THING!
Didn't wotk then. Won't work now.

[slipslidingaway]

3. K&R, the Iraqi people must be so happy.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[Botany]

4. 27 bldgs and 104 acres = White Elephant

[FatDave]

5. Hey neocons!

You had your chance. It was a chance you didn't deserve. A chance you had to steal an election to have. A chance you had to start an unprovoked war for. And You know what? It didn't fucking work. Your plan has been an utter and complete failure. So why the fuck is your plan still moving forward? You have disgraced our country. You have disgraced humanity. Please crawl away somewhere and fucking die.

[sutz12]

6. The average embassy has, what, a platoon of Marines for securtiy?

This compound is probably going to need at least a battalion.

And BTW, 104 acres will not provide any place out of range of an 81 mm mortar, or of any of the many types of rockets available to most modern terrorists.

[alfredo]

7. Half-assed at best. Can't these guys do anything right?

[donkeyotay]

8. I wonder what it costs now.

From the OP link:

"All this for only $592 million. Well, that was the original price tag."

[progressoid]

10. Enron East.

[conspirator]

12. Its the Colonial House of the Eastern Oil nt

[LynnTheDem]

15. George bUsh's palace in Iraq; bigger than all of Hussein's. George bUsh's prisons

n Iraq; record-breaking number of prisoners, way beyond the number of Iraqis jailed under Hussein.

George bUsh; worse for the people of Iraq than Hussein ever was.

[Javaman]

16. This was done completely on purpose...

it's an old airforce trick.

The airforce will get tons of money to build a base, but the last thing they will build is the runways. They will use up all the money on the frills, then go beg to congress that they don't have enough to finish.

It was done countless times during the cold war.

the people building this monument to bullshit, knew exactly that they didn't have the money to finish it.

So all this feigned surprise is more bullshit by the bullshitters.

[Robbien]

17. Bilking the taxpayer for the very last drop

Not just a military ploy, but they sure are masters at it.

[magellan]

18. Scandalous waste of time, troops and US dollars

...and the most significant thing America has constructed in Iraq:


A GIANT TARGET.

[april]

19. who in the hell approved this ?

[veracity]

20. 27 Buildings on 104 Acres is NOT an Embassy; It’s an Occupation.

Must Read:

http://tvnewslies.org/blog/?p=620

[pinniped]

21. The Iraqis are our friends. Why the need for blast-resistant apartments?

It sounds like a nice place to live. If you leave the complex you might never come back.

[StarryNite]

22. But this is not an occupation.

:sarcasm:

[liberal renegade]

23. more like an ABOMINATION..

[rec_report]

24. Do the 'insurgents' know where it is? n/t

[CHIMO]

25. Idiotic

They haven't thought out of the box.

It will be a massacre waiting to happen.