U.S. Embassy opening in Baghdad delayed indefinitely

[cali]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - 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."

<snip>


"It is not a cost overrun. It is an additional contract requirement," he said.

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-29923920071009?sp=true

you gotta love McCormack's last line, which is in response to Waxman's statements about the project being $144 million dollars over budget.

[WCGreen]

1. Shit, they coul dhave used all that cash to help down in NOLA....

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. Sure, they could have done that...

But why?

There's no oil in NOLA...

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

9. uhh... New Orleans would have been abandoned if it wasn't for the oil

[aquart]

2. White elephant.

I wouldn't be unhappy if it were dismantled expensive brick by brick.

[malaise]

3. I have long said that will be the biggest white elephant in history

I hope someone paints a mammoth elephant on the building with Rethug values in red.

[SoCalDem]

4. We should sell it to China. They will need a home base

when they start re-building Iraq :)

[OzarkDem]

5. Good, I want my money back

I'll take a check.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Yes, but "indefinitely' is right around the corner.

Or so they tell us.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

8. Pat Buchanan put it best,

"The next dictator of Iraq is gonna be living in that thing"

Or as my 100% non-political girlfriend put it, "I hope it has a strong roof, I hear those marine helicopters are heavy"