Halliburton and Iraq: The Purloined Letter

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Why was Dick Cheney so eager to invade Iraq? Why did he repeatedly link Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda after Sept. 11, and why did he maintain that not only did Iraq have weapons of mass destruction but that he, Cheney, knew exactly where they were?

Cheney clearly came into office wanting a war on Iraq, as revealed by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill.

Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton in 1995-200. Halliburton is a corporation that does a number of things, including energy, oil and military contracting. In 2001, Halliburton won a contract from the Department of Defense to provide "emergency services" to the Pentagon. The contract was above-board. Bids were taken from five competitors, and Halliburton won with the low bid. There was nothing illegal or irregular about such a process. But that contract may explain Cheney and his gang on Iraq, however Haliburton quickly became the sole contractor in Iraq. While there are other contractors today, the Cheney gang still gouges the US government for billions.