By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Army procurement official said on Monday Halliburton's deals in Iraq were the worst example of contract abuse she had seen as Pentagon auditors flagged over $1 billion of potential overcharges by the Texas-based firm.

Bunny Greenhouse, the Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official-turned whistle-blower, said in testimony at a hearing by Democrats on Capitol Hill that "every aspect" of Halliburton's oil contract in Iraq had been under the control of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

"I can unequivocally state that the abuse related to contracts awarded to KBR (Kellogg Brown and Root) represents the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career," said Greenhouse, a procurement veteran of more than 20 years.

Her blistering criticism came as the Democrats released a new report including Pentagon audits that identified more than $1.03 billion in "questioned" costs and $422 million in "unsupported" costs for Halliburton's work in Iraq.

Halliburton's subsidiary KBR is the U.S. military's biggest contractor in Iraq and has been accused by Democrats of getting lucrative work there because of its ties to Vice President Dick Cheney who headed the company from 1995-2000.

Pressed by lawmakers whether she thought the Defense Secretary's office was involved in the handout and running of contracts to KBR, Greenhouse replied: "That is true."

"I observed, first hand, that essentially every aspect of the RIO (Restore Iraqi Oil) contract remained under the control of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. This troubled me and was wrong," said Greenhouse.

Halliburton issued a statement strongly rejecting comments by Greenhouse and others at the hearing, including a former KBR employee who accused the company of overcharging for food services provided to troops under a logistics deal.

"The only thing that's been inflated is the political rhetoric which is mostly a rehash of last year's elections," said spokeswoman Cathy Mann of the hearing.

HALLIBURTON DEFENDS ITSELF

Regarding claims of political influence because of Cheney, Mann said it was easier to "assign devious motives than to take the time to learn the truth."

Both the Pentagon and the Army Corps of Engineers, which was in charge of a sole-source oil contract given to KBR in Iraq, have denied any special treatment for KBR. The Corps did not immediately respond to questions.

Democrats called for an urgent hearing and an investigation into what they said were contracting abuses involving KBR.

"This testimony doesn't just call for Congressional oversight -- it screams for it," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, a Democrat from North Dakota.

What concerned Greenhouse most was that the oil contract, which had a top value of $7 billion, was given to KBR without competitive bidding.

She irked her bosses by handwriting her concerns in official documents for the oil deal but said these were overlooked, she said.

In one instance, she said Army Corps officials bypassed getting her signature to grant a waiver for KBR to be relieved of its obligation to provide cost and pricing data for bringing fuel into Iraq.

That waiver was granted after a draft Army audit said KBR may have overcharged the military by at least $61 million to bring in fuel to Iraq to ease a shortage of refined oil.

© Copyright 2005, REUTERS

Roy Moore
Removed Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Ten Commandments monument crusader and favorite on the ultra-conservative lecture circuit

"The State carries the power of the sword, that is, the power to prohibit [homosexual] conduct with physical penalties, such as confinement and even execution. It must use that power to prevent the subversion of children toward this lifestyle."
— 2002 concurrence in a custody case involving a lesbian mother

This is the guy who will likely run for Governor next term in Alabama.

To quote a bumper sticker...

God, protect me from your followers!

I have noticed alot of attention being given to the penis lately and I'm wondering why all the hype?  You have sexual dysfunction drugs at every corner of the market, every other commerical, every other page in a magazine and no telling how much money is in the market.  I doubt I really want to know.  Now, these are sexual dysfunction drugs for MEN, not really for women.  The focus is on the penis, not the pussy.  With BILLIONS of dollars being invested into research, drugs, advertisement for the men out there, where does this leave the women who have never even experienced an orgasm?  We have women out there who have NEVER had an orgasm and no one is putting money into that.  How does it make those women out there feel who never experience an orgasm and their man can now GO for hours and with the aid of drugs can last all weekend, instead of being the minute men they truly are.  Some man who can't focus enough to keep it up is getting something to prolong his errection just because he can't control himself or pace himself or is just too damn lazy to work on this area, while his wife has yet to experience an orgasm in this lifetime.    There is something really fucked up about that focus of attention. 

Now, I'm not saying there aren't men that have problems sexually, but I seriously doubt it is as bad as they make it out to be.  I know many many men who have used these drugs who had no problem whatsoever, they just wanted to be hard for longer periods of time.  For those limited number of men with real problems, I am glad they have this, but it is being way over exposed and way over used by men who do not have problems with getting an errection.  But if you want to make some money, putting your stock into a penis drug is the way to go.  Call it penis envy if you want, but I think the direction is way fucked up here.   There are people dying of AIDS everyday and the government and society couldn't give a shit.  But let a man have a premature ejaculation, and the world stops and drops billions of dollars for the penis.   

Just to give an idea, last year alone, Viagra boasts of sales over $1.2 Billion.  That's just one of the three major drugs in that field right now, and that field is expanding every year (no pun intended).  There is also the drugs Cialis and Levitra that are major money makers in the field.  And you can bet there will be more to come.  New and improved versions, longer lasting versions, etc.  It went from lasting hours with the introduction of Viagra, to Cialis which is called the "weekend" drug, lasting 24-36 hours.  Next we'll see a week long drug, and before you know it, the penis can stay erect 24/7! 

Maybe it's just me, but it seems we have some fucked up values here when billions of dollars are being shoved into this market while we have so many terminal illnesses without cures, so many causes that need our attention. 

We are in the third decade of HIV/AIDS epidemic.  Approximately 60 people worldwide have become infected, including over 20 million people who have already died.  There are people infected from EACH state in the United States.  It is on track to be one of the worst, if not THE WORST, epidemics in human history. 

That's just one disease.  There are others that need our money and time.  Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc...  What I'm saying is, this country is so big on what they call morals, but what morals are we really portraying when an extended erection takes 1st seat to deadly diseases when it comes to money and research and support from the public? 

I have this thing about fairness that has been with me since I was born apparently.  From a young age, the unfairness in situations always bothered me.  If people weren't treated fairly, it bothered me more than most as a kid.  Still does. 

In working with all kinds of people, I find it very irritating to deal with people who think they can do whatever they want do.  Some people seem to have an attitude that everyone owes them and they are the ones that badmouth the company they work for, and they are the ones that milk the system for what they can get, and they'll cheat here and there, and stretch their hours or expenses, and do nothing but talk negative about their supervisor or the company, and then they are the ones who complain when they don't get a promotion and say it wasn't fair.  That kind of thinking is amazing to me.

To all you jerks out there that do that, shame on you!  I hope you get what you deserve today!  Sometimes when these folks seem to always get their way, you wonder where is the justice in it all, and then remember that there is no guarantee for justice in the work world.  And that makes me sad.  Some of the assholes move ahead of the good people who work hard.  Some of the bitches get by with stuff just because they are bitches.  Some jerkoffs will do the least amount of work they can do to get by and then act as if they are above all the rules.  I can't help it sometimes when those types of people just piss me off.  Today is one of those days.  And though I know it's not a fair world and I shouldn't wish bad things on even the assholes of the world, sometimes you just have to admit that you are not superhuman and that this stuff pisses you off.  Today is such a day for me.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Whatever you deserve, I hope you get it today!