WAR IN IRAQ? "FOLLOW THE MONEY"

This is an interesting distillation of what is meant by the wise advice to "Follow the Money".

It is Ivy's opinion that if you want to understand world politics, you should keep this in mind. The other key is to ask yourself, "who is benifitting by all this?", but "Follow the Money" will lead you there anyway.

If you thought the USA was in Iraq for any other reason then naked greed, just read this:

These Numbers are from Defense Department auditors reviewing the performance of private contractors hired to aid the military or help rebuild Iraq:


Total questioned and unsupported costs, one-sixth of all contracts reviewed to date:
More than $10 billion

Value of Iraq contracts reviewed to date:
$57 billion


Amount the Pentagon has agreed to withhold:
$632 million


Value of troop-support contract awarded to Halliburton subsidiary KBR, of which $2.4 billion is questioned or unsupported:
$22.1 billion


Value of two Halliburton oil-field restoration contracts, of which $333 million is questioned or unsupported:
$3.6 billion


Value of reconstruction contract awarded to Parsons, of which $90 million is questioned or unsupported;
$2.2 billion

Costs to taxpayers of war, to date:
$351 billion

Sources: Defense Contract Audit Agency; House Oversight and Government Reform Committee