Integrity in Government: Pentagon Axes Sweetheart Deal with Halliburton

... at long last, only a few years -- no sour grapes, mind -- after a sane observer would have cut the company loose [emphasis added]:

The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq.

The choice comes after several years of attacks from critics who saw the contract as a symbol of politically connected corporations profiteering on the war.

Under the deal, Halliburton had exclusive rights to provide the military with a wide range of work that included keeping soldiers around the world fed, sheltered and in communication with friends and family back home. Government audits turned up more than $1 billion in questionable costs. Whistle-blowers told how the company charged $45 per case of soda, double-billed on meals and allowed troops to bathe in contaminated water.

Forgive our pique -- okay, a few sour grapes here, sue us -- but how did Halliburton swindle this contract in the first place? Did no one in the government have an inkling that handing a huge, no-bid defense contract to a company in whose success Vice President Cheney has a massive stake (*.pdf) makes a lousy idea?

Oh, wait: someone did. The Pentagon -- surprise! -- demoted her. Pity, that.

Posted by Americans United For Change Web Team