[Vision2020] Failure of Iraq Reconstruction II

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

Greetings:

The Government Accountability Office has just released a report stating that between 100,000 to 300,000 of Iraqi oil is being lost daily because of corruption and theft by insurgents, mainly Shiias in the South.

The GAO report also states that after spending $5.1 billion of our money and $3.8 billion of Iraqi funds, the electrical grid produces only 3,800 megawatts  versus 4,300 megawatts before the invasion.  (The U.S. goal was 6,000 megawatts.)  Electricity in Baghdad averages 5.1 hrs. per day with 8.6 hrs. being the national average.

This same money was meant to improve oil production, but in 2006 it averaged only 2 million barrels a day, down from 2.5 million barrels under Saddam.  The US goal was 3.5 million barrel per day.  Presumably, one has to subtract 100,000-300,000 barrels from that 2 million figure.

We have failed the Iraqi people in every conceivable way, and now even the Iraqi Parliament is discussing a time table for US troop withdraw, that is if they can ever stay in session long enough to accomplish anything.

GOP Senator Chuck Hagel is right:  Bush's Iraq misadventure is the most disastrous foreign policy decision in recent US history.

Nick Gier