One thing about politics, things never change...

[charrison]

Thirty-eight years ago this very month, a young congressman told his colleagues that something was seriously amiss about huge wartime contracts awarded to a company with a big friend in a high place.

"The potential for waste and profiteering under such a contract is substantial," he warned. It is "beyond me," he went on, why the contract "has not been and is not now being adequately audited."

The war was Vietnam. The company was Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton that is now known as KBR. The big friend in a high place was Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson. And the impassioned young congressman was Donald Rumsfeld.

linkage

 

[Todd33]

Wait, are you an imposter? 🙂

 

[conjur]

Brown (of Brown and Root) was a big financial booster for Johnson. The only difference in Johnson and Bush is the party designation. Nothing but Texas oilmen out to make their business partners wealthier.

And Rumsfeld sure turned hypocrite, eh?

 

[Perknose]

You know, I really don't dislike Rumsfeld as I do AssCough and Cheney and the Dub. I disagree mightily with his formula for fighting this war, but I don't view him as personally duplicitous nor do his general political views scare me as much as Cheney's or AssCough's.

Rumsfeld just doesn't lie as easily or as well as Cheney or the Dub, you know?

One great and good thing Rumsfeld wanted to do and has tried to do is move forward and effect some cost savings and badly needed rationalization by trying to close redundant and unneeded domestic military bases (this effort now duly dead in the water due to the election and the war).

Their continued existence is just another form of welfare and represents pork barrel politics at its worst.

 

[Kibbo]

Originally posted by: conjur
Brown (of Brown and Root) was a big financial booster for Johnson. The only difference in Johnson and Bush is the party designation. Nothing but Texas oilmen out to make their business partners wealthier.

And Rumsfeld sure turned hypocrite, eh?

Bah, it's not hypocritical to accept come compromises in order to accomplish what you want. Big Picture: Security of the US through imperialism. Little picture: petty corruption on the way. I'd make the same compromise in his position. I'd just have a radically different big picture.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Kibbo

Originally posted by: conjur
Brown (of Brown and Root) was a big financial booster for Johnson. The only difference in Johnson and Bush is the party designation. Nothing but Texas oilmen out to make their business partners wealthier.

And Rumsfeld sure turned hypocrite, eh?

Bah, it's not hypocritical to accept come compromises in order to accomplish what you want. Big Picture: Security of the US through imperialism. Little picture: petty corruption on the way. I'd make the same compromise in his position. I'd just have a radically different big picture.

uhhh....yes, it's just about the definition of hypocritical!

One administration he lambasts the business dealings and then goes happily along in similar circumstances when it's his party in the White House.

 

[arsbanned]

Johnson was a bit of a pig. You guys ever hear the story NPR did on the Whitehouse Tapes? Fascinating listening, if you want to hear Johnson talk about his "nutsack" and his "anus" and listen to him belch loudly and repeatedly. Pig I tell ya.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Perknose
You know, I really don't dislike Rumsfeld as I do AssCough and Cheney and the Dub. I disagree mightily with his formula for fighting this war, but I don't view him as personally duplicitous nor do his general political views scare me as much as Cheney's or AssCough's.

Rumsfeld just doesn't lie as easily or as well as Cheney or the Dub, you know?

One great and good thing Rumsfeld wanted to do and has tried to do is move forward and effect some cost savings and badly needed rationalization by trying to close redundant and unneeded domestic military bases (this effort now duly dead in the water due to the election and the war).

Their continued existence is just another form of welfare and represents pork barrel politics at its worst.

Actuallyt the next round of base closures is underway. The list of bases to be closed will be published in 2005 i think. THis process if of course slow, even in nonelection years.

Rumsfield dill kill the commance and crusader projects.

 

[arsbanned]

Yeah, we're bracing ourselves around here once again, waiting for the next round of closures. The base I live near (and actually served at back in the day) does sub patrols (P-3s). 😀 Think we'll get shut down, or what.... 🙁

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: arsbanned
Yeah, we're bracing ourselves around here once again, waiting for the next round of closures. The base I live near (and actually served at back in the day) does sub patrols (P-3s). 😀 Think we'll get shut down, or what.... 🙁

It is possible as the naval fleet is shrinking...