You’ve no doubt heard the accusations levied against Halliburton–that they’ve received contracts in Iraq and elsewhere in the world only because of their alleged connections with the Bush administration. The most recent charge is that the company, one of a few even able to carry on these international operations, overcharged the United States while working under a contract to bring Kuwaiti oil into Iraq.
However, it seems that this latest accusation is unable to stand the impartial political test. According to a Dec. 19 memo written by an Army Corps of Engineers contracting officer, Halliburton charged the correct price.
Contracting officer Gordon Sumner wrote that [Halliburton subsidiary] KBR “obtained adequate price competition’ for the fuel and “continued to negotiate the best price possible.’ Sumner wrote that Halliburton had tried to get a cheaper price but Altanmia and Kuwait refused.
But I’m not looking for the apologies just yet. Nope, I’m assuming Halliburton’s detractors will follow suit with presidential hopeful Joe Lieberman and his words of ignorance.
“The corps should be ashamed of itself for siding with the bottom line interests of Halliburton rather than with the American taxpayer.”
Never mind the possibility that Halliburton could be guilty of no wrongdoing, Lieberman’s miffed merely because the Army Corps of Engineers official might be able to exonerate the company.