Adventures in War Profiteering

Bill in DC found this little gem on The New York Times editorial page.
Iraq Fixer, No Exp. Needed, $1B-up

Anyone who caught a glimpse of President Bush's speech on Iraq this week - delivered from an elaborately decorated stage confidently plastered with "Plan for Victory" placards - may have thought the administration believes that a detailed victory plan is in place. But there's still work to be done, especially if you're in the business of blue-sky consulting.

As the president's speech was being headlined, a far quieter government announcement from the Agency for International Development, the main pipeline for Iraq reconstruction, was offering a $1-billion-plus opportunity for interested parties to dream up "design and implementation" plans for stabilizing 10 "Strategic Cities" considered "critical to the defeat of the Insurgency in Iraq."

Talk about outsourcing: here comes the government's open invitation, for all "qualified sources" out there, to come up with $1.02 billion worth of fresh imaginings, even as the "Plan for Victory" is ballyhooed as a fully credible agenda in hand for fixing - perchance exiting - Iraq. Veterans of the think-tank consultancy complex in Washington are rating such an ultralucrative offer - an average of $100 million per city across two years - as eye-popping by the usual scale of Usaid grants. It's even more so when such a sweet deal comes, at least initially, with no specific strings attached.

"The assignment calls for the design and implementation of a social and economic stabilization program," the agency says in its brief proffer, adding, "Invitation is open to any type of entity."

If so, we hope Iraqi urbanites get wind of this thought-provoking windfall. Who knows? They may have a helpful idea or two, once the 10 cities are identified. Then again, the Usaid invitation cautions, "The number of Strategic Cities may expand or contract over time." Hmm. Let's all think about that.

This absolute criminal absurdity of this is astounding. The people most qualified to do this job will once again be left out, the Iraqis themselves. "Invitation is open to any type of entity." That is to say anyone who has or will contribute to Republican causes, no other experience required. I don't care what your political persuasion or how you feel about the war this is your money that is being flushed down the toilet. Think about it.