Dean blasts Bush over Iraq contracts (Chicago Trib)

[WillyT]

<snip>

IOWA CITY -- Howard Dean accused President Bush on Tuesday of trading campaign contributions from "corporate cronies" for lucrative contracts to rebuild Iraq and contended his Democratic rivals for the presidential nomination allowed it to happen.

In a major foreign policy address to the Iowa City Council on Foreign Relations, the former Vermont governor also vowed he would name former President Bill Clinton as his envoy to the Middle East if he is elected. Further, he contended the Bush administration's failure to have a domestic-based renewable energy policy and the nation's over-reliance on foreign oil have helped funnel U.S. dollars to terrorists.

Dean's speech on Veterans Day appeared to mark a new phase in the campaign of a candidate who has accumulated strong momentum toward winning the Democratic presidential nomination, but who has faced questions over whether the governor of a small state has the knowledge and gravitas to handle foreign affairs.

Moreover, in attacking the president's political fundraising, Dean may be able to deflect criticism from other Democratic contenders over his decision to forego federal campaign matching funds and the accompanying spending limits.

<snip>

Link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0311120138nov12,1,3625132.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

Hot damn!!! You go, Dr. Dean!

:bounce:

[JNelson6563]

1. Dean's right

This has been war-profiteering. Shame on Team Bush for trading lives for profit and shame on those who have supported this debacle.

Julie

[La_Serpiente]

2. I think Dean just put himself in a pickle

A Reporter could ask him if he had any evidence of war profiteering. Although it is pretty "obvious" , how could he prove that they actually are abusing the processes there?

I am just raising questions.

[hippiechick]

3. Remember the 60 Minutes bit on Halliburton ?

It's pretty common knowledge - and in the Congressional record, if I recall - that these deals were given to Halliburton without standard bid-out procedure ....

All Dean has to do is have a copy of standard Fed. bidding/ contracting guidelines, and the 'testimony' of the dudes who were on 60 Minutes to show that the whole 'rebuilding Iraq' thing has been a thinly veiled excuse to funnel taxpayer money to George and Dick's best interests.

That would be good enough for me, anyway ...

:hippie:

[emulatorloo]

4. He had examples in the speech

Saw Gov. Dean's speech. . .he had several documented examples. He will be good to go with such questions.

[WillyT]

5. Bump !!!

:kick:

[Guaranteed]

6. Excellent. Keep up the good work.

We're gonna win this.


GO DEAN!

[mandyky]

7. Yikes - Dean may have to apologize to Kerry

Didn't Kerry vote against the 87 billion partly because the GOP took out the war profiteering amendment to the bill? Also, Kucinich will blow another gasket about Dean's "opponents" part.