WP: Cueing the Balloons in Hussein's Home Town

[kskiska]

Iraqis Hail Tikrit Bridge Repair But Decry Reconstruction Pace

Thursday, September 23, 2004; Page A01

TIKRIT, Iraq, Sept. 22 -- The Americans spared few expenses on ceremony Wednesday: balloons soared over the Tigris River, a U.S. Army band pumped out the Iraqi national anthem, and red, white and black ribbon -- representing the colors of the Iraqi flag -- stretched across the newly repaired Tikrit Bridge.

Tribal sheiks in traditional robes and municipal officials in dark Western suits lined up to march across the bridge to formally mark the completion of the $5.4 million, U.S.-funded project.

An Iraqi police car began slowly leading the procession toward a group of waiting Americans: troops from the 1st Infantry Division and representatives of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its main contractor in Iraq, Bechtel. As the marchers progressed, a soldier hastily took down the red ribbon and stuffed it into his knapsack. An alert Iraqi had pointed out that it might not be the best idea for the governor of Tikrit to be seen cutting a representation of the Iraqi flag with an oversized pair of scissors.

So it went on the day that the Tikrit Bridge reopened, 18 months after U.S. warplanes bombed it in order to cut a crucial transportation link between the cities of Tikrit and Kirkuk, the oil center of northern Iraq 70 miles to the north.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43158-2004Sep22.html

[krkaufman]

1. Critical excerpt(s) from article....

... include ...

The two-lane span is the third war-damaged bridge that USAID has restored and reopened. The U.S. government development agency has surveyed 40 others but has no immediate plans to fix them, citing a Bush administration decision to shift some money away from public works and reconstruction to security programs in an effort to deal with an unrelenting insurgency.

...

The proposed reallocation "is really a change to recognize the reality we find on the ground," said Stephenson, who wore a navy blue sport coat over his beige bullet-proof vest.

...

Local leaders who attended the ceremony soundly rejected U.S. plans to divert more reconstruction money into security. They said the Americans seemed to be missing the point.

"This is a wrong idea," said Gen. Ahmed Jubouri, the Iraqi National Guard commander in Tikrit. "If we want to maintain security in this country, we have to spend more money on its infrastructure and economic sector, not take money."

Abdullah Hussein Jabara, a deputy governor, said security had deteriorated because people didn't see improvement in their lives. "When there is poverty, there are crimes," he said. "These projects provide jobs to people. This is the best step we can take toward security improvement."

...

He offered a piece of advice for the Americans: "Take the money for the security companies, give it to the jobless and people will achieve security."

[bpilgrim]

2. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS - OUTSOURCE THE WAR

to IRAQIS :bounce:

peace

[maxsolomon]

3. public works should have been post-war job one

hire every goddamn unemployed male under 40, put them to work on electric supply, sewage treatment, water supply, library & museum security, roads, bridges, anything.

but no, had to outsource it. or ignore it.

now, its too goddamn late. 20 kerrys working around the clock couldn't buy back iraqi goodwill.

GHWB missed the chance to make the iraqis like us in 1992.

[leesa]

4. Who the hell wants to be like Murkins??

Greedy, arrogant, violent, irrational, etc., etc.

[Kimber Scott]

9. Even non-Americans need to work. Most people like to eat. I don't

think that's greedy. Your post is irrational.

[Kimber Scott]

8. Jobs for IRAQIS - that's the answer to the entire problem

Well, a big part of it anyway. Iraqis would be happy to work and for far less than foreigners. Why do you think they keep cutting off foreign workers' heads? Give the Iraqis the job of rebuilding their country. Jesus Christ, how hard is this to figure out?!?

[Eye and Monkey]

10. I don't think BushCo wants to rebuild Iraq.

I think that they were, and still are, counting on someone else to do that - or at least someone else to pay for it. I think it's all mouth-music when they pontificate. They want as much of the Iraq allocations as they can get - current allocations and more. Actually rebuilding - that would cut into the potential profit.

[Strelnikov_]

5. $5.4M For Six Beams, Some Deck And Barrier Rail? We Got Screwed

Saw somewhere that this was a 1/2 mi. long two lane bridge. Sounds like it used prestressed girders. Here in Iowa we could build an entire new bridge of comparable size for not much more.

Guess this is what happens when you pay truck drivers $100K/yr.

[truthisfreedom]

6. so they only sliced the black and white ribbons. symbolic of everything

bush is about... destroying the black and white, and only leaving the blood red.

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. Americans spared few expenses on ceremony Wednesday

I guess we didn't. Glad to see that our money is being spent wisely over there. I wonder how much those balloons cost us? I'll bet about $500 each.

[NickB79]

11. Now taking bets on how long before a car bomb blows it up

Just like the oil wells, oil pipelines, hospitals, police stations, highways, etc....