$9 billion lost in Iraq "what difference does it make?"

[sabra]

Run time: 02:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82xCdg08emA   Posted on YouTube: February 06, 2007 By YouTube Member: tpmmedia Views on YouTube: 4190   Posted on DU: February 07, 2007 By DU Member: sabra Views on DU: 849

 

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/47750/

<snip>

The video on the right is of David Oliver, the former Director of Management and Budget for the Coalition Provisional Authority, explaining to a House oversight committee a remark he had made previously about $9 billion dollars in Iraqi funds that went missing on the CPA's watch.

"I have no idea, I can't tell you whether or not the money went to the right things or didn't - nor do I actually think it is important," Oliver said. "Billions of dollars of their money disappeared, yes I understand, I'm saying what difference does it make?"

TPM Muckraker provided this transcript of Oliver's explanation:

That was a clip, as I recall, after a thirty or forty minute conversation, and it comes back to the essence of I hope what Stuart has pointed out several times, is a question of transparency. He believes that the CPA should have ordered the information, we decided the best way to make sure we could withdraw as quickly as possible and for the safety of the troops was to rely upon the Iraqi system to distribute that money. Therefore, we made sure that it was transparent what we were doing with the money to the ministries and then relied upon the ministries system, the entire financial system they had, to do that. We had about, I had four to ten people, the country’s population is about the same size as California, which I think has 800 people in the same office. We thought this was the best way to make sure that the country’s safety was performed.

[shance]

1. Dianne unfortunately let him blather on and feign concern for the troops.

These people stole billions of dollars of our money that we have paid into the Federal system in the confidence that necessary programs like education, health care, transportion MIGHT BE ADDRESSED.

Instead these criminals are bankrupting our country so they can treat our own nation, the USA, like they have treated Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Monkeyman]

2. Can you say pass the buck

[ncrainbowgrrl]

6. Oh, if it were only "a buck"

It's a lot more of those bucking, unfortunately.

[Life Long Dem]

3. I think it's closer to a half trillion dollars lost.

Every year it's about 100 billion going to a war where the country's leader posed no immediate threat to us or processed any WMD's. And Saddam was contained by the U.N. inspectors, but Bush didn't want this and he threw the U.N. inspectors out so he could make these accusations.

[derby378]

4. Diane wasn't hard enough on the guy, from what I've seen

Just remember that $50 million of your tax dollars went to a Parsons Construction project where the resulting building was so badly built that human waste leaked into the light fixtures.

Are we awake yet, Diane...?? :rant:

[tanyev]

5. So I could go rob a bank, get away with up to 9 trillion dollars,

and as long as I can keep from getting caught for 4 years, nobody will care anymore, right? What difference does it make?

[rpannier]

7. blah...blah...blah. Tap-dance, tap-dance, tap-dance. I love the troops. Wrap self in the flag. Blame

someone else.


The end.

This tale goes on and on.

The Krusty the Klown Administration continues.

"Don't blame me. I didn't do it."