How much money did Paul Bremer "lose" in cash?

[librarycard]

I've heard several different figures. How much is 363 tons of "cash?"

[itsmesgd]

1. They dont really know because no one kept any records.

It was just an orgy of dufflebags of cash.

[LiberalFighter]

3. And the reason given as to why they didn't keep records?

Cause he said it was Iraqi money.

[Rosemary2205]

11. "orgy" is about right. nt

[havocmom]

2. In hundred dollar bills? A shit load

Enough to keep the arms merchants in black ink for a LONG time.

[Rosemary2205]

4. supposedly 12 Billion

it's not hiding out in Bremer's other pants. It ain't "lost".

[Lisa]

31. he'd need some pretty enormous pants pockets (120 million $100 bills)

http://www.amconmag.com/2005/2005_10_24/cover.html
"The 15-month proconsulship of the CPA disbursed nearly $20 billion, two-thirds of it in cash, most of which came from the Development Fund for Iraq that had replaced the UN Oil for Food Program and from frozen and seized Iraqi assets. Most of the money was flown into Iraq on C-130s in huge plastic shrink-wrapped pallets holding 40 “cashpaks,” each cashpak having $1.6 million in $100 bills. Twelve billion dollars moved that way between May 2003 and June 2004, drawn from accounts administered by the New York Federal Reserve Bank. The $100 bills weighed an estimated 363 tons."

By my calculations, a cashpak of $1.6 million dollars in $100 bills, if the 363 tons estimate is correct, would weigh about 97 pounds. (12 billion dollars in hundreds would make up 7500 cashpaks.)

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. a total of 12 BILLION. That one load was 360 tons, but

that was not the only money lost

[ewagner]

6. Depends on the denomination

of course....

I did some figuring on that though.....

363 tons x 2,000 lbs per ton =726,000 lbs

1 "18 Wheeler" semi-trailer truck = 40,000 NET cargo capacity

so....

726,000 lbs divided by 40,000 lbs per semi trailer truck =

18.15 semi loads of CASH.......

holy crap....the feds couldn't even mount a convoy of 18 semi-loads of relief food for the people trapped in the Superdome after Katrina!

[librarycard]

12. Thanks for the visual

something I can relate to. I haven't heard yet what types of cargo planes were used to fly the cash over. C5s?

[ewagner]

27. I've seen a lot of pics

of C-17's....Globemaster IIs being flown in and out of there....good short field capability, better than C5s...that's my guess.

[Lisa]

33. C-130s?

That's what the article I cited in my "pants pocket" post claimed. The money was shrink-wrapped on cargo pallets. I don't know how many pallets made up a load ...

[ewagner]

34. You're right

I just read it on another site......

C-130 Hercules....the proverbial "herky-bird" nice....

[Vincardog]

7. At least 8 Billion of our money and 20 Billion of Iraq's

[oasis]

8. Bremers says "there were no banks" as an excuse, but why weren't any receipts given

for goods and services?:shrug:

[librarycard]

13. He didn't think Americans would give a damn?

Is he right?

[oasis]

15. He knew the Bushies wouldn't hold him accountable. His "Medal of Freedom" is a confirmation.

:puke:

[shance]

21. It seems his "Medal of Freedom" was for a job well done...........

in robbing the American citizens of billions of our own money.

[oasis]

22. A Grover Norquist wet dream. Not a penny left for domestic programs.(nt)

[shance]

23. Drown the USA Democracy "in the bathtub" as Norquist put it.

n/t

[ThomWV]

9. $40 for every man, woman, and child in the USA

12 Billion dollars divided by three hundred million souls ...

[maxsolomon]

10. enough to build the seattle waterfront tunnel

many times over @ 3.5 billion estimate.

tra la la, the party of fiscal responsibility!

[electprogdems]

14. It was a cash economy. The banking industry had been

destroyed. No one knew how to write receipts. It was chaos. My car broke down. My alarm didn't go off. The power was out. My dog ate my homework. There was an accident on the freeway. No one anticipated they would use PLANES as weapons. It wasn't my fault. My kids never gave me the message. I am republican, its never my fault and the authorities will never ask any questions anyway. Got it?

[acmavm]

17. I think you've about covered the situation there. Welcome!

[LSK]

26. LOL

:rofl:

[Beelzebud]

16. What's a few billion dollars among frat buddies?

[OneBlueSky]

18. you know it's bad when they start measuring it by weight rather than dollar value . . .

will someone (Congress???) PLEASE stop these people? . . . they are destroying our nation, and threatening the planet itself -- and all life that calls Earth home . . .

[Beelzebud]

19. Do you think you could loan me 5 pounds of 20 dollar bills?

If they fuck our economy up anymore than they're doing now, we'll be saying shit like that in 10 years.

[Rosemary2205]

24. Aren't you shooting rather low?

5 pounds of 20's or 5 pounds of 100's is the same amount right? 5 pounds?

:)

[Lisa]

32. by my calculations, those shrink-wrapped bricks of hundreds

... that people over there were throwing around like footballs (really!) could have been around 12 lbs., and 8 inches high -- that's 2000 C-notes, or $200k.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/02/13/bricks-of-money-used-as_n_15584.html

[shance]

20. Bremer didn't lose a dime. It looks like he took the money and ran.

Why did he resign so quickly afterward?

[LSK]

25. well he fucked up everything else too

So if there was a chance we could have gotten out of there by 2004 then add all the costs since then to his tab too.

Of course, how much control did Bremer have and how much control did Rummy and/or Cheney have is a question to ask.

[Parche]

28. CASH

I just love how Darrell 'nifnod' Issa doesnt think it is a big deal, its like they 'lose' money
all the time????

I watched the C-Span last night, him and that a-hole Dan Burton R-IN made me want to jump
thru the TV and ring their necks.

[madokie]

29. for what its worth, I read a while back, no link, that they at one point had sent either

28 billion in cash in 100 dollar bills for a weigh of 25 tons or vice versa to Iraq. either 28 tons = 25 billion or 25 ton = 28 billion

[Golden Raisin]

30. How many dufflebags of cash

can you pile on the non-binding table that impeachment is off?