Well it isn’t “security” and it isn’t “The Little Red Hen” exception to the general rule for the expenditure of public money. The general rule requires that the contract go to the lowest bidder who can reasonably be expected to do the job. It is plain and simple an extension of the Big Dawg theory of government and of relations between governments that has been the touchstone for this administration and the economic imperialist who are its guiding lights and supporters.
The Big Dawg approach holds that the US can do anything it wants to anyone they want any time they want without regard or concern for the ramifications, short term or long term, because nobody can stop us.
The real question is: whose interests are served if Iraq gets no funding from anyone but the ”Coalition of the Willing” (US, UK, Spain, Italy and the Republic of Tonga) and gets no reduction, forgiveness or restructuring of debt to Russia and Old Europe. Do you suppose the exclusion of the unwilling might just put Iraq in perpetual economic peonage to the US?
Unlike others I don’t think that the restriction of the contractors list shows that there is no one in charge. Rather, I suspect that it shows very much that Rumsfeld-Wolfewitz is in charge and that any attempt by the State Department that gets in the way of the “make a dependency of Iraq” agenda is going to get run over, one way or another. I trust that efforts to have Russia cut Iraq some slack on the foreign debt are now dead in the water, as are efforts to have France and Germany and Canada participate in the rebuilding operation.
And if they actually forgiven those debts, this would be a different situation. As it is, Russia may have ensured they get neither.
And (surprise, surprise) it’s the one with the best, most recent insight on the way foreign policy actually works and what/who we’re dealing with. She’s also a great politician who can win elections.
Yep. That’s exactly the way my (pro-war Syrian, BTW) roommate phrases it when talking about the post-9/11 world. “If you kick the Big Dog too many times, he’s gonna bite you.”
I mentioned this before, but Canada is NOT excluded. Bush personally called Paul Martin to tell him that reports that Canada were excluded were incorrect.
I think “Captain army flextime” just showed some flexibility in this case, too much pressure. Nevertheless, Sam Stone this excuse that “Canada being excluded was incorrect” flies in the face of what occurred, and also what the prime minister said.
That, of course, is the position of the US goverment talking through their appointed puppet in Bagdhag. The Iraqi people OTOH seem to be expressing themselves quite clearly with their actions that they do not want their country being occupied by foreign forces and I am quite sure that if France sent some French troops the Iraqi resistance would attack them just as vigorously as they attack the Americans.
You may be mistaken there, Sam. Unless I missed something on the news. Bush hasn’t had a chance to talk to Martin other than a brief “look forward to doing business with ya” chat.
Outgoing PM Jean Chrétien spoke to the media and reported that he had a telephone conversation with Bush in which he was told Canada’s exclusion was incorrect. This immediately prompted a U.S. response that toatlly contradicted the PM’s assertions. Canada is most certianly on the exclusion list, but that it was elligible for some of the smaller sub-contracts – and this may have caused some confusion in the conversation between Bush and Chrétien.
Incoming PM Paul Martin complained to U.S. Ambassador Cellucci and quoting from the Toronto Star
The issues has been left with Bush and Martin each saying they look forward to discussing the matter. Canadian officials optimistic that the Bush administration will “soften” their position.
So there’s no error, Canada is on the list unless the Bush administration “softens.”
[Slight nitpick]
The list is actually composed of nations which we will allow to bid on the contracts. Canada would have to be added in order to make it eligible.
[/Slight nitpick]
However IIRC, these contracts are set to be awarded in the next couple of months. That leaves Canada scant time to plead its case, and the president has only to delay things for a bit before he can tell Canada that he loves them, but unavoidable deadlines have made it impossible for them to benefit from this round of contracts. Not that Canada’s being played for a sap here or anything
