Coincidences galore!

Apr 14, 2003

The Pentagon's recently-awarded non-competitive contract for putting out oil-well fires in Iraq was a real sweet deal for Kellogg Brown & Root, a subsidiary of the Halliburton Company. With as much as 7 billion dollars over the next two years, with unlimited renewals possible, it put Halliburton at the top of the list for winning even more valuable contracts for the "reconstruction" of Iraq.

Halliburton's chief executive from 1995 to 2000 was none other than Vice-President Dick Cheney, a major promoter of the current war on Iraq. And Cheney is still on Halliburton's payroll. Formally, Cheney quit Halliburton in 2000. But when he did, Halliburton gave him an $800,000 bonus to be paid in installments for the next five years. Last year, Halliburton paid $162,000. And it's all perfectly legal.

If you want a government contract, nothing beats having the vice-president on your payroll.