A study released yesterday by the "nonpartisan" Center for Public Integrity has revealed that over 40% of Pentagon contracts have been awarded without competitive bidding.
Halliburton Co. has come under severe fire for the no-bid contract they were awarded last year for work in rebuilding Iraqi oil fields. But alongside Halliburton are major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin Corp. and General Dynamics Corp., both of which received a majority of their defense income through no-bid contracts.
The Democrates have implied that Halliburton obtained their Iraq contract due to the Vice President's former employment with Halliburton. But what of all these other contractors getting no-bid approval? Political influence? Friends in Pentagon? Sister (or brother) in Congress?
When one considers that the Defense Department has over $900 billion in open contracts, Halliburton is a mere drop in the bucket. All defense contractors spend a lot of time and money to keep their name at the top of the list. Why should Halliburton be criticized for playing the game exactly like all the other big corporations?
posted by: jbrookins (reply)
post date: 09.30.04 (3:58 pm)
Why should Halliburton be criticized for playing the game exactly like all the other big corporations?
