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Editorial: Halliburton and Iraq - it's obscene The Times, Shreveport, La. June 10 It's obscene. Halliburton's war contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan have reached $500 million, and are growing. Potentially, as the Army's sole provider of troop support services - think feeding, clothing and sheltering 150,000 men and women abroad - Halliburton's Kellogg-Brown subsidiary has received work orders for $529.4 million involved in the two wars. The work orders were awarded under a 10-year contract that has no limits. ... Instead of putting the Iraq work up for bids ... the government has used the 2001 Halliburton Army contract to order work in Iraq. It's open-ended; Halliburton stands to make billions. ... We have heard the Bush administration's arguments for deciding on Halliburton and they have a grain of reason. The huge Halliburton empire is the only American company multitasked sufficiently to meet urgent deadlines. That is an indirect self-indictment of the administration. While rolling out an effective war strategy, the United States proved unprepared for the day after liberation. In the months of buildup by an administration intent on invasion, why weren't more businesses solicited or alerted about postwar needs. If the decision was that Halliburton was the only capable contractor, that insults American business ingenuity and adapatability to meet sudden challenges. ... What Americans - and other companies - will note is an unbid contract, inked in 2001 with no limit on spending and limitless profits for Halliburton. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -