By Senior National Security Producer Charley Keyes
The mystery of $6 billion that seemed to go missing in the early days of the Iraq war has been resolved, according to a new report.
New evidence shows most of that money, $6.6 billion, did not go astray in that chaotic period, but ended up where it was supposed to be, under the control of the Iraqi government, according to a report from the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction or SIGIR.
The report details the transfer of cash from the U.S. to the Central Bank of Iraq. Much of it was originally assets of Iraq, some was part of the Oil for Food program imposed during the regime of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and some was funneled through the United Nations for relief and reconstruction projects, according to the report.
The report focuses on money left over from shipments of more than $10 billion in U.S. currency shipped to Iraq - much of it in shrink-wrapped bricks of hundred dollars bills - and the $6.6 billion remaining when the temporary overseer of Iraq, the Coalitional Provisional Authority, went out of business in the summer of 2004 with the creation of a new Iraqi government.
Earlier, the money had seemed to be missing. The inspector general himself, Stuart Bowen, said flatly in June, "It has not been properly accounted for."
The official accounting had used more bland language. "SIGIR concluded that weaknesses in DoD's financial and management controls left it unable to properly account for and articulate the disposition of remaining DFI (Development Fund for Iraq) funds," a 2010 report said.
But the inspector general's new report says almost all the $6.6 billion was properly handed over to Iraq and its Central Bank. "SIGIR was able to account for the unexpended DFI funds remaining in DFI accounts when the CPA (Coalitional Provisional Authority) dissolved in June 2004," the new report says. "Sufficient evidence exists showing that almost all of the remaining $6.6 billion remaining was transferred to actual and legal CBI (Central Bank of Iraq) control."
While the bulk of the money was transferred to the Central Bank of Iraq, $217 million remained in a vault in a former presidential palace and was held by the U.S. Defense Department and most was doled out for a variety of projects and payrolls, the report says.
"In February 2008, SIGIR conducted a cash count at the palace vault and determined that $24.45 million remained," the report says, pointing out that the Pentagon returned this money to Iraq the next month. Now further SIGIR reports are expected in January 2012 on how the Defense Department used other money for small projects and to pay contractors.
"At the same time, SIGIR will report on about $2.8 billion more in DFI funds used by DoD agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for reconstruction projects provided under a separate agreement executed with Iraq in June 2004," the report says.
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What about all the priceless artifacts and records that were in the Iraqi museum that disappeared when we invaded. This was possibly the real inside jobs objective. I still have a problem with the tungsten bait and switch that occured, most believe, during the Clinton administration. It would not have been noticed by anyone in the US media because we have no real journalist with a platform in the main stream. It escapes my memory but when was it that the Rothschilds got out of the Gold game?
Any news about A defector's strange disappearance?
As the Palistinians refuse to recognize Isreals' right to exist..Isreal has every right to view them as an enemy..right..?
Greetings all, I am Mufasa Sand, formerly Mufasa Snow, of House Hussein, the First of His Name, King of the Iraqis and the First Men, Lord of the Middle East and Protector of the Realm, bastard son of Saddam Hussein and rightful heir to the Iraqi throne.
A manservant of mine named Brian H. brought this Web site to my attention, for I've been searching for this missing $6 billion for years. Safe to say I've sent Brian H. down to the dungeons because I "promised" him 10 percent. We'll see how useful that 10 percent will be when Ser Illyn Mohammed lops his head off! Ha!
Nevertheless, the $6 billion is mine, and I need it to buy sellswords and build ships so I can wage war on Wikipedia for not recognizing me as the legitimate heir to the Iraqi throne.
The one who returns the $6 billion to me will be offered lordship, lands and wealth. Those who fail to comply will meet the same fate as Brian H.
You have a fortnight to send the funds to my estate. Thank you all. May the Seven guide you through your miserable lives.
– Mufasa Sand, formerly Mufasa Snow, of House Hussein, the First of His Name, King of the Iraqis and the First Men, Lord of the Middle East and Protector of the Realm, bastard son of Saddam Hussein and rightful heir to the Iraqi throne.
@ Mufasa Sand (of Dorne, obviously) I loved the SOIAF/ GRRM references. Thank you fellow bookworm. I am starting to think Prince Doran Martell is the smartest man in the whole of Westeros. Who would his real world counterpart be? Obama? Or Warren Buffett? Or Ghandi?
That's a relief! Now if they could find the other 2,000 Billion dollars Bush used to collapse our economy while committing war crimes, we would appreciate it. If they would keep an eye out for the last credibility we had as a country, that would be cool, but don't spend a lot of time on that one. Keep a low profile over there because there are now a thousand times more terrorists in the world than before Bush's brainless war on "terr"
Ditto !
Another low information voter.
Why did it take 10 years to determine whether $6.6 billion dollars was properly administered? It shows conclusively that the Democrats and Republicans both have not properly instituted safeguards for the public money, therefore government ought to do only a few things like the health and well being of the American people instead of providing for everything under the sun in domestic and foreign policy. Our current spending has been a failure for the American people in most areas except Medicare and Social Security, yet that is the problem, not all the other discretionary funding which is truly unnecessary for the most part.
How bout sending that money back home to help bail us 99% out!!!
Maybe you should go to Iraq and see what real poverty looks like...
Real poverty is available right here in the US. I see it everyday at the Mission across the street. I see it in the school where I teach where many kids don't have lunch to eat and go home to empty houses and empty refrigerators. People here, in our country, could use this money, too. Why give away the future of our nation to people who want to kill the future of our nation?
Just because there is "real" poverty in other countries does not mean we should remain silent when the rich run off with billions.. leaving the middle class and poor virtually.. homeless..
the government was active in their job to make our country to be better
Yea, we will just take your word on that.
I have a few 100K in student loans I could use that unaccounted/misc $217 million for (ps thats only .009%). Heck, I'd even take 80k to help with some of the payments rather than have it spent on a "variety of projects and payrolls". I'm sure there are some external contractors that got a extra nice bonus last year. As my mother always says, "if I spend money like I have it then I wont have money to spend. But if I spend money like I don't have it then there will be something to spend."
I hear ya. If it were up to me you'd get the $100K .
Want some help repaying those student loans? Join the military and become eligible for student loan repayment programs. Not the military type? Federal employment offers student loan repayment programs. Quit complaining and step up to help your country.
The college loan repayment program pays 10,000$, broken down into separate payments over four years while the interest continues accruing(probably pretty significant on a six figure loan). I'm in the military, and I'm sick of people saying that you need to serve in the military or work for the gubment in order to serve your country. How about getting an education and providing a valuable (or possibly invaluable?) service to your community? That is a more productive way to help the country than to patrol around Afghanistan for 6 to 12 months at a time waiting for a stranger to start shooting at you.
Great idea Brian. Sure pay for your education with your life and your blood , not to mention the blood and lives of others. Great way to use your education and to make the world a better place.
Why not work and send yourself thru college like I did instead of trying to bum it off the tax payers. It took me 7 years but I came out not in debt and not using someone else's money for my education.
6 billion here, 6 billion there....pretty soon you're talking about some real money
And you want the American people to believe this crap.....our people go without everything from food, to jobs, to housing, healthcare and they had $6 billion dollars...and do you want to explain why we got involved in that war in the first place,we could have controlled our borders with less money from anyone coming into this country ...I am telling you the Statue of Liberty does not want anymore poor and hungry and tired!....and when our government hears another country is in trouble ,would the 535 idiots in Washington not raise their hands and say"we will go" because I would personally buy their airline ticket for them to serve!!!!....they would be the first to go!
I hear you too Ruth in Ohio. I'll chip in on those airline tickets and baggage fees.
well i currently am in the army and i am overseas, our country has plenty of problems and yes we have alot of stuff we could fix in our country, but ive seen what these people live like over here and trust me america is like a paradise compared to what these people have. nine out of ten people live in tents or just out on the streets, no running water, electricity or anything close to what the poorest people in our country have. i know that this war is pretty much pointless but what we are doing to help the people over here is worth the billions that are spent every year.. we will just use the money on something stupid if it stays in the US, its not like anytime weve ever had plenty of money that it actually went for the right reasons, or to help fix the real problems we have.
i appreciated your post- the american society today is very sad. most people dont even have a work ethic, something my parents taught me, and i wish more people would be teaching their children the same. thank you for your service to our country! God bless you. have a good day
Josh I can understand where you are coming from. I was stationed in Turkey in the mid eighties. I hope things have improved there but I doubt it. If I truly believed the majority of the money went to help the people in Iraq have a better life I would think it was the best we could do. Unfortunately due to the amount of corruption in our own government I am sure sure a big chunk of the money went into some people's pockets before ever getting into the hands of the Iraqis. Because of the situation that exists over there I can ALMOST excuse people's attitudes that me and mine get what we consider ours first. The problem I see from the beginning is the lack of control. Anyone trying to blame this totally on either political party in this country is missing the whole point. It happened on the Republican government's but either the Democrat's chose to overlook what was going on at the time so they could use it for political clout or they had their hand in the cookie jar also. That or all the Democrats in Washington are stupid which is totally possible in my book but I really think the problem is that they think we are stupid and sometime I wonder about those screaming their allegiance with either side because the corruption of both is so obvious. Sorry that is all off subject.
I also wanted to mention that you have the thanks of all of my family for serving wherever you are.
WELL SAID JOSH!!! Thank you sincerely for your service and when the ARMY is done with Afghanistan/Iraq, could y'all come home and invade Detroit? Or Mississippi?
the reason some change direction and focus on law...and that makes everyone nervous...and Iraq should take the USA to court and ask them where is the blood-line to a country in the Middle East...hmmm....one wonders...or not...lol...money money
money MONEY!!!
check the dirty jew Brennan's pockets.....neojews have destroyed the U.S.
Yeah big guy? Sorry I'm not like you and your petty other 99% piece of sh*ts marching across Wall Street. You're such a little b*tch and jews have NOTHING to do with this. Take your white trash self and go hang yourself.
...an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind...I do, however believe in Democracy (from the greek = Voice of the People)...we all have a voice...and...we all need to be informed...I know the power of the Lioness...are you familiar with the U.N. Agenda 21?
@ the foul mouthed jewish man. I have no problem w/ Jewish peoples... infact several of my friends are Jewish. I do have a problem with th Isrealy govt though. there are an entire wiki list of UN resolutions broken by your mother country including UN res# 3236, 3376, ES/ 9-1, 38/9, 38/79, 162, 171 and most importantly to the stability of the ENTIRE REGION 242, respecting the borders established for the Palestinians in 1947... essentially I have no prob with Jewish people... you're just like evryone else; on the other hand Isreal is the asshole kid who kicks the bee's nest and then cries foul when he gets stung. Several of the problems... most actually, stem from Isreals meddling in other peoples business and their aggression, lack of compramise and inability to play nice with other kids on the block. If any other country in the world acted like this the UN would have destroyed an occupied them by now.
You might be Jewish, but I believe you're still white. Just saying.
If you'd like to see the wrap sheet... here ya go. a list of all international aggressions/ transgressions to date as noted and documented by the UN. Including condemnation for unwarranted attacks on Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Nations_resolutions_concerning_Israel
Don't be a bee's nest kicker and wonder why the entire islamic world and othr elements of the entire world hold a grudge. I think that the entire holy war excuse for the arab states displeasure is just an excuse... I truly believe if Isreal was a contributing member of their regional community only extremists would have beef. But the entire region is inflamed over prior and continuing anti Zionist/ arab/ islamic actions taken by the mother country. I am not saying you are one of these people or that you support or condone the actions taken, I am simply trying to share some insight with you as to why people around the world harbor hostility towards your people. It also dosn't help that most heads of banks and scammers such as Bernie Madoff who have aided in our ecenomic/ geofinancial crisis share your religious views... that didn't help one bit on th homefront or with people who were on the edge of being blatently antisemetic... my 2 cents, I've got no hostilities.
hey joe blough.....your mother destroyed more by giving birth and raising you. Your mother is an animal.
You are a hate filled bigot..I hope you say such stupid racist things in the wrong place. You really need your clock cleaned.
http://whatreallyhappened.com/
Yup. We have the word 'clueless idiots' written all over our foreheads..... so they think.
Anyone who believes A SINGLE WORD of what "our" government or "our" media says needs to have their head examined.
Fear you are spot on . . . The money went to pay off person not to attack forces was dirty money before after and it still is
http://bunkinthewest.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/republican-democrats-national-debt-and-fiscal-responsibility/
Posted by: Joeray | July 10, 2010, 1:16 am 1:16 am
h t t p : / / abcnews.go.c o m/blogs/politics/2010/07/has-the-stimulus-really-made-a-difference/
The Stimulus was a an unfocused pork rich bill aimed at funding Democrat pet projects and social objectives and had very little to do with stimulating the economy. So did it help? Are you kidding? It never had any hope of helping. One thing it did do is increase the deficit and add to the National debt.
There is a gusher of Public debt washing over the economy. There will soon be a reckoning – no one will escape the consequences, not me, not you, not the Democrats in Congress…
Now everyone from the UN, to the IMF, to our European Allies are telling us to get the debt under control, but that doesn’t even register with the free-spending Democrats in Congress…
The dollar has no inherent value, only a value due to a belief that the Government can and will tax the American people sufficiently to pay the Government’s debts. That belief is sorely strained and will soon no longer be tenable… The dollar will fall like a rock… as will all dollar-based “assets”.
This has been the fate of every fiat-based currency in history — why do we believe we can escape the consequences now..?
What does Obama's mismanagement of the economy have to do with the incompetence of the CPA and Dubya's idiotic war in Iraq? The news story does not mention Obama anywhere, so why do you feel the need to? We have the politicians we deserve.
You are heavily contradicting political ideologies. Part of the AAA downgrade had to do exactly with what you said in your post, an inability to tax in terms of paying debt. If I recall, it was a republican congress that refused to raise taxes on those making over a million. It is very true that adequate taxation must occur to pay off debt. I suggest you take a look at the CBO and the histograms of the national deficit and see who exactly and what policies are to blame.
Before you spout off about Democratic spending please go back and take a look at the national debt history chart and notice under which administrations the debt line increased dramatically in steepness. One hint: It wasn't during Democratic administrations. Secondly, just because Dubya's bills are coming due in Obama's administration doesn't mean Obama did the spending. Of course people like you ignore facts in order to pursue you agenda, never mind.
Mister Schmoe, I suggest you turn off the FAUX Nooze and learn to think for yourself.
At least try it...you might like it!
~
Just google "pallets of money to iraq" and you will see how Bush sold America down the river! And now bozos are blaming Obama for ALL of our troubles!
Wow, My best fríènd ,she just has annóuncéd hér wēddīng wīth a rich mān who is a cèlèbrìty
!They mèt via~~~~SéêkSúɡárDαd.Сσм ~~~~ ..it is the lārgēst and bēst clúb for rich man
with yung and beautiful woman and theìr àdmirèrs to chát ōnlìnè. …You do nǒt hávè to bê
rīch ór fāmóùs. ,bùt yōu cān meēt yóùr trùē lòvê , It’s wòrthy ǎ try!
for those who continue to drink obama koolaid.... google this.... obama admits he is a muslim
and u forget the 10,000,000,000,000+ that obama has flushed in national debt and say he's doing better???? what a -– you fill in the blank. thats 10+ trillion in obama induced national debt on top of the 4+ trillion before obama = 14 trillion+, thats 14,000,000,000,000+......... 14,700,000,000,000+ and growing actually
Good Read: http://bunkinthewest.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/republican-democrats-national-debt-and-fiscal-responsibility/
Yes but what about the WMDs? Oh yeah... right...
I am mostly reading a bunch of the same old blather from the same old people that really don't see anything in this article but a chance to blame Bush for anything and everything they can. Iraq may still be disfunctional and violent but at least they have a chance to create a democratic and civil country. That would not have happenend under Saddam H.. Of course I would have rather seen the Iraqis make their own revolution as in Tunnis, Egypt, and Libya, but I don't know if that would have happened until Saddam croaked. Who's to say that the Arab spring is not in some way related to the war in Iraq. No way to establish cause and effect, but it is possible.
How many nations has the U.S robbed Bill? be honest to yourself ,when you look in the mirror do you see ethics in American policy towards the world? honesty or do you see opportunities for financial gain...wars weapons etc...be true to your self please.Regards your sister in humanity Peggy
Peggy, the economies like Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan greatly benefited from the Marshal Plan and other forms of aid. I wonder why some people always feel a need to slag off the US? Sure nobody's perfect but it's still a great country.
They found the money in Cheney's freezer next to the severed heads.
Probably True!
1955 golden years. nothing made in china except china. none of our tax money spent like this most went to our infrastructure. i am starting to realize the truth in my grandfathers words. our country will fail. why? our government is just like our generation, we get credit to blow on stupid stuff instead of paying off what we owe. do you know why we cant stop china stuff coming in? because we owe them to much just to cash out. our generation wants to stay clean, only work at a desk at a job that we dont do nothing except socialize, we have to have time sucking smartphones in our hand, we tweet when we go take a crap, we are lazy, we want to blame everyone else for everything, those me us that have been lucky to land a union job we want to strike at the first hint of having to actually work, gone are the real men who were muscle bound from work instead of 2 hr workouts on a 1hr lunch break. gone are the women who built our airplanes during ww2. life is not simple no more because we created this madness. we worship gates and jobs like god. what did they give us? everything to destroy our culture. how much time do we really spend away from our gadgets? i watched disneys wall-e with my kids the other night and it shocked me that we are already like that. we are just flat out lazy as a generation. our goverment is the same way when they need money they just borrow it from the chinese then give it to every other person in the world except us then when its time to pay china back, and if we are short we just raise taxes on our own people who cant find a job because we let the american companies move over to countries we borrow from. families cant stay wealthy because the government takes most of each generations wealth when they die instead of being able to pass it on. we as a nation have it all wrong. capitolism, liberalism and socialism all do not work, we need a miracle solution of government.
Long posts are hard to sell but YOU ARE SOOOOOOO RIGHT. Darn sad too. Funny how Americans have gone from being thankful for what you have – to "nothings good or fast enough" throw your 2 month old smart phone away for the latest new model...... waste waste waste
What a steaming pile of crap! You don't generalize much do you? The problem is idiots who moan and complain about everyone else yet fail to do a damn thing themselves to improve the situation at hand.You know what's wrong with America? People who want to live in 1956 yet forget how hard it was then! I suggest you live in this day and age and not opine for aa imaginary time when Opie went fishing with Andy Griffiths after church.
Well said. I have seen this pop up a few times.... some political talking head must be trying to convince people that was a golden age. Truth was, it was a very horrible time.
I am assuming your revisionist history does not mention the McCarthy hearings or the wave of ultra religiousity that swept the states in the 50's... How many people were blacklisted, lost their careers, during your golden age?
Not to mention the Korean war...
Well at least Bush has to get some credit. I think it's pretty impressive that a born-agin' Texass fundamentalist like Dubbya didn't give our taxpayer money as an offering to Jeeeeeeeeezus. Way to go Dubbya!
Credit – exactly mine, your's, our children's, and their's....
Ha. Maybe.
OBAMA 2012
My candidate is ABO(Anybody But Obama).
ABO 2012!
Obama 2012 - better than the other idiots like Bachmann.
for those who continue to drink obama koolaid.... google this.... obama admits he is a muslim
Obama is not Muslim not matter what cr@p source you dig up. Besides, what's wrong with being a Muslim?
Last I checked, Muslims believe in one God and that Jesus was a noble prophet/messenger in addition to having high standard for moral behavior.
How does being a Muslim relate to putting a country in debt?! In fact, in Islam, participating in interest is forbidden (whether taking interest or charging it), thus a financial crisis like this can't happen if a Muslim country followed Islam's principals.
So what, bigot.
Get over yourself. Your sources are crap, I bet you failed at writing research papers and science for that matter.
I agree... Google isn't an Oracle or seuthsayer, it's just an engine that searchs for key words or phrases... I could put up a webpage saying Joesmoe blows... for that matter anyone could put up anything and google will ping it. I also agree, who cares... if you are really still stuck on religious observation, you need to jump in your time machine and shoot back a few hundred years... oh BTW if you google time machine, I think someone is selling them, LOL
didn't the A-Team star in a movie about this? lol
Hey, maybe now they'll find those WMDs too.
Now if they could just find the other $2,243,000,000,000 dollars we wasted there, along with the lives of 4,500 American military heroes and all of America's credibility, we can just show ourselves to the door.
and u forget the 10,000,000,000,000 that obama has flushed in national debt and say he's doing better???? what a -– you fill in the blank
In all your posts, you seem tohave a toilet obession – contipated?
Look at the national debt history charts by administrations, then you should shut up.
The 3 idiots, McCain, Graham + Lieberman are still arguing that we should keep going, stay longer.
Just google "pallets of money to iraq" and you will see how Bush sold America down the river! And now bozos are blaming Obama for ALL of our troubles!
I mean billions down the crapper! Yeah deport Obama...deport all of 'em...the GOP's sh*t doesn't stink right???
Well, I've done as many deployments under the Obama administration as the Bush administration. So... just having a D instead of an R in front of your name makes you some kind of better person? They're both crooks, and as to blaming Obama, he said he had answers to failed/failing programs, I fail to see said answers. Other then taking money from group A and giving it to group B.
Well put!
Piles of cash just flushed away. Look at the economic fallout.
You know its okay for them to come to the us and destroy things here, leave the whole US in crumbs. And we give them money to rebuild. Why in the hell
Can they not give the money back so our so called government help the US ppl. Screw them over seas. Worry about america the us for once instead of other countries
so was this reason for for then president Bush to to go to war ?
Which month of the Bush administration are you asking about? Fighting freedom-haters, freeing the freedom-haters, spreading democracy to freedom-haters, finding WMD's, saving our sudden-best-friend Iraqi chums from rape and torture, sending a message to Iran (which ummm, was, we're gonna defeat your strongest enemy) or stopping Al Qaeda (somehow, making recruitment of terrorists easier, was supposed to do this) or fighting to preserve our access to oil?
Nice accounting, this after Bush gave the rich the big tax cut. Our troops looked like they were from another planet , landing in these high tech war machines and start to bribe the locals with cash, bundles of cash given away so that maybe they might like us. Who came up with this plan? Now the rich want you to pay for their war and yes it was the rich that wanted this war. So pay up poor people the wealthy don't want to "support the troops" or pay for this disaster.
Well Said!!
I'm sure most people know things are only going to get worse from here on out! I'll bet rats kinda taste like chicken, and bugs are full of protein! Not too tasty, but the strong will survive the longest.
Having actually been in Iraq several times...I must go on the record to say, LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. You guys and your 'knowledge' never ceases to amaze. I love the facts produced by someone who reads a page written by others and now 'knows'.
But, of course, here YOU are claiming to REALLY know. LOL back atcha....
Not at all, I just claim a higher level of ignorance then you and the gentleman/lady above me. Much like I'm sure your hometown is a cesspool, having never been there, because I read about it in the paper once. Just sayin'.
And I've been to Washington DC, so I obviously know everything our Congressional rats discuss behind closed doors. Top that!
Oh, I thought they said this war would pay for itself!
... and that it would take 6 days, 6 weeks, or even as as long as 6 months.
I don't even think this money was even spent how they said they did, reason is, if they did we've wouldve found out about it a long time ago. The government stole this money, and its something we all have to live with. Corruption will always happen no matter what.
To elect Bush once you can say you made a mistake but, to elect that retarded twice then you are also a retarded. We have no idea how much damage did that idiot not only to the American people but to the whole world. And then he dares to "write" a book (I don't think he can write) as if nothing had happened. Do you know how many people lost their homes and their jobs because of this man?
Bush wasn't elected twice it was the Supreme court that made that decision instead of waiting for the votes to be recounted
in Florida. When the count was finally done Bush lost. Blame it on the court , however, I believe there must have been some mud sling back door deal done too.
right, right right! The whole post is true.
The part about stealing florida + the supreme court too.
Don't blame it all on Cheney, Rummy + Wolfowitz, blame Scalia too!
RE: "Bush wasn't elected twice it was the Supreme court that made that decision instead of waiting for the votes to be recounted
in Florida. When the count was finally done Bush lost. Blame it on the court , however, I believe there must have been some mud sling back door deal done too."
You do know Al Gore tried to throw the election by going to the Florida courts (they JUST happened to be democrats. You also know the liberal New York Times even admitted, after it's own investigation, that Bush won it however you look at it? You do keep up... right???
It wasn't our money to begin with, it was frozen assets during the sanctions. Why would we need to get paid back?
Because we are highly in debt, and are looking for any way to recoup our losses.
Some dude at the FED probably reprinted the cash and stashed it under a desk. Problem solved. Money found. Yahoo!
This, like all other problems with all of our countries in the western world, boils down to the fact that men and women are parachuted into high paying management positions in every company and industry and government office without working their way up from the mailroom. Nobody who manages anything anywhere anymore knows a single thing about what they are managing. Nothing. They are salesmen who know only one thing... how to use connections to get into a position to loot the company for all it is worth... clean out the pension fund, sell the assets, et cetera ad infinitum. We should go back to old way of promoting on merit alone those who have worked their way up through the ranks and who actually care about the business they have spent their lives working in. And nobody should be allowed to do anything anymore without having the cash on hand to pay for it. In the meantime, print enough money to pay off the national debt and then start all over again.
As to what happens with money during wartime, that is nothing to do with it. Money is needed to pay for a war and whatever it costs is worth paying to make it a win. The time to worry about the cost of war is before it is declared. After that, don't bother talking about it. You made your choice. Live with it.
Learn spanish everyone, its your only hope if you want to keep your job.
THE BILLION DOLLAR QUESTION IS:
WHEN DO WE GET PAID BACK?
These bastard politicians give our money away like we can afford it. I will never support another incumbent as long as I live. If they don't pass term limits, I will certainly will pass my term limits to them.
...and then what happened? Iraq at that time had been purposely turned into a non-state so no law, government, records or accountability could exist. So the money went into a bank account and then what happened to it? It was sent over in $100 bills, a method of transferring large amounts of cash not seen since the Second World War.
I don't believe for one minute is wasn't stolen. This is a Neo Con whitewash; another attempt to justify the rape of Iraq. Ask the million Iraqis murdered in the last ten years where the money went. Go find the new schools, roads, hospitals, housing and infrastructure. It shouldn't be too hard to find all them, hey're all right beside the Weapons of Mass Destruction.
As a Marine with 3 tours under his belt in Iraq I can tell you that many of the schools, roads, and infrastructural projects that you say aren't there are in fact....there. And if you want to blame someone for the people getting killed why don't you look a achmed and his buddies with their suicide vest.
You are a hero to me, just because you worked your ass off for something right and risked your life, for all of us.
There a bunch of us who know how hard you guys worked so please keep your head up!
Well, Marines need to be well brainwashed, otherwise they wouldn't run headlong into a hail of bullets – on the orders do someone NOT running headlong into a hail of bullets. Very much like Achmed and his buddies, if you think about it.
@Skipper: You SIr, are a dolt. So by your reasoning, the President and everyone below him should be on the front lines? In what parallel universe that you live in does that make sense. I am a Marine, and I'm typing this from Afghanistan right now. I have a job to do, it's to rush into a field of bullets and do what I need to do to stabilize this country. The President, lawmakers, Generals and so on need to plan from an office or wherever they are to let me know, via trickle down, where I need to find said field.
@ Steve: And just like Iraq, I can reassure you that roads are being built, schools are being erected and run, water and electricity are being set up and anyone who says otherwise is an armchair critic spouting BS from his couch in the states. I find it funny that all of you paranoid conspiracy theorists come up with all of these ridiculous ideas of what's going on over here and are so sure that you're right, but none of you have the balls to actually come see for yourself. Book a flight brother, I'll cover your worthless behind so you can eat your words in relative safety.
I trust the people who serve our country over a disgruntled propaganda news site. You can go to any armed forces sight and see these projects over the last 10 years and progress reports.
These propaganda sites have no facts, they just say, where are the schools we paid for and if the MSM doesn't show it, they dontknow about it and use it for fuel for their agenda.
Yes, thank you for your enlightened comment.... Because we know a US military website would never sto to posting propaganda??? Lol! Fool.
This is not someone's agenda, this is a report about accounting. You may not like it, but your gov't threw money down a hole for no reason + today we are all broke because of it. No one is blaming the troupes. The republicans + their neocon lies are responsible.
there has been alot of schools and medical stations opened up, there also has been alot of mishandled funds on both sides, been there seen it. just know the facts before you speak and look like an idiot
Bush's admin could not account for the money and now Obama's admin comes to the rescue (again). How much more must Obama do to prove that he gets things done while the Bush admin and the current crop of GOP losers were/are worthless?
I made a list of Obama's accomplishments.
1. got elected
sure thing bob! and I'm donal duck!
Isn't the real problem tha the dough was shipped there in the first frikkin place????
HeIi I'm still working on the "airliner hit the Pentagon B.S." and now we have to deal with THIS? Has anyone ever seen any airliner wreckage and ANY of the World trade center "crash" sites?
DO A WEB SEARCH FOR "ATTACK ON THE PENTAGON" AND FOLLOW THE LINKS. WAIT TILL YOU SEE THE PLANE THAT REALLY HIT THE PENTAGON!!!!!!...........AND IT ISN'T AN "AIR LINER"!
Plenty of people were they're, including people I know, who saw the plane go into the building, and they are not part of some conspiracy.
It's more likely the inaccurate facts you are getting are from conspiracy sites written by people who have no connection or were not there.
Really??? You really believe that claptrap?
You know that's not true – most of the wreckage was moved to a warehouse.
My friends in arlington watched it with their own eyes, heard it screaming and smash into the building.
What else would it be? A bomb planted by our own government to just to start a war?
I know the conspiracies and all the evidence they claim is circumstantial while the terrorist theory has mountains of evidence which isn't just documents that can be forged but by eye witnesses who saw it, terrorist who claimed it, and prepared for it.
I believe people who I know were there over conspiracy trolls. Only if you have bad judgment do you believe or not believe everything someone says.
you delusional filthy piece of shit. how dare you, and all the freaks like you who hold such "views" about conspiracy bs, how dare you. you don't deserve for me, or anyone, who was THERE to EXPLAIN IT TO YOU. nor should we, or any other human, have to demean ourselves by addressing your utter foul crap to come out of your sub human mouth. fuck off and die, look in the mirror and see the proof of how grotesque humanity can be.
Really? Now if we could find the Weapons of Mass Destruction then the legacy of the Bush presidency will be saved!
Heaven help us!!!
How about a National Call=In Sick Day??? Think that would get the message across?
Story... Imagine the world as one huge plantation field with the rich/powerful/Wall Street corp on one side (American Dream found) and on the other side of the plantation field to find the average tax paying/hard working/ consumer that sees the "American Dream" is actually a nightmare!!! The people in the middle of the plantation field are the "American Dream Fence sitters"...they are doing well enough to keep pursuing the dream so they side with those that "own" the dream!!! While all this is happening you have the world population continuing to grow, which hurts the working class by way of higher prices from supply/demand, but benefits Corp/Wall Street by increasing profits!! The "squeeze" on the working class benefits the rich/powerful/Wall street because the average worker doesn't have enough money to even survive an "average" life in America, which benefits the rich by loaning money to the plantation workers to continue to consume!!! Now that they have tightened their loaning activities since the financial collapse, you see the fallout by huge unemployment!!! Bottom line...its time the plantation workers woke up and broke their chains of dependence and returned to a healthy subsistence life that is not dependent upon jobs from Corporations or our government!!! If their are only so many jobs available and tons of people that need jobs then you have a recipe for an unsustainable economy!! All in all, Corporations, the rich and powerful, and those that stand on that side of the plantation field... (GOP) are delusion and completely concerned with nothing more that money and forcing their filthy morals down the throats of everyone they meet by way of the constitution and Christianity....but the masses are finally waking up to the CON of the past Century!!!! We MUST REVOLT against these stupid, greedy, self centered idiots that care about nothing but money, anti-abortion, gun control, less taxes for the rich, wars for resources, death penalty, pro austerity, Wall Street lovers, anti environment, drill baby drill, Tea party lunatics, anti immigration, growth at the expense of everything village idiots!!!,
I know you are saying something here but you lost me somewhere about the first line. Maybe you need to take a break for a while and unwind.
You fight.I admire that.As Benjamin Franklin said "We must all hang together or was shall assuredly all hang separately " we the people of the U.S.A. and the world really must all work together to solve the great mess this world is in.A ' Spring of nations peoples movement for a better world system ' should start to form somehow to not only break the chains you mentioned,but break them all once and for all so we move forward organized in a way we are never forced by the greedy to stall to fall again. It is actually a world problem , so the world should act.We see what the Arab Spring brought about.A world spring could have incredible results limited only by the imaginations of the liberators.
Sorry, Bryan, but the "village idiots" are us, that being the grand swath of the population of the united states that are slogging their way through each and every day. Those of us who respond when asked, "How's it goin'?", we say, "Another day, another dollar." A lot of us just don't vote. We're too busy working and don't want to take the time off. It's the activists that choose who govern us–not the working "Joe". Is it any wonder? We're stuck with being ruled by activists and large corporate donors, not the average "Joe". Personally, I've given up. I just want to be able to pay my bills and eat. Fortunately, I have a job. It's not a brain-challenger but it gives me and my wife a paycheck. I'm sorry for those who are struggling. But Republicans and Democrats, both, have convinced me that I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. So I'm not. I guess I've become a-political, kind of like a political agnostic. No matter what you think, feel or believe, it don't make much difference.
Can I have some of it? Since it's scattered about and forgotten and shoved back into the "we'll deal with it later" category I could use about one-ten thousandths of that amount. That would take care of paying off the IRS and a couple of student loans. And I'm not even a member of the 1%. If I were, I'd be asking for about 99% of it and taking a vacation...a really long one...in the South Seas with lots of other 99 percenters.
CNN headline next monday: OCCUPY WASHINGTON!!!!!
At least it should be!
More like clean out Washington
The pathetic thing about all of this is that the politicians in Washington all sit there on the news channels, looking like deer in headlights, wondering how to eliminate the national debt, when all they do is give foreign countries OUR money.
Gee whillikers. Duhhhhhh
Wrong again. This was iraqi money that was frozen, not ours to begin with. All your facts are tidbits are propaganda.
So Iraq had bricks of American $100 bills??? NOT!!!
This Frankenstein government lies repeatedly.
I want the government that I was promised in school not this monster government that is NOT for the people.
I believe you when government loss $6.6 billions like us loss $6.00, now government found it. it's balooony, I think the $6.6 billions in some pockets of Corporation like Halliburton.
Obama does it again! is there anything this man can't do!?
Change you user name to REtard
It's Obama's fault that Bush was such an idiot too!!!
I blame Obama for Bush's birth...
@ Toolhard .. Yes, being a leader
I think this is just another level of government/corporate lying coverups now that we're leaving. How many times will we be paying and repaying Iraqi asset once formerly frozen in the US? This is just more payments to the corrupt puppets George put in there.
BULLFUCKINGSHIT!!!! END THE FED!!!
I'm sure glad I'm 64 years old. I won't have to put up with this crap for too many more years and then the politicians can all tell their ignorant, greed kids that it was THEM who ffugged up the entire world economy.
"But honey, daddy brought home TONS of money and gold for YOU to live on!"
I think most of us living today will get to see the "whole sh*thouse go up in flames"!!!
And if you believe THAT one, I have some of Saddam's nuclear weapons to sell you!
No kiddin'? Aim a couple at Washington and make it glow like a 4th of July fireworks show!!!!
I'll pay for the fuse!
Bull shit!
And that's ALL it is! I guess these reporter hypes forget their OWN stories that the cash was seen floating in the river in Bagdad and our military picking it up and carting it away – huh?
i hope its true, all the while i thought maybe w, bush and d. cheney absconded with the loot.
Why do you think Bush made THREE trips to the middle east in the last year he was in office – sightseeing?
Oh to be sure they absconded with plenty!
Obama spending more tax payers money for no good reason? Typical
@Steve: You are really one left behind kid from our educational system. You are no good at math.
I know. Wouldn't it be terrible if they were actually found out what went with it and was able to get some of it back. Don't worry Bush and Chaney have helped Halliburton cover it up nicely.
You sir, are an idiot.
Steve:
This all happened under Bush, Obama had nothing to do with the "misplaced" money. Actually, you should thank Obama for ending the war and cleaning up one of WWW's many messes. Oh wait; you're obviously a wingnut so no matter what Obama does, he's wrong.
He's just trying to be as good at it as Bush was.
Obama? This was all under Bush's first term. Knee jerk condemnation much?
Open azz – insert head.
I am not buying this. Only people with half brain will swallow this pill. No one ever remembered transfering 6.6 bilions to Iraq Central Bank? I remember clearly all the time I pay my bills online. I will give you the dates and the amounts. Please!
Yes–I do buy it. Your mistake of comparing government spending and accountability to personal is fallacious. Although it would be nice if the two were comparable, it just doesn't work that way. That's the problem when we're so far removed from the source of sacrifice (tax payers). I was in Iraq and saw a good deal of waste occur out of confusion rather than neglect or greed (as pessimists would want us to think). This is good news.
You're an idiot.
@legman: I find it truly telling that you consistently call people "idiots" while having no proof or statement even to justify your insult. I could sit here and sound mighty cool too if I just spout off calling people idiots all day on CNN. Odds are, your only source of "news" on Iraq and Afghanistan come from the internet, therefore, you know nothing of the truth, jsut what that particular media outlet wanted you to think. Form your opinions for yourself for once in your sheltered fragile existence. Long live the 53%.
Its some of the original stimulus from Obama, give it back to the treasury
@Meki60 You're just out of your mind. This money was lost under Bush and Dick Cheney. You are looking at the wrong side. Wake up brainwashed little body.
I would rather have the money lost than given to the likes of Solyndra, a failing company.
Why would this bother anyone when the Pentagon, BY ITS OWN ADMISSION, is unable to account for over $900B in funds received over the last 10 years. Nor does it feel it needs to. Where is the outrage?
$900B–What? What are you smoking?
Nathan...he's smoking grade A Amber Truth Serum since Rumsfeld already admitted it.
""According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions," Rumsfeld admitted.
$2.3 trillion — that's $8,000 for every man, woman and child in America. To understand how the Pentagon can lose track of trillions, consider the case of one military accountant who tried to find out what happened to a mere $300 million.
"
Exactly, how can we believe these hippies who's facts are wrong? I'm not pro republican or democrat or super rich or poor. I just want the truth and fairness and it seems like every side is selling snake oil.
The receiver is called "Area 51".
When the masses wake up in this country, things are going to get ugly.
As bad as the Facists in control now are, the "massess" will prove to be worse and what follows will be even more totalitarian rule. We had a system that was moderately functional. Renew it. Revive it. It can serve us again. The alternative is nothing but bad. The rest of the world already knows this. If we have to learn it, generations will suffer and we may never regain what we have lost.
Mob rule. NO. Totalitarian rule. NO
Participatory government, with all of us responsible for learning and acting responsibly. It CAN be.
Yes because when I think of Fascism I immediately think of health care for all.
Yep! Scarey thought that.
Don't worry we will get it back in oil, just ask Dick Chenney
Hahahaha!
And someday, the true stories of WMD's being moved out of Iraq will be reported to nobody interested.
Probably because they all have U.S.A or U.K. stamped all over them.
The silence from the left on this will be as loud as the screaming was.
Sure I feel much better that we paid off $6 billion to free a country, get rid of the WMD and rebuild it.
Why, what exactly do you want them to say?
GoiNg to use this opportunity to complain about How CNN cherry picks what reports readers can leave comments.
I distinctly remember Cheney being interviewed at the beginning of the war, saying the Iraqi's and their oil revenue would pay for the war and nothing would come out of the US Treasury. So much for that lie! Halliburton sure has profited from the war.
Have you ever heard anything truthful come out of Cheney's mouth? Ever?
He did admit he shot the guy in Texas didn't he?
I distinctly remember Obama saying that all of his insane spending was for a good cause. Then I realized how much of a waste Solyndra and now this $6billion in Iraq was.
This wasn't his $6B, genius. This was at the beginning of the Iraq War. He wasn't even in the Senate yet. Much as you might want to, you really can't blame everything bad that happens in the universe on Obama.
Why are you blaming Obama for something that happened before he took office???????
Please tell us all – what do you remember that BUSH said? Go ahead, we're waiting........................
Bush boners:
Iraq attacked the twin towers.
They have weapons of mass destruction.
The war is over.
The Democrats caused the war.
Read my frikkin lips!!!
so it did go astray they just don't want say they lost it 6.6 billions to late for anybody else to try to find it lost in the paper work. i would take a 100.000.00 and let they lose that.
You've got to be freaking kidding me ???
Is there anybody stupid enough to buy this shite ? Please don't tell me you believe this , it's UNfreakingCREDIBLE !!!! Have you read about the 1% 99% ???? Guess where those 6.6 are .......
My bad, put it under the mattress and forgot to tell anyone
Hey "almost all the $6.6 billion" could be around $6 billion and I could have the rest and under an accounting system that thinks "almost" is good enough no one would notice, right?
This reminds me of the story on the news today of the Masons....trying to rip off a poor girl of her inheritance (yes...google it, it's in the news today)....those in these clubs have nothing in mind better than to subvert everybody and everything to their own vision. Look at the politicians today. Just how many are current/former Skull & Bones Society. They have no interest in anyone except themselves and screwing everybody else to get their way. 6Billion is nothing....there has been far worse....and we will never know since Bush Sr. as a member of the CIA had full access to start the chain of coverup going in full gear.
why they worried about 6 billion, aparrt from that 1 billion are getting lose every week there since then
It is shame that a community cannot come together. Instead we like to split ideologies down party lines. We need to start working together instead of making this hatred between us bigger. Differences of opinions are fine and dandy, but in the end we all still have the same goals. To have a flourishing economy, to leave the world a better place after we leave it, and to have a positive community for future generations.
No...........we NEED to get our azzes out iun the streets and let those monkeys in Washington know who runs this country.
"in the end we all have the same goals."
This is demonstrably false.
The goal of the Republican party is power for themselves, and money for the people who own them.
The Democratic party is infested with politicians owned by the same plutocrats, but it doesn't actively harm the country in order to gain/hold power.
This "we all need to be bipartisan" Dave Broder-style nonsense only serves those wealthy interests, and it's been going on for 30 years.
Thank OWS for at least changing the conversation to what needs to be talked about: 30 years of class warfare by our elites upon the rest of us.
~
If you still believe what this government tells us to believe, you are a moron!
You're welcome to leave....Mexico is that way. Why don't you try there.
More like you are welcome to leave..you would love Cuba.
Mexico is a very truthful country.
It was the government that said it went missing in the first place.
And if you believe this explanation I've got a bridge to sell you. Ended up right where it was supposed to but noone knew that until now. I think not.
You know!! Companies have learn to use the economy just like the shortness of oil. I live in Michigan and took a $50,000.00 pay cut to keep my job and was force to make all kinds of changes to keep what I've work so hard for and almost 2 yrs later nothing have change with my salary but I've notice the new "Mercedes Benz" and other new vehicles on the parking lot... *I hate politics* soon there will be only 2 class rich and the poor!! The understanding at my workplace is "don't pay enough to make them cotroble but enough to keep them hungry! Pay less and blame the economy but we see the same or more product that is made go out the door. We use to have 1 full shift and a part time! Now we have 2 full time and a 3rd part time "38 hrs" and hire all imigrants to do this jobs. The great american taken care of american hard working people "YEAH RIGHT!!!" I doesn't matter who is president business people control the employment volume and numbers, how much of that money pay to minority imigrants actually stay in the US??
You could have left your job and found another one elsewhere. If you really took THAT big of a pay cut, means you either were upper management, or highly skilled, both of which you could have found another job. I'm sorry, but your story smells of troll.
Used to be rich....and no longer...seems to me you were vastly overpaid before and are now reasonable. As for the immigrants, they are willing to work odd hours, live 15 to an apartment, have beans and rice for lunch dinner and breakfast and drive a crapola compact car. Get used to the rebalancing of wealth.
The government loses $6 billion and it's no big deal, I owe the government $200 in taxes and they're knocking at my door.
Yeah, but they know YOU'LL pay up!!!
you are absolutely right , they will make your life miserable until they get it. The rich also are the least likely to get audited. They go after the poor because they cant afford a lawyer.
That´s state power for you!