‘Pentagon’ Archives
War in Iraq Costs: A Half-Trillion-Dollars and Counting
Receipts for the war in Iraq to will soon be ringing up to $564 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. That's more than ten times the $50 billion that the Bush administration once predicted before the war started in March 2003. "It's worth it," Bush said last May, when the tab was about $320 billion. "I wouldn't have [...]
Willing to Please
There once was a line of thinking that the sign of a good manager is when one knows his or her weaknesses and compensates those weaknesses with the strengths of a well-rounded staff. Good presidents also go out of their way to find the strongest thinkers of opposing views to help probe policies for their weaknesses and figure out where solutions [...]
Hearing Begins for Former Iraq Prison Commander
Some in Iraq say his code name is Cold Steele. Others say he is facing charges for "being too nice" to Iraqi prisoners. U.S. Army Lt. Col. William H. Steele's hearing began today in Baghdad on charges that he aided the enemy while in command of the prison at Camp Cropper in Iraq. Steele's chief attorney, Maj. David G. Barrett, complained during [...]
Investigation of Former Camp Cropper Commander
The Article 32 Investigation for Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, will be held on Camp Victory starting April 30 and is estimated to last two to three days. Portions, but not all of the investigation hearing is open to press. No video cameras, cameras or other recording devices are allowed in the courtroom, nor will photos or video of the [...]
Charges Against Lt. Col. William H. Steele — Commander of Camp Cropper Prison, Iraq
posted by David Phinney The Charges Against Steele: RELEASE No. 20070426-01 April 26, 2007 Charges announced Multi-National Corps - Iraq PAO Baghdad, Iraq- Lt. Col. William H. Steele has been charged with offenses under the provisions of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice. These charges are merely an accusation of wrongdoing. [...]
Lt. Col. William Steele, Commandant at Camp Cropper Prison Arrested in Iraq
by David Phinney April 25, 2007 -- A former top prison commander at a prison known for "high-value" detainees, Camp Cropper, Iraq, has been quietly under arrest for weeks and detained in Kuwait under charges that he was aiding the enemy, according to numerous independent sources. U.S. officials arrested Army Lt. Col. William H. Steele, 51, [...]
Spooky Business in a Strange World
by David Phinney April 25, 2007 -- The flood of emails continues pouring in about the short news story retelling Donald Vance's three-month imprisonment at Camp Cropper in Iraq. Vance says he was acting as an FBI informant while working for an Iraqi-owned private security company. He claims he was witnessing the possible illegal sales of [...]
Wolfowitz: Girlfriend a ‘Must Hire’ for Iraq Contractor
It was very much business for a Defense Department contractor, SAIC: But behind the scenes, it looks like a lover or friend in high places may have been pulling the strings for the girlfriend of Paul Wolfowitz, Shaha Riza. How did Riza land a moonlight gig with the Iraq contractor in 2003? At the request of the Defense Department, according [...]
Wolfowitz: Girlfriend’s Shadowy Iraq Work
Shaha Riza and long-time companion (read: heart throb) of World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, apparently performed moonlighting services for a Pentagon contractor during the run up to the Iraq invasion while also working for the World Bank. The Government AccountabilityProject (GAP) Notes: Riza worked as a "subject matter expert" on the Middle [...]
Private Security Contractors: ‘Who Did the Shooting?’
Steve Fainaru of The Washington Post raises some repeatedly unanswered questions about the July shooting of an Iraqi taxi driver by a Triple Canopy detail in Baghdad. Two employees are now suing the company in U.S. court. They claim the company fired them for reporting the incident as a crime. THIS raises a whole festering can of worms: U.S. [...]