What’s that word I’m trying to think of?
Oh yeah…boondoggle!
The massive U.S. embassy under construction in Baghdad could cost $144 million more than projected and will open months behind schedule because of poor planning, shoddy workmanship, internal disputes and last-minute changes sought by State Department officials, according to U.S. officials and a department document provided to Congress.
The embassy, which will be the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in the world, was budgeted at $592 million. The core project was supposed to have been completed by last month, but the timetable has slipped so much that the State Department has sought and received permission from the Iraqi government to allow about 2,000 non-Iraqi construction employees to stay in the country until March.
I’m excited to see what kind of a building three quarters of a billion dollars gets you.
From a strategic standpoint, as long as there’s sectarian violence in Iraq there wont be a strong, unified, anti-occupation movement but I suppose the embassy will make a nice Presidential Palace when the Iraqis finally do chase us out of there.
-mg
Leave a Reply