Another day, another conflict of interest in Washington DC. Iraq is proving to be an opportunity for Washington insiders to rape and pillage the US Treasury.

How else would you describe today's news?

Perini Corporation Selected by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Construction Projects in U.S. Central Command's Area of Operations

Perini Corporation (AMEX:PCR) announces the award of a one year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, for design-build, general construction, and short term operation and maintenance services in various locations throughout U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility. This area encompasses 25 countries located throughout the Horn of Africa, South and Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Northern Red Sea regions.

The contract, worth up to 0,000,000, is one of three contract awards made by the Corps of Engineers for new construction, restorations, renovation and repair, design-build, and O&M services to respond to the contingency needs that might arise within the U.S. Central Command area.

From a cached version of Hoover's Online from March 2003:

Perennial performer Perini is known for its hospitality -- particularly when it comes to building hotel/casinos. Projects include Connecticut's Mohegan Sun casino. The builder also works on entertainment facilities and sports complexes, health care facilities, prisons, and schools. Its civil division builds and maintains highways, subways, and airports, primarily in major East Coast cities. Perini also offers construction management and design/build services. Investor groups led by chairman Ronald Tutor (owner of California contractor Tutor-Saliba) and investor Richard Blum (husband of US Sen. Dianne Feinstein) control 75% of Perini. The company has evolved from construction businesses that began in 1894.

According to the L.A. Times (Oct. 10, 2002 Debate on Iraq: 2 parties, 2 paths, 1 concern by Johanna Neuman), Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-C.A.) had received 24,169 phone calls from constituents expressing opposition to an attack on Iraq, and 597 in support. She then went ahead and voted for the resolution that handed war powers to the White House.

After casting her vote in defiance of her constituents wishes, Feinstein wrote an op-ed on her vote.

On October 11, I cast one of my most difficult votes as a U.S. senator when, in an effort to compel Iraq's disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, I voted to authorize the president to use force against Iraq. I did not come to this decision easily: I strongly oppose a pre-emptive, unilateral strike against another sovereign state.

How about just turning the keys of the US Treasury over to all of the corporate interests in Washington and quit pretending that politicians in DC have Americans' interests at heart. At least it would be honest.

posted by Susie at 12:47 AM

Cheney and Halliburton. Perle and Trieme. Feinstein and Perini. Fogelman and Derco. Shultz and Bechtel. Bush and Carlyle.

The list goes on and on and on. I see no difference between a Republicna and a Demcorat anymore. Its just one big corporate gang rape of American taxpayers.

that Arafat is pretty rich I think he is richer than any of those guys and he is raping a VERY poor country.. it seems he is much better at gang raping a country than Bush and Co...

Arafat at most is worth around million dollars. Hollywood's actors make more than that in a month on a film.

The US just passed a budget worth BILLION in military and reconstruction costs.

We're talking billions and billions of dollars annually in government contracts. Not some measly several million.

Perini also just was awarded a million dollar contract to build support for new bases for the Afghanistan military.

Feinstein is a "stealth" Zionist. . .She hasn't seen a giveaway to Israel she doesn't like. I would be like sooo happy to not have her as my Senator!!!

The Democrats will probably run Diane for V.P. and uber-Zionist Lieberman for Pres. . . .Scary, eh?

It's hard to find a human being that does not have a fully exposed and responsive greed button. Think you can't be bought? Maybe not, but if so you're in a very, very slim minority. So what do we do when we throw these bums out---Rep. or Dem., it hardly matters---and the next group of bums gets bought out even as they enter the Beltway in Washington? Somehow we, as the human race, need to get a handle on this life condition of greed...

you could buy me with national healthcare, drug rehabs, homeless shelters, tree people funding, education, free college, how hard are all these things to get anyway, why don't they just buy the public off already.

At most 5 million? you nieve man

he is worth more like 500 million...

It was all over the news if you had been paying attention.

Sadam was worth 2 billion or somthing

...have been a good many men and women in history who could not be bought.

Most people mean well although we all have our frailties.

Generally those who are truly good and courageous we call Saints. As is evidenced by history too often they are not really appreciated by the ruling classes. They have a nasty habit of becoming martyrs.

However, I am being cynical. You can see the goodness in most people shine through at odd moments. The man who can't swim who suddenly learns how to save a drowning child.

My favorite was one told by the late Robert Heinlein - which he recalled from his youth. It seems that a man and woman were crossing Rail Road track when her foot became stuck in the rails. Try as they might they could not get her foot free. A wandering Hobo stopped and started helping the man try to get his lady loves foot free. To no avail. And then the Train came. As Mr. Heinlein put it: "It is a man's right to die for his lady...". But that doesn't explain the Hobo. He was still frantically trying to help get the woman's foot free right up until the moment the train hit them.

That all people can be bought is simply the Cynic in us speaking. Courage and the ability to resist temptation comes at odd times to the most unexpected people. We just don't hear about them that often. To the world of the chaos selling "news merchant" Man resists temptation is not news. It is only the bad news, the crook, that gets the publicity.

However, virtue and honor are there own rewards. You know that when you look at yourself in the mirror and can look.