SAIC and the shadow government--Part II

This is the second part of a post based on a Vanity Fair Article called Washington's 8-Billion-Dollar Shadow which is a long, but good read.

Now, in part I we learned that

• SAIC stands for Science Applications International Corporation
• They are possibly the largest US federal contractor
• They have friends in high places
• Many times their work is substandard
• They were instrumental in the lies which led to the Iraq War
• They see the "Global War (on some) Terror" as a great revenue stream

and

• they are really, really good at getting contracts

So, now. On to today. We left off with outrage about their role in the run-up to the Iraq War.

Remember David Kay from the first few months of the war? Yes, he was the guy who confirmed that Saddam had no WMD after all.

Let's go back then to 1998 when, well from the article...

It is Wednesday afternoon, March 25, 1998, and David A. Kay, who had been a U.N. official in Iraq in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, is on Capitol Hill testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Americans generally remember Kay as the head of the Iraq Survey Group, the man who showed that Saddam Hussein didn't possess W.M.D. when America invaded in 2003, and that the war was launched under false pretenses. But today, in 1998, he is not David Kay, weapons inspector, but David Kay, director of SAIC's Center for Counterterrorism Technology and Analysis. He is a stockholder in a company known to cognoscenti in the hearing room as a fraternal twin of the intelligence establishment. With great authority, Kay tells the committee that Saddam Hussein "remains in power with weapons of mass destruction" and that "military action is needed." He warns that unless America acts now "we're going to find the world's greatest military with its hands tied."

Wonder when PNAC sent the letter to President Clinton urging action on Iraq? Yep, January, 1998. Coincidence? I was taught in the Marine Corps there is no such thing as coincidence in intelligence operations, and this clearly was one.

So, David Kay had to come clean about the WMD after the 2003 invasion, it had to be him, so his groundwork could be sanitized. "Go forth and sin no more," said Congress. Even as late as October, 2002 Dr. Kay told NBC News, "I don't think it's possible to disarm Iraq as long as Saddam is in power and desires to maintain weapons of mass destruction."

Wonder if that quote came from the Vice President's office? Or SAIC HQ? Or PNAC?

Let's go back to the timeline... from the article...

I

t was understood in Washington, long before the actual onset of "shock and awe," that the Iraq war would be a Klondike gold rush for contractors. Prior to the war, SAIC was awarded seven contracts, together worth more than $100 million, without competitive bidding. The Defense Department's justification for the no-bid contracts: "We need the immediate services of a fully qualified contractor who has the unqualified support and confidence of the Pentagon leadership." SAIC's personnel, designated "subject-matter experts," were expected to lend a hand on such matters as "business development, international and regional political relations, the role of women in government, and government reform." Among SAIC's subject-matter experts was Shaha Riza, an Arab feminist and communications adviser at the World Bank. Riza also happened to be the girlfriend of Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense.

Wow. The most amazing thing in this bit is that Paul Wolfowitz actually HAD a girlfriend. I have always pictured him as more of a bestiality freak or flagallant of some kind. But I digress. Of course we have seen what a wonderful job SAIC has done restoring Iraq's infrastructure. I think people there are up to 4 hours of electricity a day, and most days can get drinking water from somewhere in their neighborhood, sometimes even without being targeted by US snipers or aircraft while doing so.

SAIC also was responsible for what has become an anti-American Shiite television network. After their complete mis-management and bungling, it was turned over to Iraqis who immediately made it into a great propaganda tool.

Good work boys. But wait, there is more.

Tomorrow, part III