Wednesday, 17 December 2003

PART III - REFOCUS

=====

13:30 – Baghdad. As soon as I can figure out how to insert a *.pdf file into Power Point, we’ll be another step closer to changing offices again. It will also mean the loss of our Frisbee court, where Miles and I recently taught a couple of the cleaning guys how to toss the thing. [Imagine completely Frisbee-less society. It stuns the brain.]

This will be my fifth desk since arrival, once it happens. Or “if” it happens. Things change here by the second sometimes, and there are increasing rumors of abandonment (frustration-based, primarily). I don’t have a verifiable clue as to how these rumors get started, but I do know how they spread.

Letters home.

Holy Crap! It’s me that spreads these rumors! Ah well.

Just like day follows night, rainbows follow the rain, stink follows a wet dog, and journalists follow the scandal, politicians and other career oriented individuals follow the money. Not surprisingly, our $18.6 Billion is like a beacon to these people. A beacon shining like a hundred suns, stinking like a thousand wet dogs, calling them to make the money their own, and advance themselves as a result.

The State Department is these wet dogs, and they’re a slobberin’ over the reconstruction money.

Each year, you and I (provided that you and I are paying our Federal taxes like good Americans) fund lots and lots of projects not dissimilar from what we’re trying to accomplish here - irrigation works, modifications to the power grid, housing projects, water treatment – lots and lots. Oftentimes, these humanitarian works are managed by USAID (United Stated Agency for International Development) and, truth be told, USAID-ers have been in Iraq for some time doing that thing that they do.

However, they were not given control over the Supplemental funding. The Department of Defense was. Certainly, there were some power plays involved at the time, but I might guess that the money went to Defense to spend because we’re still in the midst of a war. As well, in going with Defense, we can easily employ USACE, their soldiers and engineers, to take a large role in the construction management aspects of the work. Plus, they can shoot the bad guys when necessary.

This may or may not matter in Washington, where the greenback is more powerful than the squad automatic weapon.

The latest power play involves the “Reserve” budget, whereby a portion of the supplemental funds would be reserved for later contracts. The benefit to stopping the progress half way through to reselect contractors is beyond the comprehension abilities of my wee brain. Undoubtedly, the same contractors would be recontracted – “they’re already here” is the best reason for selection, followed by “they’re already here”. Another reason might be allow some other entity to become the contracting authority.

Hell, it really doesn’t matter to me that much, except that the politics tend to get in the way of the work. Millions of dollars and months of my life have been spent setting up this Program Management Office as a clearinghouse for project planning and construction. To gut the Office before the first project turns dirt would further lower my low opinion of “representative” government.

Question: Can you still say “gut” when all that remains of the carcass is the skin?

We started with $18.6 Billion for reconstruction, but the PMO needed a portion of that to manage our own program, then a whole bunch was spent on procurement right away for crisis spending, leaving $12.6 Billion for construction. That was quick.

The current State Department plan is to have a $5.0 Billion Reserve (maybe give this for France and Germany to spend here so they won’t be so mad at us) and give $2.0 Billion directly to USAID to spend as they see fit (regardless of the prioritization exercise we just completed) and a Billion to the Ministry of Oil (likewise), leaving around $4.6 Billion for construction.

But wait! There’s less!

The New Iraqi Army needs another $200 Million, and CPA needs $200 million for emergency construction, and another $200 Million for other USAID non-construction items. Then the last line of this (“not for distribution”) PowerPoint slide reads another $2.0 Billion for even more USAID non-construction items.

This leaves around two billion dollars in the PMO kitty.

Actually, this was simple. Another iteration and the entire pot will be reallocated and we’ll be finished here.

Oh, don’t worry. It’ll change tomorrow, once a fresh pack of piranhas smells the loot.


Completely Unrelated Anecdote: At the Ministry, the teaboy presents the tea on a small silver (well,… chrome, or something shiny, regardless) serving tray – small glass tumblers on wee painted saucers. He drops off the tea, then returns about ten minutes later to pick up the dishes. So, best be done by the time he gets back, because he will take your tea cup, finished or no.

But that’s not the unrelated anecdote, just the lead in to the unrelated anecdote. The unrelated anecdote should be next.

Right.

Today, the teaboy returned to clear the second serving, or so I thought, until he failed to clear the second serving and instead proceeded to track and hunt a fly that had been pestering the us for the past few minutes. Moving in between us and around the table, he dodged and feigned and ultimately whacked the fly to death with the hand towel he had as a weapon.

Then he cleared the tea.