Political Quotes

“this amendment is an entitled amendment that would eliminate conflicts of interest, and would ensure that senior level executives in the administration could not use the conflict with Iraq to obtain financial benefits for companies with which they have been affiliated. Specifically, the amendment prohibits senior level officials in the administration from being present at or participating in any negotiations of contracts with companies in which they were senior managers or members of the board of directors within the last 4 years. There has been a considerable amount of suspicion about the motives of this administration in pursuing a war with Iraq. Many Americans have expressed concerns that our country initiated military action in order to secure control of Iraqi oil fields and other Iraqi resources. While these suspicions are based on rumors and allegations, we in Congress should not do anything that would contribute to doubts about the sincerity of our country's motives. Prior to the 2000 election, Vice President Dick Cheney spent 5 years as the chief executive of the Houston-based energy services company Halliburton. On March 24, 2003 Kellogg, Brown & Root, a Halliburton subsidiary, announced that it was awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put out fires and make emergency repairs in Iraq's oil infrastructure.”