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Report: Big Cuts Needed at Huge Baghdad Embassy Built by Bush
"There is a clear consensus from the top to the bottom of the embassy: The time has come for a significant rightsizing," says the report Wednesday by the department's inspector general.
The American flag is raised Monday in a ceremony opening a new U.S. embassy in Baghdad. (Brooks/Getty)
The report came as President Barack Obama met Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki in Washington for talks on the significant changes in the U.S.-Iraqi relationship. American combat troops ceased operations in Iraqi cities on June 30, Maliki's government has become more assertive about exercising Iraqi sovereignty and Obama has shifted the attention that his predecessor put on Iraq to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In addition to downsizing the embassy, the report recommends ending the Provincial Reconstruction Teams by 2011, which have been the prime U.S. tool for rebuilding civilian life in Iraq's provinces.
"For some, it (the downsizing) is much overdue, as they believe the 'civilian surge' went too far," the report says. "For others, it is a necessary result of the now-changed circumstances in Iraq and in our bilateral relationship."
The American Embassy in Baghdad became a symbol of the Bush administration's ambitions to remake Iraq. A huge new structure was built on the banks of the Tigris River, at a cost of more than $700 million, and hundreds of civilian experts from agencies across the U.S. government were deployed to help with reconstruction.
The 103-page inspector general's report gives high marks to embassy personnel for what it calls an exemplary relationship between American civilians and the U.S. military in Iraq.
It also reports that there is "a culture of working seven days a week." Given the near-constant security threats, "almost any other (American diplomatic) mission would have remained closed," it says.
The report recommends, however, that the State Department launch a review to downsize the embassy staff. It says that at the new compound, which became fully occupied in January, 1,200 people are "jammed into apartments designed for about 600."
"After rightsizing, the embassy should be able to carry out its mission in Iraq with a staff able to fit comfortably in 600 apartments," it says.
A senior State Department official, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to be quoted by name, said that newly arrived U.S. Ambassador Chris Hill was reviewing staffing levels in Baghdad.
The report says that with former President George W. Bush's emphasis on Iraq, the embassy was permitted to grow largely without regard to the usual budget constraints on U.S. missions overseas.
"Given the high priority placed on Iraq, and the policy of the previous administration to encourage all relevant U.S. agencies to send employees to the embassy and the PRTs, many of the normal limits on staffing have not been imposed," it says. "Cost has not seemed to be a factor."
The embassy employs 1,873 people, including locally hired staff, and more than 13,000 contractors, the report says.
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21 Comments so far
Show AllI understand that the US is building a copy of this "embassy" in Pakistan. Will some of the Bagdad "overstaff" be re-deployed to Pakistan?
Yep!
So where is the refund to the taxpayers??????????????
OIC, it went to Afghanistan and Pakistan to bomb more women and children with blind drones.
So sorry, I keep making these dumb mistakes, thinking there is some sort of fiscal responsibility. Silly me! Let's toss around some more piles of hundreds in Afghanistan and Pakistan...maybe OBL will join the money toss, eh?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
The Democrats are the big government spenders?
I was going to ask the same thing. Where are all the self-appointed champions of fiscal responsibility (when it comes to health care)? This report should be tossed on their faces.
Bush's monument to stupidity.
Ohhh...I know what to do! Let's cut the whole kit and kaboodle into pieces the way William Randolph Hearst did to San Simeon, and move it to Kabul where the mayor, Hamid Kharzi, will have something to brag about.
Poet
Instead of downsizing, we should just tear the thing down. Leave a large pile of bricks in its place, with a plaque containing the line from Keats' poem Ozmandyias "Look on my works ye mighty and despair."
"The 103-page inspector general's report gives high marks to embassy personnel for what it calls an exemplary relationship between American civilians and the U.S. military in Iraq."
This misinformation pisses me off. The role of an Embassy is to house diplomatic staff who's main responsibility is to encourage relationships between the US and host government who both are acting as chambers of commerce.
Don't forget, to gather intelligence too.
Check.
Yes, I feel as you do. That is what an embassy ought to be.
Unfortunately, U.S. embassies are rarely that: for the most part, they are civilian outposts of the Empire. They gather intelligence about their host countries (both legally and illegally), and they seek to influence their political institutions and process in favor of narrow U.S. corporate interests, and they often do so by criminal means. They have no qualms about fomenting regime change and staging or enabling political coups.
Another white elephant where the money for it wound up in the grubby paws of Dubya, Cheney, & Co.'s corporate cronies. Corporate welfare / socialism at its' worst!
..."And a special thanks go out to the patriotic victims of 9/11, for without whose sacrifice, this embassy, and Americas Project For A New American Century would not be possible."
Treason.
Fascism.
Evil.
""After rightsizing, the embassy should be able to carry out its mission in Iraq with a staff able to fit comfortably in 600 apartments," it says."
Notice the word 'rightsizing.' After this report, any company cutting its staff will call the move 'rightsizing' because it sounds less negative than 'downsizing.' You will read quotes from CEOs saying something like this; "Oh we just rightsized our company so that the employees will be able to fit comfortably on the factory floor."
Orwell and Bernays strike again!
This building is the rebuild tower of Babel as is predicted.
Built by as evil a person as built the original Babel.
Incidentally the Euphrates is drying up at he same time as
prophesied.
Has any news service covered this building? Would be nice if 60 minutes did it... Americans need to see Bush's folly... and any time the Dems are accused of flagrantly and foolishly spending money, let's point to Bush's folly and legacy... and the funding came from ????
Maybe Bush could open his library over there... would be a good place for it... think how many Republs would troop over there to enthusiastically inspect their leader's legacy...
Downsized? Hey, bring the lot of them home & give the Iraqis their place back.
The acompanying picture with this post reminds me that when w or dick dies, the american flag will be flown at half mast for those CSMFs.
George C. Brown - Actually, the best move might be to contribute that monstrosity to the Iraqi government to use as it's capitol building. As it stands now, it is little more than a monument to the stupidity and arrogance of a U.S. federal administration gone wacko!