And Heeeeere We Go!

From Guardian Unlimited:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Agency for International Development announced a $4.8 million award Monday night to Stevedoring Services of America for assessment and management activities at Iraq's only deep-water port.

An AID announcement said the port at Umm Qasr is a critical component of Iraq's economic infrastructure and is expected to play a critical role in provision of postwar humanitarian aid.

The contract for the Seattle company represents a tiny share of what is expected to be a U.S.-led reconstruction effort that will cost many billions of dollars. Announcement of additional contracts is expected in the coming days.

So the first contract to an American company has been finalized. Tens of billions of our tax dollars will now be spent rebuilding Iraq. This money should have gone to our schools, state governments, healthcare, homeless shelters, food programs, housing, V.A. programs, highways, national parks, civil defense, etc. But now it will go to Republican-friendly American companies to repair all the damaged caused by our uninvited, unilateral, preemptive, immoral, illegal and perilous invasion of the overmatched and overwhelmed nation of Iraq. The sound of this payola is going to be deafening, folks.