For those of you who missed it, there is a transcript on what Edwards said in the Move on forum on Iraq; and he shows more courage and leadership than anyone when he says this.
.Response
Well let me say first I will end war profiteering in Iraq.
What the Bush administration has done is they've signed no-bid contracts with Halliburton and Bechtel to complete billions of dollars of work in Iraq. Not only does this war profiteering waste taxpayer dollars; it undermines the credibility of America's reconstruction efforts in the eyes of the world.
We need to do everything in our power to get rid of fraud and abuse in Iraq. We need to hold powerful corporations like Halliburton accountable for no-bid contracts they've secured through cronyism.
None of you will be surprised to hear that I believe in using the U.S. judicial system to hold powerful corporations like Halliburton responsible for their wrongdoingâ€â€I've done it for a long time.
For all new Iraq contracts, we should impose a cap on profits from Iraqi reconstruction. Contractors should be permitted to earn only a reasonable profit on their Iraq contracts, based on the average profits of comparable, competitively bid government contracts. This is a version of the excess profits tax that was imposed during the First and Second World Wars. As President Franklin Roosevelt explained, in a time of war, "the few [should] not gain from the sacrifices of the many."
We should also bar corporations, senior executives, lobbyists and directors from making donations to presidential candidates and political parties for at least a year before or after bidding on a major government contract.
Finally, we ought to break the link between government procurement and private sector contracting jobs. Private sector executives seeking government contracts would not be able to take official contracting jobs for 12 months, and similarly, those with responsibility for contracting would not be able to go to firms seeking contracts for 12 months
He is doing it, trying to separate public and private jobs, trying to slow that revolving door of corruption that is the Beltway job circuit. I am just absolutely astonished that SOMEONE is finally saying it and actually willing to do something about it.
I supported Edwards but now I am a staunch backer, I may even make flyers and post them around town about his plans. No person for running for President has ever inspired me to really WANT to help them get elected because they all seemed fake and selfish. Edwards is the real deal...THANK THE UNIVERSE FOR HIM!!!
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