SNAFU: Baghdad Mega Embassy

The popular GI acronym certainly applies to the project to construct the huge US embassy in Baghdad. The building stands as an enduring symbol of the misguided and mismanaged occupation of Iraq. A Kuwait contracting firm did such shoddy and dangerous work on the building that the State Department will be paying for repairs and maintenance for years according to an IG report. Not only is the workmanship poor, but the project is $100 million over budget and the Kuwait contractor owes the State Department $134 million. Walls are cracking, the fire protection system may not work properly, and the plumbing and electrical systems do not work. The IG also blasted the Department for its total lack of oversight during construction. The Government Oversight Committee held hearings on the shocking blunders in 2007. John Owens, a foreman on the project, quit in disgust because of the abuse of migrant workers. He said, "I've never seen a project more fucked up." Ditto.