posted on February 23, 2005 02:07:20 PM new
Bush's Uncle Reaps Stock Options for Iraq Work
By Sue Pleming | February 23, 2005
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush's uncle, who serves on the board of a U.S. defense contractor with over $100 million in business in Iraq, recently cashed in on some of that lucrative work, a government filing showed on Wednesday.
William H.T. "Bucky" Bush exercised options on 8,438 shares worth about $450,000 from St. Louis-based defense contractor Engineered Support Systems Inc. (ESSI), according to a Jan. 18 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since 2000, the president's uncle has been on the board of ESSI, whose work for the U.S. military in Iraq ranges from providing special armor for vehicles to providing telecommunications satellite equipment.
There is nothing illegal about exercising stock options, but Bush's interest in a company with so much Iraq business is sure to evoke criticism from Democrats.
Members of the opposition party have long accused the Bush administration of handing out Iraq-related work to companies with close ties to the White House, such as Halliburton, the Texas company run by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995-2000.
Dan Kreher, vice president of investor relations for ESSI, denied having a member of the Bush family on the board had helped his company get Iraq-related business.
"Mr. Bush has been on our board for the past five years and he has absolutely nothing to do with any of our contracts with the U.S. government or anyone else," said Kreher.
"The fact his (Bush's) nephew is in the White House has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Bush being on our board or with our stock having gone up 1,000 percent in the past five years either," Kreher added.
INVESTIGATION
Last week, Pentagon Acting Undersecretary Michael Wynne said the Defense Department's inspector general was looking into contracts issued in 2002 to Systems and Electronics Inc., an ESSI company.
These contracts, with a cumulative value of $158 million, were supervised by a former Air Force acquisition manager sentenced for improperly aiding another contractor, Boeing Co .
Wynne said ESSI's contract and seven others appeared to have "anomalies" that needed further investigation.
Kreher said the Pentagon was looking at the procurement process and no wrongdoing was suspected. "Nothing will impact our company in this regard. The military is just trying to improve its processes," he said.
William Bush, the youngest brother of former President Bush, could not be reached for comment but in an interview published on Wednesday in The Los Angeles Times said he never used family connections to help win contracts.
"I don't make any calls to the 202 area code," Bush said, referring to Washington's telephone prefix.
Kreher said there were both Republicans and Democrats on ESSI's board. "This maybe opens some doors to the congressional lobby, but that is the extent of it," he said.
The company had more than 150 contracts with various branches of the U.S. military and other agencies, he added.
Work to put new armor on Army vehicles in Iraq could be worth up to $70 million. Other projects, including telecommunications work in Iraq, are worth in excess of $25 million, he said.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- Bush will fix Social Security just like he has fixed Osama Bin Laden and Iraq. Bush can't be trusted to run this country and you want to trust him with your retirement?
posted on February 24, 2005 01:34:41 PM new
of course they're poorly made.Dont you read?The offer is for democraps only! Hes hoping you will buy it,walk across it,have the bridge collapse and have you fall in it.
posted on February 24, 2005 02:08:48 PM newNext thing you know they'll be claiming Bush is related to a bank robber.
That would better than the right claiming God wanted Bush to be president.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- Bush will fix Social Security just like he has fixed Osama Bin Laden and Iraq. Bush can't be trusted to run this country and you want to trust him with your retirement?
posted on February 24, 2005 04:52:30 PM new
::That would better than the right claiming God wanted Bush to be president::
lol, logans, you're a piece of work you know that?
First your knocking down Catholicism's door to let you in as you are. Then you're posting quotes from Jesus,.. and now you post the above as if its stupid to believe in God, or that God actually has any power in this world to do or effect anything that could be attributed to him!!
posted on February 25, 2005 05:08:38 AM new
Maybe I can get the President to start a war to make me rich!
And Bear, I have a corner market on bridges built overseas. They are really well made, those paper machet bridges I have been getting: just don't cry too many tears on them and they hold up well.
Rick
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I do not accept His claim to be God." That is one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic....or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
posted on February 25, 2005 06:12:23 AM new
Hey Bear, give me the bridge. I'll sell it to a republican for more money. We can split the extra dough 90% for me 10% for you. Gee your not a very good capitalist. I guess thats why you pay so much for the man toys you buy for your bunker. I always charge republicans like you more money for items. The more guys like you talk the more guys like you pay.
posted on February 25, 2005 09:14:15 AM new
Peepa, sorry to disappoint you, I never pay retail for the toys, as a dealer I pay wholesale. I make all the dough I need from those half baked demos.
A word to the wise ain't necessary, it's the stupid ones that need the advice."
- Bill Cosby
posted on February 25, 2005 11:29:50 AM new
Double, how is Logan "knocking down Catholicism's door to let you in as you are"?
I don't see him trying to be accepted by anyone. I see him trying to understand why gays aren't accepted. Besides it being interpreted as being wrong in the Bible, nobody's come up with a good reason yet. I hope he keeps asking until he gets worn out because I'd like to know too - so would a lot of people.
You say, "and now you post the above as if its stupid to believe in God, or that God actually has any power in this world to do or effect anything that could be attributed to him!!"
Double, why can't he believe in God but not organized religion? Where does he imply it's stupid?
posted on February 25, 2005 01:38:51 PM new
Kraft,
The way I look at things is my "relationship" with God is personal. It does not need to part of an organized religion. I do not need to let my religious beliefs known to the rest of the world in order to express my religious beliefs.
or that God actually has any power in this world to do or effect anything that could be attributed to him!!
I am only repeating what I read. I am not the one that thinks it. But there are plenty of people, especially in the South, that do believe God wanted Bush to be president.
People will follow others that preach a message they believe in. If they keep hearing it long enough they will except it as being true. It does not matter if the person doing the preaching is a relative, the president, a priest or some guy off the street. If the message is believable people will follow.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- Bush will fix Social Security just like he has fixed Osama Bin Laden and Iraq. Bush can't be trusted to run this country and you want to trust him with your retirement?
posted on February 25, 2005 02:23:47 PM new
kraft, maybe you missed logans protest thread on the catholic school who would not let children of gay parents attend the school? and linda kept asking why a gay parent would want to put their children in a school that thinks being gay is wrong?? He had his answers, whatever they were - jesuit education etc.
Then he makes this statement, "That would be better than the right claiming God wanted Bush to be president."
Well gee, if its the religious right he's talking about - does that not include catholics btw? - whats wrong with them praying - oh yeah - ya forgot this one is your list in other thread logans - ask and ye shall receive - what is wrong with them thinking their prayers were answered and stating so?
Kraft, you've been riding the tilt-a-whirl at the carnival,too long. Whoo-how, I see ya there now!!
I know where logansdad is coming from, I spent the first 20 years of my life in catholic schools.
posted on February 25, 2005 02:32:19 PM new
Absolutely Logan. I feel the same way. It's hard for me to understand why people think you need to belong to some group, or believe in the Bible to believe in God. It's also hard for me to understand people that claim to be Christian yet are very selective as to what Bible teachings they want to adhere to. I don't think I'll ever be able to figure out the reasoning on that one.
posted on February 25, 2005 03:01:30 PM new
Sorry kraft, i dont remember which one it was by title, maybe somebody else can find it. (I'm too lazy to do it )
Logans knows what I am talking about.
ref the bible: kraft, I dont think you need a bible per se, but you need some fundamentals based on history or some documentation! Otherwise, you are just making up your own religion with a congregation of one. - dont you think???
You say I believe in God, but I dont have a religion. Well, what are you beliefs based in? Who is this God of yours? How do others get to know him/her as well?
..
[ edited by dblfugger9 on Feb 25, 2005 03:08 PM ]
posted on February 25, 2005 04:45:36 PM new
dblfugged says, " but you need some fundamentals based on history or some documentation! Otherwise, you are just making up your own religion with a congregation of one. - dont you think??? ""
Why is labeling necessary ?
A person believes what they want ...why do you have to have a name for it? So you can pigeon-hole, stereotype them?
As to :"Otherwise, you are just making up your own religion with a congregation of one"
posted on February 25, 2005 04:51:15 PM new
dblfugged says, " but you need some fundamentals based on history or some documentation! Otherwise, you are just making up your own religion with a congregation of one. - dont you think??? ""
Why is labeling necessary ?
A person believes what they want ...why do you have to have a name for it? So you can pigeon-hole, stereotype them?
As to :"Otherwise, you are just making up your own religion with a congregation of one"
posted on February 25, 2005 04:51:22 PM new"... but you need some fundamentals based on history or some documentation! Otherwise, you are just making up your own religion with a congregation of one. - dont you think???"
So what? Why do you need a congregation? Is a person's belief only valid if others believe it also?
posted on February 25, 2005 06:05:05 PM new
kraft, forget for a minute about the congregation.
Tell me the fundamentals of the God you believe in that is not associated with any religion. Can you do that?
cf, as usual your revelations reveal the stark naked stupidty of your posts: "WE" we, we, we, did you say? - dont need a group! What a stupid statement that is!
posted on February 25, 2005 06:19:02 PM new
As usual, dbldope, the point sailed right over your head....
By the way little miss kinda educated ...it's spelled stupidity.
I'm ever so sorry you can't think beyond the box...eveything needs a label for you so you can process your own stereotypes.....but you also believe in some imaginary big magic fairy named god who doesn't exist so what can I expect?
