Pentagon FINALLY delays payments to Cheney Corp.

AP is reporting the Dept of Defense is holding back 15 percent of its payments of future invoices to Halliburton because the company can't describe how it accounts for costs. Many of you know this has been going on for months and it's a complex web of incompetence and deceit. For those of you whose eyes glaze over when reading about the finer points of government procurement, let me try to simplify and summarize the problem in a brief series of (completely made up) phone call transcripts that may have happened here.

Let's just call the Dept of Defense person "Rummy," or R, for short, and the Halliburton guy "Son of Dick," or SOD, for short. The first call takes place quite a few months back.

-ring-

SOD: hello?

R: SOD, R here. Just a question about that latest Iraq invoice you sent.
SOD: yes?
R: well, it's a little high. I can't exactly see why you charged so much. What exactly are we spending this money on?
SOD: let me get back to you.

- months pass -

SOD: hello?
R: Hi SOD, I was wondering if you could tell me where we are on that invoice thing. I know we've paid you a few billion now, but I have these Congressmen asking questions.
SOD: let me get back to you.

- months pass -

SOD: hello?
R: Hi SOD, it's R again. any word on that invoice thing?
SOD: oh, sure, we... umm... well, we just spent it, is all. But it's cool.
R: SOD, I need a little more detail than that.
SOD: let me get back to you.
R: SOD, seriously, I can't keep paying you if -
SOD: whatever. I'll get back to you.

- months pass -

SOD: hello?
R: Hi SOD, R again. Listen, I can't pay you like I have. I don't know what I'm buying here.
SOD: I don't know what the big deal is. We've done it this way for years, way back to when Dick was here. You know Dick, right?
R: Yeah, I know Dick.
SOD: So it's cool, right?
R: No, it's not cool.
SOD: Hey -- you lost over $2 billion in Iraq. It's not like I'm alone here.
R: actually...