Public officials can embezzle cash directly; they can overstate peoples' damage claims in return for a bribe, or demand kick-backs for rebuilding contracts.
For another, the case against Mr. Stein and Mr. Bloom have emerged from a sweeping investigation of rebuilding contracts by a task force led by Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.
They point out that Mr. Cheney, immediately before becoming Mr. Bush's running mate, was chief executive of Halliburton, the oil services giant whose rebuilding contracts in Iraq are under scrutiny by the Pentagon and the Justice Department.
And whether or not the American-built health centers and power plants are ever used as intended, the American companies that won the lion's share of rebuilding contracts from the federal government have been paid.
"Yes, you have to be careful, take prudent measures to reduce your risk," said Tom Wheelock, director of infrastructure programs for the United States Agency for International Development, which oversees some $3 billion in rebuilding contracts.
But it is unclear what they will do, besides launching investigations into how Mr Bush and his crew handled pre-war intelligence and post-war rebuilding contracts.If the Democrats ever agree on a strategy for Iraq, it will not be until after the election, because only then will they know which of them is in charge.
Britain tightens its borders while it reaps the benefits of its colonial past, invades countries whose rebuilding contracts will be won by British development firms, and manufactures weapons that are used on civilian populations by the British state and key allies.
Despite the spike in violence against civilian workers, Ms. Hall said the company had not slowed its recruitment efforts for Iraq rebuilding contracts, which have lured thousands to apply for jobs offered by Kellogg, Brown & Root, a large subsidiary of Halliburton.
Lawmakers voted 50 to 45 against a proposal by Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, to require the administration to report monthly on the war's costs, the manpower involved, the level of participating foreign troops and international aid, casualties and rebuilding contracts in excess of $10 million.
With an estimated total $200 billion cost to rebuild the hurricane-ravaged areas, companies with expertise, such as Shaw, Fluor and several units of Halliburton will certainly be awarded numerous rebuilding contracts.
