To the Point

War Advocates Profiting from Iraqi Reconstruction

Federal contracts worth almost $50 billion have been granted for the occupation and reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, but no single agency keeps track of them all. That gap is being filled by a private, nonprofit watchdog, with a project called -The Windfalls of War.- It says it-s detected what it calls a -stench of political favoritism and cronyism,- and the Halliburton-Cheney connection-s not the only one raising eyebrows. Are decisions being influenced by personal friendships, political connections and campaign contributions, or is that a false charge that can undermine public trust in America-s institutions? Warren Olney examines the charges of cronyism and political favoritism with experts in foreign policy, national security, and arms trade, and the man whose organization produced the Windfalls of War study. Making News: Attacks Challenge Iraq-s Interim Government Another car bomb killed 10 Iraqis today and an oil pipeline was damaged by another attack, as Prime Minister Ayad Allawi promised to -annihilate- his terrorist opposition. John Daniszewski, who's back in Baghdad for the Los Angeles Times, reports that the insurgents' focus of violence has shifted from American forces to Iraqis themselves. Reporter's Notebook: With Tiger Wild, Almost Anyone Can Win at the British Open Even Ernie Els' hole-in-one at the British Open in Scotland wasn-t enough to give him the lead. Last year-s victory by 396th-ranked Ben Curtis provided a sense that anybody can win. After Tiger Woods won all four major tournaments in succession, there was a sense of inevitability about his continuing victories. But he's not won a major after eight tries, and though he-s still the world-s number-one golfer, he-s not this year's favorite at the Royal Troon Golf Club, where Mike Aitken is covering the tournament for The Scotsman.