Subject: The Cronies get Rich: Larry, What possible reason could President Bush have for banning France, Germany and Russia from bidding on Iraq reconstruction contracts? Including them would mend differences between our countries, reduce U.S. casualties and unite the world in the reconstruction of that country. Certainly the countries banned from bidding will be in no mood to forgive Iraqi debt. It makes no sense. The only possible answer is money. I am saddened to think that this whole war was about enriching Bush's cronies. sure, Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, and it's good he's gone, but he was not a threat to the United States. He was actually being contained at reasonable costs. But now that we are in it, our best interests will be served by creating a stable and democratic Iraq with worldwide cooperation. Lisa