After months of pounding by the media for cost overruns and its contract to rebuild Iraq, construction giant Bechtel is warmly profiled by the L.A. Times.
"Seven weeks ago, Bechtel won a secret, invitation-only U.S. government contract to rebuild Iraq... It's nation-building on a scale never before attempted by the U.S. government, much less a single company. The spotlight has been intense, with criticism surfacing in the media and in the streets... 'Bechtel is one of the great creations of California in the 20th century, like Stanford University, like Kaiser Permanente, like Apple Computer,' says state historian Kevin Starr. 'It's part of the establishment, part of the way America organizes itself.' The Bechtel family, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes magazine at $3.2 billion, continues to not only own but run the company."
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: A Quiet Ambition at Work

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