"The head of the Army Corps of Engineers quietly exonerated Halliburton Co. of any wrongdoing in a Kuwait fuel-delivery contract that Pentagon auditors asserted has overcharged the U.S. government by more than $100 million." By Neil King.

"Critics believe Vice President Dick Cheney steered work to the company he once headed. But industry experts say Halliburton likely won the deal for other reasons." By John Burnett. [NPR]

Editorial by David Brooks that when it comes to Halliburton, "the democratic presidential candidates are content simply to repeat demagogic and misleading applause lines." [New York Times] (Purchase required.)

"Halliburton has what appears to be a super sweetheart deal, but military contracting experts say the reality is quite a bit more complicated." By John Burnett. [NPR]

Home page of Halliburton with links to many newspaper articles rebutting critics' allegations of improper conduct.

"The giant Texas-based corporation landed many lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts, which many consider a problem because Cheney is Halliburton's former CEO. [John] Burnett reports that the company's high-profile federal government connections have existed since World War II." [NPR]

Editorial by Dave Lesar, CEO of Halliburton. "The services for the military, in fact, produce a profit of only a few cents on the dollar -- we do this work because it is important." [Wall Street Journal]

"The premise of the accusations [of cronyism] is completely contrary to the way government contracting works, both in theory and in practice." By Steven Kelman, former administrator of Office of Federal Procurement Policy. [Washington Post]

Editorial by Dave Lesar, CEO of Halliburton, rebutting charges of "war profiteering" on fuels shipped from Kuwait, kickbacks from a Kuwaiti contractor, and overcharging on monogrammed towels and lease vehicles. [Washington Post]