US is leaving a 'legacy of waste' in Iraq

Reporting from Khan Bani Saad, Iraq — The shell of a prison that will never be used rises from the desert on the edge of this dusty town north of Baghdad, a hulking monument to the wasted promise of America's massive, $53-billion reconstruction effort in Iraq.

Construction began in May 2004 at a time when U.S. money was pouring into the country. It quickly ran into huge cost overruns. Violence erupted in the area, and a manager was shot dead in his office. The Iraqi government said it didn't want or need the prison. In 2007 the project was abandoned, but only after $40 million of U.S. taxpayer money had been spent.

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Obamas' dog gets its own private jet to fly on

The family dog of Barack Obama flies in style - or at least that's the message being put out to try and soften the blow of the news that the dog of the president, named Bo, flew in his own private jet to meet his presidential owners in Maine. [Via Examiner]

Perhaps this isn't the best look when one is trying to have taxpayers swallow news of tax hikes.

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