I do mostly negotiated work in my business. Certainly not close to being on par with Halliburton but nonetheless I get business because my customers trust my track record to get it done right and on time with few missteps if any. There is alot to be said for this way of getting a job done. The low bidder is not usually the best for the job....just the cheapest...or the one who made the most mistakes.

So instead of arguing with shameless politics as the cornerstone of your argument maybe you should dredge up some negative feedback on the job Halliburton has consistently done for the ogevernment under administrations from both parties and while you;re at it mention some of the "more qualified" contractors who should have been trusted with fast track projects such as those awarded to Halliburton in Iraq. Cheney was doomed to be blamed for any contract Halliburton got while this administration is in office so it is not a surprise to hear the harping going on.

The process of the right person for the job getting the work goes on 24/7 all around the world so get over it. There are so many industry folks in government there is plenty of this type of blame to go around. So and so used to work for Boeing so as long as they are in office Boeing should not get any govt contracts....on and on and on.

Maybe we should be required to give the jobs to a minority or woman owned business with a 25% leg up over all other contractors? Get someone totally unqualified but we can feel so politically correct and warm and fuzzy inside that we did the right thing.....hogwash!