James at OTB points out a LA Times op-ed which defends that great bulwark of imperialism and evil big business, Haliburton. It is long overdue. Of course, the piece was written by David Lesare, CEO of the company but he does make a strong case for the idea that Haliburton has been unjustly maligned:

For instance, there are frequent references to our "no-bid" contract to support the U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The fact is that after a fully competitive and open bid process we were awarded a contract in 2001, well before the war in Iraq, to provide logistical support for U.S. soldiers wherever they might be deployed.

KBR did receive, at the outbreak of the war, a sole-source contract issued under urgent conditions to quickly restore the flow of Iraqi oil. But what you will not often read is that the independent General Accounting Office has since reviewed the contract and reported that it was "properly awarded … to the only contractor [the Defense Department] had determined was in a position to provide the services within the required time frame given classified prewar planning requirements." And you will almost never read that profit margins on these contracts are extremely low and that the oil contract was replaced early this year by one that was competitively bid.

The truth is Haliburton provides jobs to thousands of Americans and delivers services to the U.S. Military worldwide, including high-risk locations. They have lost 48 employees and subcontractors providing support services in Iraq; deaths that were shamefully applauded by some in this country. People may express bitterness when they speak the name of the company but most are not even aware of what Haliburton actually does. Here is a list, which I am sure is far from complete:

Halliburton's work in Iraq is diverse and complicated. In addition to our care for the troops, we also provide air traffic control support; produce 74 million gallons of water a month for consumption, hygiene and laundry; deploy as many as 700 trucks a day to deliver essentials to the troops; provide firefighter and crash-rescue services. And we are helping rebuild the country's oil infrastructure, which was decimated by the war.

They were also present in the region in 1991, putting out 350 oil-well fires in Kuwait set by Saddam's army. Shall we curse them for that too?

I continue to be amazed at the ongoing hatred of "Big Business" who provides jobs and prosperity, "Big Pharmaceutical" who take risks to extend our lifespans and increase our way of life and "Big Oil" who give us the ability to travel to work. How dare they reap profit from taking business risks and providing essential services to the American people!

I'm almost surprised there is not a backlash against "Big Auto" for their part in advancing pollution and propagating automobile accidents. Nevermind - that is a stupid concept. After all, we wouldn't want to tick off "Big Labor" now, would we!