If Ireland is not eligible (as Dick informs me), then I would guess that has more to do with Ireland's reluctance to get involved in post-war Iraq than anything to do with what happened (or didn't happen) before the war.
It seems pretty obvious to me that this contracts issue is being used as a bargaining chip with those who are still hoping to be repaid Iraq's Saddamist debts. President Bush said as much
"If these countries want to participate in helping the world become more secure by enabling Iraq to emerge as a free and peaceful country, one way to contribute is through debt restructuring," he said.The Washington Post and New York Times are not impressed with the administration's announcement, but the NY Post was happy to be able to relive its favorite pre-war front page with reference to the "Axis of Weasel"
David Horgan was on Morning Ireland again this morning (RTE loves this man - does any other Irish MD get such a free publicity ride? Even Michael O'Leary is sometimes subjected to serious questioning of his views.). Mr. Horgan, according to Mr. Horgan, is a brave man who travels in lawless regions of Iraq with nothing other than an Ireland rugby jersey to protect him. Of course, RTE's Richard Downes accepted unquestioningly that Ba'athist insurgents are fully up to speed on the nuances of Irish neutrality.
Mr. Horgan did make the point that the US policy deals only with primary contractors and does not affect sub-contracting. Whether any Irish company could have been a primary contractor anyway is doubtful. According to an article in today's USA Today, only a handful of British or American companies could meet the Pentagon's tight bidding deadline.
