[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 13, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               BAD DECISION-MAKING REGARDING BLACK BERETS

  (Mr. DUNCAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, the decision to give black berets to all 
Army troops rather than just to rangers who earned them was a bad 
decision.
  Far worse was the decision to order these berets from a Chinese firm 
rather than an American firm which could have done them for far less 
costs.
  This was apparently done so the berets could be delivered by the 
Army's birthday in June.
  It would really have made no difference at all to have them given out 
on some later historic day and have saved millions for our taxpayers.
  This decision shows once again that bureaucrats can rationalize and 
justify almost anything and will almost never admit a mistake.
  Mr. Speaker, I say bureaucrat because, by this decision, General 
Shinseki has acted more like an arrogant bureaucrat than a soldier. 
Also, by giving this work to Chinese rather than American workers, 
especially in a slow economy and especially when Americans could have 
done it at millions less in cost, was both unwise and harmful to this 
Nation and its workers.
  We seem at times, Mr. Speaker, to be giving our own country away.

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