The Foreign Service Journal, April 2005

some well-timed support for an administration initiative, just as during the Cold War era. One internal challenge that the Bush administration expects to side- step is the question of congressional earmarks. The MCC will be com- pletely devoid of them. It is fair to ask how long Congress will tolerate such an arrangement. How Independent? The administration claims that the MCC will avoid these and other potential pitfalls, because it will be an independent government corporation, using “objective and transparent qual- ifying criteria,” as claimed in adminis- tration officials’ speeches and testimo- ny before the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. In this connection, it may be useful to recall the recent headlines generat- ed by another independent govern- ment corporation, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Though the project was eventually scrapped, OPIC nonetheless persisted in its commitment to finance the con- struction of a gas pipeline running from Bolivia to Brazil through primary Amazon rainforest in violation of its own environmental regulations. According to a 2002 Corporate Watch report, the Cuiaba Energy Integrated Project cost an estimated $600 million to build, $200 million of which was originally to be financed by OPIC. Interestingly, Enron was involved as a major beneficiary of this U.S. govern- ment subsidy. One of the major unspoken lessons USAID project officers have learned over the years is that politically wired projects tend to be the least technical- ly sound and the most administratively suspect, because their genesis usually lies in a high-level political appointee’s having waived competitive rules for procurement. One wonders whether the MCC will have to relearn that painful lesson in the process of proving A P R I L 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 43 2400 Virginia Ave., N.W Washington, D.C., 20037 Tel: (202) 293-2000 E-mail: leasingoffice@columbiaplaza.net Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:00 AM-5:30 PM Sat 10:00 AM-4:00 PM 24 Hour Front Desk Garage Parking Avaliable Controlled Access Potomac River Views Minutes to Fine Dining Newly Renovated Kitchens Directly across the street from Main State, minutes to Kennedy Center and Georgetown Beautiful and Spacious: Efficiency$1,100 - $1,250 1 Bedroom 1,400 - 1,700 2 Bedroom 2,100 - 2,700 Utilities Included Complimentary Voice Mail Courtyard Style Plaza Polished Hardwood Floors Private Balconies Huge Walk-in Closets Capital Living With Comfort and Convenience 24 Hour Fitness Center columbia plaza apartments