Running On Empty

U.S. authorities in Iraq have all but exhausted nearly $1 billion in seized assets used to pay Iraqi civil servants … U.S. officials in Iraq told visiting lawmakers that as little as $10 million remained of the close to $1 billion in seized Iraqi assets … even the gold-colored bars, which were seized with much fanfare by U.S. forces, appear to be melted-down shell casings made mostly of copper. Disappointed American officials had believed they were bullion worth $600 million or more … For months, the administration has played down the cost of reconstruction, saying it should be covered in large part by increased oil production and financial contributions from U.S. allies. Neither has materialized.