There has been no shortage of examples of the cynicism and cruelty of the sanctions imposed on Iraq for the past decade. But Texas Gov. George W. Bush's selection of Dick Cheney as his Republican running mate provides yet another.

As Secretary of Defense under President Bush, Cheney helped lead the Gulf War, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, left Iraq's infrastructure thoroughly damaged and created long-term negative consequences for Iraqi citizen's health and mortality, as well as the environment. In 1995, when Cheney became the chief executive of Halliburton Company, the world's largest oil-field services and construction corporation, he became one of the leaders of more than a dozen American corporations directly profiting from the sanctions on Iraq by servicing its oil industry.

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