Hightower Lowdown

Dick Cheney is nothing if not tough on terrorists. Our veep—the former CEO of Halliburton Inc.—practically growls when he speaks of his contempt for terrorism’s “axis of evil,” reserving his fiercest scowls for that Iraqi scalawag Saddam Hussein.

But, wait a minute, is Dick is a hypocrite? Is it possible that while he postures politically, he has previously profited from playing corporate footsie with the country that he now brands a terrorist state? In fact, did Cheney’s oil company help rebuild Saddam’s economic machine that now stands accused of sponsoring terrorism? Well . . . yes.

“No, no,” said Cheney during the 2000 election when asked if his Halliburton firm, through subsidiaries, was doing business with Hussein’s government. “I had a firm policy that I wouldn’t do anything in Iraq even arrangements that were supposedly legal,” protested the v.p.-to-be.

He lied. Indeed, just before Election Day 2000, the estimable Financial Times of London discovered that two Halliburton-owned subsidiaries sold more oil field technologies and equipment to evil Saddam than any other U.S. corporation, pocketing some $24 million in sales.

Technically, these sales were legal, even though they were against U.S. policy. Cheney’s trick was running them through foreign subsidiaries, thus appearing to be politically clean while raking in dirty money.

For more, check the little website that surfaced the story: www.gwbush.com.