Well, it's 2006, and the needs are still there.
BAGHDAD, Jan. 26 -- The United States will not complete hundreds of basic water and electricity projects planned after the 2003 invasion because more than $3 billion was shifted to meet unanticipated security and other needs, according to a U.S. government audit of reconstruction spending in Iraq issued Thursday.
In polls and everyday conversations, Iraqis routinely describe the lack of basic services such as clean water and a steady supply of electricity as perhaps the biggest problem facing the war-ravaged country, ranking it alongside -- and often ahead of -- insecurity and persistent insurgent violence.
Interesting, huh.