The e-mail -- first obtained by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch under the Freedom of Information Act -- stated that Pentagon official Douglas Feith, the undersecretary of defense for policy, approved the arrangement to award a non-competitive contract to Halliburton.

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An informal arrangement that gives Mr Clegg's party great influence on economic policy but relatively little on matters of security may be enough to keep the coalition a happy ship.

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In terms of governance, this arrangement provides an interesting reminder that there is a diversity of ways that we can solve public policy problems.

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