(guest blogged by Bill W.)
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On this week’s Journal, Bill Moyers takes a look at waste and contractor fraud going on in Iraq. Just last week, the House Armed Services Committee found that $6 billion worth of military contracts are under criminal review, and another $88 billion (to put that into perspective, that’s two and a half times the cost of the expansion of the SCHIP bill that Bush is threatening to veto) in contracts are currently being audited for suspicion of fraud. When the AP took a look at the auditing process required by law that is supposed to catch these war profiteers, it found it had not “met even basic accounting requirements, leaving them vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse.”
BILL MOYERS: “As Inspector General of the State Department, Howard Krongard - known as “Cookie” - was supposed to be the watchdog guarding against corruption there. But he’s a political appointee with strong partisan loyalties, and now seven people on his staff have accused him not only of failing to do his job but of actively blocking their efforts to do theirs. The reason? Quote: “To protect the State Department and the White House from political embarrassment.” “
Fortunately, the Democratic Congress is responding accordingly. Rep Henry Waxman (D-CA) is currently investigating allegations that Krongard has been blocking inquiries about corrupt contractors by threatening to fire members of his staff for cooperating with Waxman’s investigation, and Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO)’s bill unanimously passed in the Senate on Thursday to create an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bill Moyers continues to be the breath of fresh air among the stench left from so many in our corporate media these days that are content to parrot whatever the White House or some astro-turf corporate front wants them to.
Also this week, Moyers looks at humanitarian refugee crisis caused by Iraq. Since the invasion in 2003, more than 4.2 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes. As always, you can watch it and the rest of this week’s show at his website.
One Trackback To “Bill Moyers’ Journal Looks At Fraud in Iraq“
Moyers is a national treasure. No wonder the connies always try to defund PBS
put a bunch of brownies in charge of all u.s. agencies and this is what you reap.
they are doing the job they were put there for. they are slicking the way for the military industrial complex and the suppliers of mercenaries.
Nancy Pelosi is wrong that the Republicans’ corruption will turn people against them in ‘08. The Republicans are so corrupt that the public is tired of hearing about the scandals and they all tend to mush into one big scandal. What would expose the Republicans would be the impeachment of Cheney and Bush. Pelosi is wrong to be derelict in this duty.
Go Moyers! One of the last shreads of journalistic integrity remaining in this corporate owned world. And here’s to Waxman “waxing” some crony butt.
I’m sorry. But who cares about stuff like this. Why no news on what MoveOn.org is doing, or Senator Larry Craig? When does the new season of American Idol start?
If the American media was filled with more people like Bill Moyers and Keith Olberman, this country would be much better off. Unfortunately, they do not get the coverage and recognition that their reporting deserves. Other members of the media, who constantly regurgitate what they are told without questioning it should be ashamed of themselves. The founding fathers of this nation instilled a free media for the purposes of being a check against abuses, but most of the MSM seem content to be political and corporate mouthpieces as long as they still get their paycheck.
i say “let it bleed”
“let it go bankrupt”
WTF! do you think The MeatGrinder is all about. It would be better to call it ‘Opportunity for Profit by Looting the U.S. Treasury’ as a war an now an occupation it’s nothing more than that.
A little research shows that profit is all our military has been about for…..
A fucking long time.
This country is going to shit. It’s falling apart piece by piece. I give it 10 years max. Prepare to start standing in line for bread and milk at your local salvation army post.
Simply shocking.. every single day I awake to another unbelievably shockingstory about the Bush administration. You couldn’t write this stuff if you tried.
My oh my @ 10:
FWIW, i’ve thought for 15 years this country is in a dark age.
I was so angry watching this I found myself yelling at the TV “These bastard war criminals need to pay for the destruction of both the USA and Iraq!”
If only the demo-rats would grow a backbone!!
how can the MSM ignore 4 MILLION refugees? that is really disgusting
beware of the military industrial complex. The government is out-sourcing all of their dirty work so they won’t be held accountable. What a fucking mess.
I hope Waxman gets somewhere with these crooks but I’m not holding my breath. Pelosi should start impeachment processes now but she won’t. Why are the Democrats so powerless against this completely fucked up perversion of constitutional responsibility and honor bound duty as representatives in the US federal government? They now desire the same kind of unlimited power when they become a true majority; it is now the lazy, irresponsible status quo! Bush has set the stage for an army of tyrannical idiots to follow in his lawless, mentally retarded footsteps. It has become obvious to me that every one of them (including the not so supreme court) needs to be thrown out on their asses. The cancer has spread, there is no cure. George Bush should be impeached and shamed but this cancer is in league with him and all the others.
Ohhh great!
They are going to hold another “independent” Investigation!!!
Woohoo, we are all saved now! Hopefully it will be as productive as the Tillman investigation, the 9-11 Omission, the Gonzales hearings, the Hurricane Katrina failures, the Valerie Plame leak, the anthrax investigation from way back when, the able-danger investigation, the Blackwater investigation, the Impeachment hearings for Bush, the Gitmo investigation….
With a track record like that, we can be sure these new investigations will expose all wrongdoing and hold those accountable who are responsible….
Anyways, I’m gonna go watch the pigs flying around outside, but I’ll be sure to grab a jacket. It’s been cold here in hell ever since it froze over.
…
…and werent those no-bid contracts, which indicates a hidden agenda in funding the jobs? I have to wonder how much dirt they have to find on this administration before they act on it.
I really miss checks and balances. They must have put them in that undisclosed room where they molest the constitution and flog habeus corpus.
Consumer @ 17:
You forgot the Sibel Edmonds case that waxman refuses to investigate. Otherwise, great snark! Love it!
Dr. Know @ 4:
Don’t forget Robert Greenwald and his Iraq for Sale video.
http://iraqforsale.org/
Another one showing us the truth….
don’t forget we also have Robert Greenwald showing us the TRUTH in Iraq for Sale: http://iraqforsale.org/
Sorry….I didn’t ’see’ the first post of mine take root.
Oh Well….
forget oil…forget bush senior….forget sadaam
this war was always about making sure that all the repug supporting corporatists got rich, and ultimately bankrupted the US gov in order to destroy the new deal programs
the same corruption is occuring in nola too
Not to worry.
They’re now employing faith based accounting principles.
Anyone defrauding the government will be struck down by a lightning bolt.
The one trouble is, it’s the taxpayer who doesn’t have a prayer.
My oh my @ 10:
maby bread and water will be the only thing on the menue by then! lucky me i wont be here for the end!
Kay @ 7:
Well I don’t know what more good journalists would do for us….hell, we can’t get anyone to bombard their congressman or senator with millions of phone calls and letters demanding impeachment for the two guys who are allowing all of this to happen, not to mention a bunch of House and Senate members who continually look the other way - just like most of the American people. Too much work - they’d rather watch Dancing with the Stars.
CIU @ 13:
It’s not only the politicians that have no backbone. If they people of this country would all rise up together and demand this war to stop and that all those contracting officials and elected officials who have bilked this country dry be lined up and shot for treason, we could have a fresh start. So who plans on taking time off from work or watching TV to make the move?
TPM has a good story about Waxman today. He’s got some special agents from State Dept IG office that have turned whistle-blower. The IG has been threatening everyone at State to only speak to GOP at congress or be fired. I don’t think Waxman likes that.* They already filed for whistle-blower protection, and Waxman warned of felony prosecution of any obstruction of their evidence giving.
* IG is Krongard of above video
Thank God for Bill Moyers.
This week’s McClean’s article (comparing Bush to Saddam) tells how money is not only finding its way into corporate pockets, but also those of the Iraqi politicians.
The current Iraqi pols are every bit as corrupt as Saddam was. What a waste! The troops could stay there for 50 years (Bush’s plan) or more, and it won’t get any better!
PS - Bill Moyers ought to teach the MSM how to do their jobs!
People that do these things to their own countrymen, their own society, their own soldiers in time of war, are to me traitors. They should be dealt with extreme prejudice as any armed enemy. Private Eddie Slovik was treated fatally with much less evidence of danger wrought to his fellow countrymen. Let justice be served.
kaT @ 3:
————————
absolutely
if you are a police captain and the city commision doesn’t want you to delve into that recent rape/murder/gang activity/bomb blast, until the new d.a. is appointed. do you wait while a fiendish nutjob gang lays waste to your city? scares neighbors. threatens others. laughs when they complain.
the non-coms, vets and officers who spoke up are the cops on the beat.
listen to them demopublicans, not rush or billo—fuck those punks.
Yawn. Did you see what Britney was wearing yesterday?
(”Typical” American response?)
I’m sending this article to everybody I know - especially the assholes that support the war and this fucking administration. I already knew this was happening but hearing Bill Moyer’s factual recounting just hammers it home and validifies it. This kind of news should be ALL over the TV - but its not. It just makes me sick.
This is from one of my received e-mails today: I watched a PBS programme on Gore Vidal the other night. I found out that he was from the privileged class, his grandfather was a Senator and one of his keenest comments was “If you want to affect change inAmerica, start with the Pentagon and the monied class.The president is only a puppet of the two.” He’s has spent a life time challenging the history of the American model, the people in power and pointing out the flaws in both. He’s very very bright and I want to know more about him.
It seems totally plausable to me. I too, now, want to read some Gore Vidal.
muck @ 18:
Yet “impeachment is off the table” (Pelosi). They all need to be shown the door. And it is the door to a cell, not the exit. Failure to do your job properly at this level is criminal regardless of whether it is from compliance, failure to act through neglect or failure to act because of unawareness. Being unaware at this point simply means that they have been neglectful in finding information that is being made public by the media and even non-government employees. The persons that we elected were given the responsibility to protect our best interests and they have failed miserably. This is unforgivable. Would you expect to keep your job if you made this same mistake? Billions missing and people dying. No contest.
More liberal spin….
Corruption may be there, but i’d wager toi say its a VERY small number of peopleinvolved with the war on terror…
Lets talk about Bill Clinton Whitewater scandal. Lets talk about JFK’s bought off elections….Liberals are grasping at straws!
funny how liberals are up in arms about a few dollars that went unaccounted for in Iraq- yet they want to tax all Americans by forcing through the communist socialized medicine- THAT is theft on a huge scale…
Only a bush cultist could believe that blackwater and halliburton aren’t going to get caught up in the investigations that are going on regarding the blatant war profiteering that is occurring in Iraq.
And to think that some people actually think that these companies are on “our side”….wow. The degree of denial shown by the cultists (as made evident by the above) is inversely proportional to the degree in which they are capable of critical thought, but then again, isn’t that part of being in a cult.
Jo @ 19:
If you dig a little deaper . . . Howard Krongard’s brother is Buzzy Krongard who is the CEO of CIA . . . these guys are high ranking “good shepherds”. Buzzy’s last job was a bank that place puts on airline stocks shortly before September 11 . . . they were never investigated . . . . these are not the droids you’re looking for . . . . . move along.
Speaking of Brownies in every position . . . how about the NRC which is monitoring that mountain of radioactive concrete just down the stree. Buzzy Krongard got his buddy Charles Schattuck a gig as CEO of Constellation energy which had a seat at the Cheney energy task force. They were able to “fast track” their aging nuclear power plant and buy donuts for the homers that sleep while radioactive ooze makes its way to your local water supply.
It really is time for the villagers to light torches and head for the Cheney castle.
A Patriot @ 37:
The people who really tax our wealth are the friendly folks at the federal reserve that let the dollar loose 60% of its value in the past 7 years.
Its time to start thinking out of the box. Whatever your concept of what “money’ is and how it works, you can be sure that it differs from almost everyone elses.
Consumer @ 17:
You don’t acknowlege any of the good of the Webb/McCaskill bill, and you mistake what oversight hearings can accomplish. What oversight hearings, like the Waxman hearings in this post and the ones you mention, can acomplish is getting to the truth so our elected officials and the public can be better informed. They are not a court of law, and they are not a waste of time. These days when our media has failed us we can thank these oversight hearings for at least giving us a means to the truth so that we can make better choices come the next election. Yes it’s too bad our DOJ is but a political tool of a corrupt executive branch, and yes it’s frustrating that we don’t have a parliamentary system where we could change our govt easier on revelations like those from some of those hearings, but we don’t. Our change must come in steps every 2 yrs.
Money makes the war
Go on
The war go on
The war go on
Money makes the war
Go on
It makes the war go on
It makes the war go on
George Bush is a despot and a tyrant. He has never, not once done anything for anybody who desrved it. I am afraid his only way to avoid going down in history as not only the worst President, ever, but also as the most corrupt and destructive American, ever is to end history itself.
A Patriot @ 37:
First, it is more than ‘a few dollars that went unaccounted for‘. Using language that minimizes the crime is intellectually dishonest.
Second, how do you logically equate universal healthcare with theft? Who will get rich?
Isome @ 43:
I have always found it odd that “Patriots” seem to believe that spending money on the betterment of the people and the infrastructure of our nation is theft, but that throwing trillions upon trillions of dollars into nuclear weapons, wars and prisons is absolutely the most wonderful thing to do on the face of the planet.