Who's Minding the Store at the Pentagon?
If you said nobody, you're exaggerating, but only slightly. A new report from the Pentagon's Inspector General's office, made public by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), indicates that even as military spending has more than doubled in the Bush years, there has been no increase in Pentagon auditors. The average auditor is now responsible for over $2 billion in contracts, compared to $600 million-plus at the outset of the Bush era. But that's not all.
A March report by the Government Accountability Office takes the issue one step further, noting that in over two-thirds of the Pentagon agencies it surveyed, there were more private contractors working in those officies than government employees. Contract employees were preparing budgets, evaluating other contractors' work, creating program requirements, and, according to GAO, involving themselves in "policy development."
To add insult to injury, contract employees are not subject to the conflict-of-interest statutes and regulations that are supposed to govern the behavior of government employees. Nice work if you can get it . . .
This isn't Blackwater gunning down civilians in the streets of Baghdad, but it is an invitation to steal taxpayer dollars with little or no accountability. These issues may seem like they're down in the weeds, but the next President and the new Congress that take office in January 2009 will have to address them if they have any hope of getting a handle on the Pentagon's bloated budget.
Really? After the Bunny Greenhouse treatment I have the sense that whoever is doing auditing is doing the best job they can to look and act like a rubber stamp.
It is amazing how the same people that demand "law and order" and the right to spy, detain and question in enhanced manners get so upset about something like auditing. Unregulated law and order. Tough on crime except their own.
Well anyway it's amazing that they're allowed to claim a "strong stance" (similar to a "wide stance"?) on both issues. And Jesus guides them.
May 29, 2008 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Somebody should be holding the accountants accountable.
May 29, 2008 11:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
The answer to your query William Hartung, is the fascists in the Bush government. The fascist in the Bush government have erected a shadow government in the form of Private Military, Private Intelligence, and Private PR industrial complexes contracted to perform tasks formally the exclusive purview of America's uniformed military and intelligence operators. These contract are openedended, nobid, cost plus multihundred or even billion dollar entanglements, and virtually all (almost every single contractor) has deep tentacles to, or is intepenetrated with the fascists in the Bush government who (surprise surprise) issue the contracts in the cloak of night, behind the peoples back with no accounting, review, recourse of accountability, or remedy for abuse or malfeasance.
This shadow government (concocted by the fascists in the Bush government) is so deeply entrenched in America's current warfighting and intelligence gathering enterprises, that it is impossible to swiftly remedy this evil and the wanton profiteering without seriously compromising America's military and intelligence gathering missions.
The majority of these companies enjoy tax exemptions, or actually set up shell companies in the foriegn lands (Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Isle of Man, et al) specifically to dodge tax burdens and the American legal system.
The fascists in the Bush government are profiteering wantonly in and from the deceptive, perfidious process of the socalled neverendingwaronterror.
These contractor operate with Bush government conjured immunity, above, beyond, outside and in total disdain for the rule of law and the Constitution, and are loyal to those individuals, cabals, klans, and oligarchs that award and pay the contracts - and not to the American people.
Congress does not regulate, monitor, review, or hold any power over these contractors and this shadow government erected by the fascists in the Bush government. These contractors are responsible for funnelling billions of the people dollars into the off shore accounts of the fascists in the Bush government, FAILING to meet their contractual obligations, and in some cases, (inGitmo Abu Ghraib, Bhagram by CACI, Titan specifically) grotesque perversions, betrayal, faudulance, and criminal activity.
The PearlHarborlikeevent of 9/11 enabled, and provided the justification for the fascists in the Bush government to undertake the Iraq war, and the socalled neverendingwaronterror, and to profiteer wantonly in and from the nefarious processes.
The pentagon, the military, the traditional intelligence appartus, and the private military, private intelligence industrial complexes no work for the American people, - but are in fact a shadow government loyal and beholden to the fascists in the Bush government exclusively.
The ultimate ends in Iraq and the socalled neverendingwaronterror have nothing to do with defending America, or spreading democracy, or combatting evildoers. The ends are singularly and exclusively bent on funnelling billions of the peoples dollars into the off shore accounts of fascists in the Bush government.
"Deliver us from evil!"
May 30, 2008 12:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow. That's atrocious. Thanks for bringing it to light and please keep us up to date. General good governance stuff is always important.
Congress should make some noise about this, as part of a larger picture of corruption, lack of transparency or oversight, and the need for reform and accountability.
May 30, 2008 6:00 AM | Reply | Permalink