My father pointed out to me that in wars past that Congress set up committees to investigate government contracting fraud during times of war. He suggested it was common and a bipartisan practice -- as fraud is an inevitable fact of war procurement, where decisions are often made quickly and in succession. I believe Truman oversaw this during WWII before he was called to be vice president. Once agin, it needs to be asked: where is our congressional oversight? Why are the American people getting so screwed?

Maybe we should honor the historical precedent for this sort of thing and name the next aircraft carrier the Simon Cameron?

The American people are getting screwed because the Republicans don't care about them. They also don't care about the military.

Now, there are some who might suggest that I, as someone who thinks the unprovoked assault on Iraq represents a fundamental failure of the military, don't care about the military. That group is called "morons." It is exactly because I want the military to be a positive force in the world, rather than a jingoistic band of assholes who will kill anyone just because someone says kill, that I disapprove of their unprofessional behavior in Iraq.

Sure, every war has its procurement difficulties (Heller didn't write Catch-22 this year), but as Inaudible Nonsense points out, we had people looking into it. And, this might be unpopular, a little bit of graft is a good thing. Sometimes it is more important to do it than to do it the right way. But you should still be prosecuted for it. If you are right enough then no jury will convict you.

Contract fraud in Iraq? under Bush's MBA management? Have you so little faith in our Republican government?
In the meantime, the men of Afghanistan are having fun reviving old customs. Old ways is best ways, and all is well in Bushland.

War profiteering in a time of war?

When else?

As always Kevin, thank you for the linkage!

It is definitely time for a reprise of the Truman Committee.

Yay for BG!

Kickbacks and bribes? Along with fat no-bid contracts, that's WHY there's a war on. Always follow the money.

Eisenhower was in the wrong party. The goopers are all for sucking at the tit of government in the form of contracts and bailouts, despite their "small government" cover rhetoric. The military-industrial complex is practially their raison d'etre.

The reason we don't have a Truman Committee is that we don't have a Truman -- the closest is probably Henry Waxman, but even he is basically a two day per scandal dynamic. His sheer range diminishes the impact.

Truman logged something like 10,000 miles in hearings all over the country, none of 'em NATIONAL news, exactly -- they were generally local stories about local issues: the way truckers got paid more if they worked slower at the shipyard loading dock, that kinda thing.

His greatest weapon was shame: all Truman's committee had to do was shine a light on folks making money goldbricking or featherbedding the war effort, and that was that.

We've just seen yet another example of how Senators can't ask a simple series of questions: "is waterboarding torture? Can we get the witness that CIA documentary on what it is? Well, is THAT torture?"

What makes anybody think any current US Senator could be as to the point as Truman was?

This whole Iraqi fiasco has always been about profiteering! War profiteering, oil profiteering, contract profiteering for friends of Bush and Cheney. Haliburton and the subcontractors are a prime example.

Of course today we have companies like WasteWater who have no shame. And really, it isn't the Senate that is the problem, it is that there is no shame anymore in being a greedy pig sucking at the teat of government and undermining the military. Being exposed is likely to raise your profile causing your share price to go up and that's all that matters.

And yes to those who say that the whole war has been about the profiteering. Of course it has. The Republicans have for a very long time considered the whole area of national defense a tool for the enrichment of cronies and the kicking back of campaign contributions.

theAmericanist: His greatest weapon was shame: all Truman's committee had to do was shine a light on folks making money goldbricking or featherbedding the war effort, and that was that.

Which works best if there is a "war effort", in which everyone in the country is expected to sacrifice and participate equally. That doesn't hold today; administration verbiage notwithstanding, there is no "war effort" to speak of.

Good going, Blue Girl!

Given that George W. Bush’s grandpa, Prescott Bush, helped build the Nazi war machine, is it any wonder that his grandson presided over the most egregious war-profiteering in American history? As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined.

Captain Dan is correct.
One of the primary reasons for starting this war was for the profiteering. The enterprise was organized with this in mind. From the oil "tax" the world is paying Big Oil; to the numerous hand picked Haliburtons; to the sons and daughters of ideological friends hired by the CPA; to the use of the "DOJ" and IG to thwart any oversight, was a major focus of the war planning. The regime has been remarkably successful. This why the likes of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, and Bush seem so unconcerned. They see themselves as having attained their goals. The regime is a criminal enterprise. For comparison, study "Goodfellas," or Enron.

The only war these venal bastards won't support is one where no profit is realizable, i.e. a war on war.
All wars are sucker's games and taking the profit (financial, political,"spiritual", out of them will end them.
Not gonna' happen.

Yeah - I forget who said that America isn't at war, our Army is. (Also Navy, Air Force, Marines...)

It's particularly disturbing that we've evidently jacked up close air support for the surge, cuz that's counter-doctrine.

Indulge me one meta-level comment. I've done my share of going after government contracts with several different companies. I've commented in the past about how much more corrupt the Bush administration is than previous administrations, and how much more corrupt the administrations of George H.W. Bush and Reagan were compared to Carter and Clinton. To me, it's an obvious fact.

But my real point here is that when financial reward is involved, dishonest people will work very hard and long. It takes a lot of people putting forth a lot of effort to keep the system honest and merit-based.

When you see corruption, report it at the very least. If you are able to can go further, please do. Remember that they are doing it to you.

Thanks Blue Girl.