The Virginian-Pilot
©
WASHINGTON
Americans understand that "there was rampant fraud, waste and abuse" of public funds after the invasion of Iraq and are looking for public officials "to demonstrate that we're willing to do something about it," U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said Monday.
Testifying at the first in a series of hearings convened by a new Commission on Wartime Contracting, Webb urged the eight-member panel to hold people accountable and critically examine the Defense Department's heavy reliance on private contractors in Iraq to handle jobs traditionally done by troops.
"There's clearly a proper role for the important work that contractors provide, but the pendulum, I believe, has swung way too far," Webb said. The military's reliance on contractors for many jobs is "not always the most cost-effective solution," he asserted.
The commission, patterned after the World War II-era Truman Committee that examined profiteering during that conflict, was created largely at the urging of Webb and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. The group conducted Monday's hearing in the Russell Senate Office Building, in the same room where the Truman Committee met, Webb noted.
The group's initial hearing centered on a new report by the congressionally chartered special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart Bowen. The 358-page study, titled "Hard Lessons," concludes that the U.S. government was "unprepared and ill-equipped" for the Iraq relief program begun after the "major combat" phase of the war in 2003.
Several witnesses warned that unless the Defense Department adopts reforms, similar waste is likely to occur in Afghanistan as more American troops enter that country.
Dale Eisman, (703) 913-9872, dale.eisman@pilotonline.com
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AM81430
Well, I hve no confidence in any of them. It's the dems turn to say they can do better and that they have all the answers. Webb is just stepping up to the plate. When the republicans get back in power, they will start all over. By the way, I have no lost love for GWB, but don't forget the fiasco that Mayor Ray Nagin created when he bailed out and left his fellow citizens in New Orleans. There's enough blame to spread around there too.
Keith
I am NOT saying that the republicans have a monopoly on the fraud market, but Bush basically invited this to happen with no-bid contracts and no oversight. And he didn't stop in Iraq, we saw this with Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in a no-bid contract to surprise, surprise, Haliburton. I have confidence in Webb with this one, and I am sure that some fine republicans will join him in this effort.
am81430
No AM. I am not OK with waste fraud and abuse by any contractor period. Democrats as well as republicans claim that they are holier than thou when they blame waste fraud and abuse on anything, but they never include themselves in the equation. They are two wings on the same bird. Webb is doing just like any other politician that assumes that all of the private sector are a bunch of crooks yet they never look at themselves in the mirror.
Oh, and if you go beyond page VIII
you will see references to fraud. Try pages 99, 173, 174, 176, 177, 182, 226 (where they state that there are, at present, 72 open fraud investigations, 20 arrests and 14 convictions for fraud). Pages 229 through 236 will also give you details of past and present cases -- plus the mention of 18 new complaints. Page 248 will show you that there are 319 open fraud investigations as of 12/31/08.
Uh, clinton
What about instances of fraud such as KBR charging for food it never delivered to our troops, ignoring massive labor overcharges by subcontractors, authorizing subcontracting work that was never performed, the list goes on and on -- documented cases. One of the biggest problems we had was a justice department that would turn a blind eye to the problem. Hopefully that will not be an issue any longer.
Diminished Processing Speed?
A few years Delayed Reaction ...
Senator Webb exaggerating the problem
Senator Webb's comment that "there was rampant fraud, waste and abuse" of public funds after the invasion of Iraq, is contrary to the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) report (U.S Government Printing office ISBN 978-0-16-080817-3) published just this month. In the report, it addresses the issue simply and plainly: "Was the program grossly burdened by waste and fraud? Regarding waste, yes; regarding fraud, no" (page viii).
No one will deny that anything the government does contains waste - no surprise there. And only a fool would deny that fraud exists whenever money is involved. However, it is shameful how politicians - left, right or center - will twist facts, take things out of context, lie "by omission" or just outright lie in order to sway public opinion to advance their own political agenda. The behavior of our politicians is shameful. I do my part to vote them out of office, but another one always slinks right in behind the last one. Senator Webb is just another example.
Lotta of late night right wingers
I say go and get them Webb. There was another story today about a P.O.3 who died taking a shower in Iraq. He was electrocuted in a shower that a contractor, KBR built. When a company real motive is profit and not service to the country this is what we get. This is not a Clinto era thing and there is no way to prove something to someone who will never believe what he choses to not believe like that idiot earlier. This fiasco in Iraq with contractors was all Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.
So keith
you are okay with KBR?
"Americans understand that
"Americans understand that "there was rampant fraud, waste and abuse" of public funds after the invasion of Iraq and are looking for public officials "to demonstrate that we're willing to do something about it," U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said Monday."
All Jim Webb needs to do is look at the members of his own party to find waste, fraud, and abuse. Go ahead Jim and do something about it.