Reconstruction Watch Part V: We Deserve Answers

In the Washington Post last week, Griff Witte reported that American businessman Philip Bloom--whose companies were awarded $8.6 million in Iraq reconstruction contracts--pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe US officials with more than $2 million in cash and gifts in exchange for the reconstruction deals.

Three officials of the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority have already been implicated and more arrests are expected.

According to Stuart W. Bowen Jr., Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (and former Associate Counsel to the Bush White House), "This shows oversight is working. It will send a message to those involved in similar schemes that we are on the case."

Will it?

As the Wall Street Journal reports, attorney Alan Grayson is representing dozens of whistleblowers who are suing contractors suspected of defrauding the government. But under The False Claims Act, not one of these cases can proceed or be disclosed to the public until the Bush administration makes a decision as to whether to join in the suit.

There are reportedly 50 such lawsuits pending against firms like Halliburton. Some were filed more than two years ago, and the law states that decisions are supposed to be made by the Bush Administration within 60 days. But the law also allows the administration to seek extensions as it sees fit and so far it has done so in all but one case.

Grayson thinks the reason for the delay is all too clear. "The Bush administration has made a conscious decision to sweep the cases under the rug for as long as possible. And the more bad news that comes out of Iraq, the more motivation they have to do so."

The one case the Bush administration did allow to proceed--though it declined to be a party to it--was against Custer Battles, which was forced to pay $10 million in penalties.

With a White House that is more than cozy with so many of its no-bid contractors...and a motive to keep bad news from hitting the press--especially when it comes to the misuse of taxpayer (and 2006 voters') money… it is once again clear that only a bipartisan independent war profiteering commission will get the answers the American people deserve.

Until that happens, tell your representative to turn up the heat for full disclosure on these pending whistleblower lawsuits. Enough with the sorry delay tactics. It's time for answers now.

*Previous Reconstruction Watch Posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. And on the need for an Independent War Profiteering Commission: here and here.

Comments (14)

1. I wonder though, with Bush no longer in office in 2009 and beyond, who will the left personally blame for every ill on earth?

   Posted by FREIHEIT 04/27/2006 @ 7:31pm

   It won't be gee Dubya. He will be one of the most forgettable predidents in modern history

   Posted by Will C. at 04/27/2006 @ 8:29pm

2. correction... presidents

   Posted by Will C. at 04/27/2006 @ 8:29pm

3. nah.. the way he talks, i'll stick with predidents

   Posted by Will C. at 04/27/2006 @ 8:30pm

4. "I wonder though, with Bush no longer in office in 2009 and beyond, who will the left personally blame for every ill on earth"

   If the Dems capture the House and implement their "vision" for saving America..and when it doesn't work, they will blame...Bush..

   If they capture the WH and the President Lefty programs don't work and economy stalls after tax increases...they will blame Bush.. If McCain wins...they will blame...Bush

   See a pattern here? Look famliar? And if the Dems win nothing, they will blame Bush and the American voter for not voting in his interest and the MSM for not getting their message out...which they have been carrying that pail for 6 years now..remember, the greatest threat to America in and to the world, USA, and humanity is....Bush...not terrorists, Iran, al queda, Bin Laden.....Bush and only Bush.

   Posted by john maasch at 04/28/2006 @ 12:55am

5. What "vision"?

   We invoke Clinton due to Clinton and his own recorded actions and we invoke Carter now as we are reminded about the high oil prices and his home building, which, is only fair that Carter build homes for the homeless and the poor, since he created so many with his Carter economy, 21% intersest rates, 22 % inflation, but hey, he was good and meant well....probably Bush fault.

   Posted by john maasch at 04/28/2006 @ 08:21am

6. ahhhhh... proof that the hamsters just can't seem to get over it.

   (even though they require others too)

   Posted by Will C. at 04/28/2006 @ 09:42am

7. Will

   I know it's tempting but try not to interrupt the sort of "feed-back loop" going on between Maash, Rio and Freiheit. Listening to conservatives reinforce one another's sophisims affords us an invaluable insight into the sort of thing that must go on in the White House echo chamber.

   Posted by MikeKing at 04/28/2006 @ 11:24am

8. Mike,

   Although the above is somewhat enlightening in a scary sort of way, if you really want that sort of enlightenment you should spend some time over at Redstate.com. Since no dissenting opinion is allowed by the editors the "bloggers" are all blowing smoke up each other's asses.

   Posted by freedomplease at 04/28/2006 @ 11:47am

9. Frei

   Actually, Dubya will leave such a pile of shit on the floor it will take the next three DEM presidents to clean it up....so for the foreseeable future we'll still be blaming Dubay, albeit in the past tense.

   Posted by leftofcenter at 04/28/2006 @ 11:48am

10. Hamsters Frei, JM, Rio, etc....

    read the writing on the walls....

    Story1

    Story2

    Story3

    Story4

    Posted by leftofcenter at 04/28/2006 @ 11:55am

11. FTC

    While by no means a memer of the confraternity of Hamsters I looked at your links anyway. Interesting and encouraging. One of the most encouraging trends is that "People in rural areas once favored Republicans on protecting the country, but are now evenly divided" ! This is where much of the red state support is. Still I won't let myself get complacent or even optimistic until the election is behind us.

    I don't normally lend any credance to anything political hacks say but this jerk Tom Reynolds' spin struck a nerve with me. This is a quote from him responding to one of the polls you cited... "Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., head of the House Republican campaign committee, said Bush's woes won't hurt GOP candidates". "When we get to the ballot this year, there's not going to be President Bush on the ballot, and there's not going to be in my view, 'Do you want to vote with the Republicans or Democrats?' It's going to be, 'How do you feel about your member of Congress?"

    This is what worries me. Someone, I've forgotten who, said that constituents once chose their representatives now the representatives choose their constituents i.e. gerrymandering. After '94 the Repubs built themselves a tree house, hung out a sign "Repubs only" and pulled up the ladder behind them.

    Unfortunately gerrymandering, voter suppression, voter fraud ( e.g. Diebold ), pork and out right demagoguery have have made election issues, and with them elections, almost obsolete. A good example of demagoguery is the Republican's shameless proposal to give everyone a hundred dollars to comfort them over high gas prices ! You don't think this will buy some votes ? Give the average American a hundred bucks and he'd vote for Pinochet.

    Still as the boys on Wall Street say "the trend is your friend". And if this trend continues between now and November it may yet be possible to overcome the "political inertia" that has been deliberately and consciously built into our system and that is killing this democracy.

    Posted by MikeKing at 04/28/2006 @ 1:35pm

12. Sorry. LOC not FTC.

    Posted by MikeKing at 04/28/2006 @ 1:40pm

13. Posted by MIKEKING 04/28/2006 @ 11:24am

    When they aren't mesmerized by the echo, they take council with that little gurgling noise coming from their gut.

    Posted by Will C. at 04/28/2006 @ 9:37pm

14. Hey, but there's only one poll that counts, isn't there?

    Posted by FREIHEIT 04/28/2006 @ 12:30am

    The one competing with your head for the comfort of ass?

    Posted by Will C. at 04/28/2006 @ 9:40pm