Ernesto Londono (Washington Post) reports:
The mandate and funding of the Special Inspector General for Iraq
Reconstruction, which was established in October 2004 and is known as
SIGIR, expires in March. It will mark the end of an effort to document
and fix the myriad failings of the most ambitious U.S. rebuilding effort
since the Marshall Plan. The extent to which U.S. military personnel
abused their positions during the war is a part of the legacy of the
deeply unpopular conflict that has gone largely unnoticed.
This is alarming for many reasons. Londono emphasizes the success the SIGIR has had with convictions and recovering money. That's the safe aspect of the story. There's another part of the story, a very sinister part of the story.
A fraud walks into a bar and says he's against war and gets the support of the patrons. They elevate him to godlike status.
The joke's on them. He's just another War Hawk.
The reason no one from the Bush administration has been punished for the crimes surrounding the Iraq War, including lying to the people, is because Barack never going to punish them. He was never interested in rule of law, he never fancied accountability. He got the corporate support he did because he agreed with 'leaning foward' -- away from the stench of the War Crimes. He didn't confront him and, in fact, he carried them out himself.
Londono's a reporter and couldn't say that if he felt it. But what he could do, what he should do is document the reality of the administration.
He could start with the State Dept which is over billions of dollars to Iraq.
Who the hell's getting rich off the American tax payer? The SIGIR has established a lot of people got rich off the American tax payer under the two terms of Bully Boy Bush. Was that an anomoly or is that not in fact how the US government usually works? Every now and then something gets exposed. Not often enough.
Londono should start with the State Dept and maybe explain to Americans what post Harold W. Geisel holds.
The Washington Post bills him as "Inspector General of the State Department (since 2008)." But that's not his title, is it?
He's "Deputy Inspector General." He's been 'acting' as leader.
On Monday War Criminal Barack Obama gets sworn in for a second term but he never, in his entire first term, supported accountability or, for that matter, transparency.
The State Dept is now over more 'aid' money than it's ever been over before. That money supposedly goes to Iraq. Someone who promised to bring transparency to the White House would have been interested in oversight.
The press looks the other way but it's been called out by Congress. Not only has US House Rep Jason Chaffetz called it out for the last two years, he US Senator Claire McCaskill, US Senator Rob Portman, US Senator Joe Lieberman, US House Rep Elijah Cummings, US House Rep Darrell Issa and US House Rep John Tierney signed a letter calling on Barack to nominate replacements for the empty posts. That was over a year ago. Nothing was ever done.
When someone fights transparency, when they fight accountability, they do so for a reason and that reason isn't 'we're doing our jobs.' They do so because something's being hidden. For eight years under Bully Boy Bush, a lot of people ripped off the US tax payer. That trend continues under Barack Obama and the White House is working overtime to ensure that the American tax payer continues to get fleeced. If you're wondering why corporations are pouring money into his lobbying group and into his inaguration festivies, there's your answer. When the public money, the public good, is turned into a smashable piggy bank for corporations, they're happy to bankroll the crook that handed them the loot.
Doubt it? Al-Shorfa reports today that Iraq's Ministry of the Interior is about to start an intensive human rights training for Iraqi police.
Seriously?
That sure is strange because the State Dept's Brooke Darby testified to Congress how many times in the last 18 months? And how many times did she and others swear that money was being spent on this program, on this very training, on how important this training was, on how important this ongoing training was to Iraq. Doesn't seem like it ever got started. Where did the money go, Brooke? Where did the money go?
You can't have answers without oversight. But then you can't successful steal from a people if you do have effective oversight. Suddenly, Barack's trade-off becomes a lot clearer.
It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)
The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4488.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
i hate the war
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