The report being made public today, "Hard Lessons", addresses an almost staggering number of issues and problems; poor contracting practices, inadequate staffing at all levels, inexperienced staffing, goals that are beyond our capabilities, and a shocking lack of planning," said Linda J. Gustitus, of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first hearing was on: Lessons from the Inspectors General: Improving Wartime Contracting. This was the first of what will be many hearings discussing the failed contracting efforts in Iraq.
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) wants Iraq to assume more responsibility for their own reconstruction. She also wants to ensure that goods and services purchased by the American government are truly the best value for the tax payer. She said that this is important because "last year the federal government spent 532 billion dollars, last year alone, in contracts, and that is a 140% increase from 2001-2008".
"Every interested American knows that there was rampant fraud waste and abuse following the invasion of Iraq. They all know it and they want us to demonstrate that we are willing to do something about it, not simply in terms of process, but in terms of accountability," said Senator Jim Webb (D-Va). He expressed the view that the obligations that the Commission will face is that of the most important oversight obligations, and that while there is a role for contractors, he believes that "the pendulum has swung way to far."
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) says that Harry Truman has been rolling in his grave for the past five years and that he would be astounded at the fact that "we allowed this problem to get this far out of control. This has been a massive failure. We have failed our military, and we have failed the American people." She emphasized that accountability is missing with this situation.
Stuart W. Bowen, Jr. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction was put in the hot seat during the hearing as he discussed what went wrong in Iraq. When asked which mistakes to avoid repeating in Afghanistan he replied, "don't replicate the weak quality assurance that has characterized the effort in Iraq" which essentially means that government experts go out to sites to make sure that the work meets contract expectations. Since there is no system of checks and balances to ensure that money cannot just vanish into thin air, much of the the money spent in Iraq has just disappeared.
by Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service and Staff
Harry Truman is turning in his grave because of the mistakes made in Iraq
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) wants Iraq to assume more responsibility for their own reconstruction. She also wants to ensure that goods and services purchased by the American government are truly the best value for the tax payer. She said that this is important because "last year the federal government spent 532 billion dollars, last year alone, in contracts, and that is a 140% increase from 2001-2008".
"Every interested American knows that there was rampant fraud waste and abuse following the invasion of Iraq. They all know it and they want us to demonstrate that we are willing to do something about it, not simply in terms of process, but in terms of accountability," said Senator Jim Webb (D-Va). He expressed the view that the obligations that the Commission will face is that of the most important oversight obligations, and that while there is a role for contractors, he believes that "the pendulum has swung way to far."
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) says that Harry Truman has been rolling in his grave for the past five years and that he would be astounded at the fact that "we allowed this problem to get this far out of control. This has been a massive failure. We have failed our military, and we have failed the American people." She emphasized that accountability is missing with this situation.
Stuart W. Bowen, Jr. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction was put in the hot seat during the hearing as he discussed what went wrong in Iraq. When asked which mistakes to avoid repeating in Afghanistan he replied, "don't replicate the weak quality assurance that has characterized the effort in Iraq" which essentially means that government experts go out to sites to make sure that the work meets contract expectations. Since there is no system of checks and balances to ensure that money cannot just vanish into thin air, much of the the money spent in Iraq has just disappeared.
by Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service and Staff