Republicans Shut Down Investigation Tracking Reconstruction Money In Iraq

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November 3, 2006

Congress Tells Auditor in Iraq to Close Office

By JAMES GLANZ

Investigations led by a Republican lawyer named Stuart W. Bowen Jr. in Iraq have sent American occupation officials to jail on bribery and conspiracy charges, exposed disastrously poor construction work by well-connected companies like Halliburton and Parsons, and discovered that the military did not properly track hundreds of thousands of weapons it shipped to Iraqi security forces.

And tucked away in a huge military authorization bill that President Bush signed two weeks ago is what some of Mr. Bowen’s supporters believe is his reward for repeatedly embarrassing the administration: a pink slip.

The order comes in the form of an obscure provision that terminates his federal oversight agency, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, on Oct. 1, 2007. The clause was inserted by the Republican side of the House Armed Services Committee over the objections of Democratic counterparts during a closed-door conference, and it has generated surprise and some outrage among lawmakers who say they had no idea it was in the final legislation.

Mr. Bowen’s office, which began operation in January 2004 to examine reconstruction money spent in Iraq, was always envisioned as a temporary organization, permitted to continue its work only as long as Congress saw fit. Some advocates for the office, in fact, have regarded its lack of a permanent bureaucracy as the key to its aggressiveness and independence.

“It appears to me that the administration wants to silence the messenger that is giving us information about waste and fraud in Iraq,” said Representative Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat who is the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Government Reform.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/world/middleeast/03reconstruct.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print


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[Erika]

1. W's legacy. Hide GOP government operations n/t

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2. They can run from their legacy. . .

but they can't hide

[upi402]

3. Lets hope there's some patriotic document stashers out there

(for the record)

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4. They may regret letting this team loose to write their novels

they'll be unfettered in their testimony

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5. Pelosi: Reconstruction Effort in Iraq Has Been One of Bush Administration's Greatest Failures

Pelosi: Reconstruction Effort in Iraq Has Been One of Bush Administration's Greatest Failures

11/3/2006 2:38:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616, both of the Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on news reports that the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq has received orders to shut down:

"One of the Bush Administration's greatest failures in Iraq has been the poorly conceived and ineptly managed reconstruction effort. No one knows how much of the $21 billion in U.S. funds made available for reconstruction has gone to projects that were never completed, or that were done so badly that they will have to be done again. What is known is that the botched reconstruction effort, with its no-bid contracts to Halliburton and other companies, is making our troops' job of securing Iraq more difficult and more dangerous.

"Efforts by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction to uncover instances of waste, fraud and abuse in reconstruction projects have been exceptionally valuable. Republican leaders in Congress are turning a blind eye to the realities on the ground by insisting that the office be closed rather than pushing for desperately needed change in Iraq.

"Democrats want the inspector general to stay at work until the job is done; those individuals and companies responsible for shoddy work or fraudulent billing practices must be held accountable. Extending the tenure of the inspector general will be a priority for the new Congress. It is time for a new direction in Iraq."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=75681