Issue: Corruption. Nasa whistleblowers fight back against presidential appointee.

[The Backlash Cometh]

When you find good ole boy networks, you find inefficiency. Great article on how a Bush appointee allegedly squelched investigations that might prove embarrassing to NASA, and the number of internal investigations dropped down to single digits under his leadership:

Complaints fuel probe of NASA inspector

(Clips with many snips)

A federal probe of NASA Inspector General Robert Cobb outlines allegations that he stifled investigations, mistreated department employees and maintained a close personal relationship with top officials of the agency he was supposed to independently monitor.

Nicknamed "Moose," Cobb came to NASA in April 2002 after 15 months as an ethics lawyer in the Bush White House responsible for vetting financial-disclosure and conflict-of-interest issues for administration nominees who required Senate confirmation. He replaced Roberta Gross, a Clinton appointee, who had been in the job since 1995 and had earned a reputation on Capitol Hill as a competent, independent investigator.

Cobb told HUD investigators he had "a collaborative style of conducting business." He frequently had lunch with O'Keefe and Pastorek, occasionally dined with them outside the office and acknowledged to investigators the trio sometimes had drinks in O'Keefe's office. Cobb and O'Keefe also traveled together on NASA aircraft and occasionally played golf.


Witnesses told investigators Cobb would remind employees that "I'm a presidential appointee."






http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/space/orl-nasacobb2006nov20,0,2328498.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

[Swede]

1. And some astronauts may die because of it.

Par for the course.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. There's a pattern here that's repeated over and over again.

Be it NASA, the Bar Associations, the Chamber of Commerce or even the Supreme Court.

Just listen to Scalia's comments when he refused to recuse himself from the case that involved Cheney after they went on a hunting trip. He said that if he wasn't able to have that kind of relationship and still do his job, that things were different in this country than he was thought to believe. (I'm paraphrasing) He basically believed the good ole boy network WAS part of the process.

The NASA guy believes the same thing:

Cobb told HUD investigators he had "a collaborative style of conducting business." He frequently had lunch with O'Keefe and Pastorek, occasionally dined with them outside the office and acknowledged to investigators the trio sometimes had drinks in O'Keefe's office. Cobb and O'Keefe also traveled together on NASA aircraft and occasionally played golf.

NASA employees told investigators the three men were referred to as the "Holy Trinity."

In the interview last week, Cobb dismissed suggestions the relationship was inappropriate and pointed out that, legally, he was under the general supervision of O'Keefe, to whom he was obligated to report.

"The idea that there is something inappropriate about my having communications and dealings with the senior managers of the agency is repugnant," Cobb said. "The idea that an office cannot maintain independence in the execution of its role if its people are talking to other people in the agency is ludicrous."

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Just Like Challenger

I will go to my grave believing that someone in the Reagan White House called NASA and told them to launch and to heck with the engineers' concerns. Ronnie intended to talk about his big "teacher in space" triumph in the SOTU address and that ship better be up there. For political reasons, those people died.

If it happens again, it would be, as you said, par for the course.
The Professor

[natrat]

3. republicans are such shit

[MaineYooper]

4. "ethics lawyer in the Bush White House"!?!?! ...snort...

There's a phrase that just rolls off the tongue.

I guess having helped remove all semblance of ethics from the White House, he moved on to more of the same at NASA.

[chemenger]

5. Beat me to it, Yoop

an ethics attorney in the Bush White House. I would've thought you'd have a better shot at finding a unicorn.