Senators Webb & McCaskill Seek Independent Panel To Probe Wartime Profiteering

[kpete]

Freshmen Senate Democrats seek panel to probe Iraq contracting
By David Goldstein | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Wed, July 18, 2007

WASHINGTON — Summoning the ghost of Harry Truman, the Senate's freshman Democrats on Wednesday called for the creation of an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate wartime profiteering in Iraq.

Truman was a freshman senator from Missouri in 1941 when he led an inquiry into waste and abuse in government contracting during World War II.

Under the 2007 version of his effort, spearheaded by Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Jim Webb of Virginia, the proposed commission would investigate the mismanagement of private contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has resulted in $9 billion in taxpayer dollars unaccounted for.

McCaskill, a former state auditor who uses Truman's old Senate desk, said at a press conference of freshmen lawmakers, "I realized we had the same problem in this war that Harry Truman found in World War II, except that it's on steroids. It's out of control."

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/18141.html

[xmas74]

1. Every time I see or hear Claire's name

I feel proud that I campaigned for her.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. She needs to sign off on the ERA

We've been lobbying her pretty hard to do that.

[xmas74]

13. I know-

I've been waiting for that. Otherwise she's made her name known already and it looks like she has quite a future.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. She is getting a lot of time on CSPAN

[xmas74]

16. It's nice that the US can see someone

besides Bond and our "lovely" governor as the faces of MO.

[PBS Poll-435]

35. She is NOTHING but a...

Fantastic lady.

And a great addition to the Senate. I am so happy/proud/excited about the future of MO politics.

11/7/06 was the best day that I have had in years. I had to go on a business trip to Houston. (I am from Dallas. (Well...Actually I am originally from Oregon)) I refused to listen to the pundits on the car ride there. I did, however, see the 5:00PM local news while I was waiting. On the trip back, I listened to CDs/MP3s. I didn't want to hear anymore freaking "analysis" or results. I drove straight to my town and to a friend's house. Armed with a bottle of wine and an idea of what the results were gonna be.

My first jump off of the couch? Bob Casey Jr. By 18 freaking points. (I guess the polls were right, after all?)

The second? Sherrod Brown. By 12. 12 points in Ohio? The Democrat? Either it was guilt or reality, but Ohio really came through.

The third? This is the one that made me cry (Kinda. After all, I am a guy.)

"CNN projects that Claire McCaskill defeats Jim Talent to become the next Senator from Missouri."

"F-YEAH!!!"

My friend was like: "What the F?" I told him that a real lady from MO just beat the nasty a-hole that criticized an older lady (and a widow) in 2002 because she was old.

(And yeah....Jim Webb was icing on the cake.) I think that is when I woke the neighbors.

It is all about Claire, to me.


:-)

[xmas74]

37. Claire is fantastic.

She makes me proud to be from MO right now.

[PBS Poll-435]

38. She makes me proud

As a Democrat(ic Party member) and as an American. Trust me, her position as an auditor, before, will serve us(Americans!) greatly in the near future. Freaking follow the money, Claire!

:o :loveya:

[madokie]

2. Hope they get it

those two especially

[moondust]

3. When the cash cows come home

Republicans will be ready to end the war.

[L. Coyote]

4. Way overdue at best. $$ Where do the Bucks STOP ??

[LostInAnomie]

5. Webb and McCaskill are doing a damn fine job.

:patriot:

[David Zephyr]

6. War profiteering pisses all Americans off. This is a great move.

Our young people are dying so these bastards can enrich themselves.

Bring on the hearings and bring on the hangings.

[dflprincess]

7. The Truman Committee still exists in the form of the

Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Until last January the subcommittee was chaired by that weasel Normie Coleman who used it to investigate Kofi Anan, but never, never looked into war profiteering lest he offend his masters.

I sent Normie several emails asking when he was going to use his committee for its original purpose, but never received a reply.

[IronLionZion]

34. Carl Levin is the chairman of that committee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_Subcommittee_on_Investigations

McCaskill is already on that committee and should definitely investigate and punish the anti-American anti-troop war profiteers. Imagine what we could do with $9 billion. Then imagine what we could do with the $1 Trillion we are using for this whole war.

[Snotcicles]

8. Hey Dino's, there is a new gang in town.

I'm likin me some new Democrats.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. This was one of Claire's campaign promises

Good for her.

[Decruiter]

11. Truman, "the buck stops here" , McCaskill and Jim Webb..... oh, please make my heart be still.

This is the best news ever. The freshmen Dems in the Senate, ROCK!!

[MadMaddie]

17. These two teaming up make a formidable force.....

I like it....I really really like it!

[Telly Savalas]

12. It's a nice move, but there's a quick and easy way to end the war profiteering.

War profiteering is pretty difficult when there's no war.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. It goes on all the time

Honeywell is a great example. So is Lake City. Both of those companies do business even when we are not in the middle of an illegal invasion of a middle eastern country.

[Decruiter]

20. Great to see you showing up here in this thread Proud2B..... n/t

You are everywhere tonight.

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. Just like a virus

:crazy:

[Decruiter]

23. You said it, I did not. Yes, Proud2b, I'm sorry I am forced to agree with you.

Just like a virus. Even antibiotics can't stop it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. A super virus!!

:woohoo:

[MasonJar]

14. Good job, Claire and Jim!

[NNN0LHI]

19. Highly recommended n/t

[babylonsister]

21. Very impressed here. Go for it, and show the way! nt

[jazzjunkysue]

24. It's about f-en time! Duh!

[Canuckistanian]

25. Good. It's about time.

It should have been one of the first orders of business in the new Congress.

[rucky]

26. Good, but..

we need to follow through with all the other probes they've dodged, too.

[welshTerrier2]

27. the big bucks are in the Iraqi Oil Law and in the MIC

going after waste, fraud and abuse by contractors in Iraq is all well and good but ripping off good old Uncle Sam was not the main motivation for the invasion of Iraq nor was it what generated all the lobbying pressure to invade.

Big Oil has realized all time record profits since the invasion began due largely to keeping Iraqi oil off the oil markets and to the destabilization of those markets. And Big Oil isn't done yet. The cherry on top is the Iraqi Oil Law that will dump as much as 87% of Iraq's oil revenue in their bottom lines for the next 30 years. And, of course, those who are paid to build weapons for the Pentagon, i.e. the military-industrial-Congressional complex, aren't exactly suffering either.

When will the Democrats stop going after the law breakers and go after those that are legally milking the system for their own greedy gain?

[Usrename]

28. Historically these things worked well. Not so sure about nowadays.

1. The Truman Committee - that investigated "War Profiteering" moved Senator Harry Truman from "Relative Obscurity" to the Vice Presidency.

2. The Excess Profits Tax (we had it during WW2 and Korea), the US Emergency Court of Appeals, the Office of Price Administration, and the Office of Wage Administration, among others.

More about Excess Profits Tax proposal at (PDF Warning):http://www.southernstudies.org/reports/excessprofitstax.pdf

[kaygore]

30. Gotta love these freshmen (freshwomen...freshpersons?) senators!

[ellisonz]

31. Giv'em Hell!

[OneBlueSky]

32. if they do an full and honest investigation, what they will find is . . .

that the Iraq war = profiteering . . . corporate interests and profits -- particularly for the oil industry, but also for arms manufacturers and others -- is the the sum and substance of why we are in Iraq . . .

[dkofos]

33. It's about fucking time someone started looking into it!!

[burythehatchet]

36. booyaa