Here’s something to consider as we watch the candidates criss-cross first-in-the-universe primary land in the next few months: how American fraud and corruption in Iraq has led to the greatest theft of U.S. treasury loot in history.
Not just recent history but all American history. It would even make a Mafia don blush in admiration.
Last night, I read a story by Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone about the contracting Iraq gold rush (for members of loyal Bushie club only), massive fraud and out right theft of untold billions — while the Geroge Bush gang barely raised a legal eyebrow (and in fact punished whistle blowers).
Now it usually takes a lot that made my politically jaundiced blood boil but this one did, despite the fact that I’ve read dozens of stories about this corruption tale for a while. It also made me laugh like a village idiot and eventually made me wonder: wow, could it be even worse than our most cynical imaginations could ever imagine?
If Taibbi’s well-researched report about endemic and mostly sanctioned contracting corruption is but a tip of the iceberg (and he connects it to the larger Bush-inspired push to privatize every inch of government, including eventually in logical extension, the Congress and White House itself) then the foxes have not only cleaned out the henhouse but the entire farm as well.
My next question is: why aren’t campaigns talking about this specifically? I don’t mean just Democratic candidates but Republicans -- those self-appointed guardians of honesty, moral standards and taxpayers money -- as well. This is a con job worthy of Roman emperor that transcends partisan bickering. More importantly, this is another example of why the Iraq war and reconstruction has gone so badly — it was essentially outsourced and the incompetence was a side issue on the way to guaranteed riches. As Tabbai notes, it was the worst possible combination of unrestrained capitalism and administration-sponsored socialism for their cronies — with the bonus of no accountability.
In particular, why won’t Republicans (with the exception of Rod Paul) call Bush to task on this? What are they afraid of except a drop in campaign contributions from corrupt contractors?
Perhaps for all the candidates, the swindle is so massive, so fantastic that it’s become a dirty joke that none of them are willing to repeat. But the next time any candidate opens his mouth and talks about the guaranteed wonders of government privatization to save billions and billions, think again.
MORE MICHIGAN PRIMARY point-counter-point:
Richard Burr of the Detroit News has responded to my post yesterday which was a response to his post yesterday which was a continuation of our appearance together last week on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer to debate the primary schedule -- and why he thinks Michigan is more adorable than New Hampshire as a lead off primary state or even as a co-lead off partner. Burr makes a well-reasoned point about candidates needing to be tested in other states early in the process but his analogy (John Kerry as a flip-flopper) was not peculiar to him or Michigan or any small or large state. It was here after all that Kerry got himself in trouble for talking again and again about voting both for and against Iraq war funding. Or just recently in Iowa where Mitt Romney's interesting definition of public service for his sons was worthy of notice. You don't need to be in Michigan of Florida for candidates to unintentionally speak the truth.
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