A lot of diaries and posts have raised the need for a reform agenda.
I've supported that thinking and offered some broad themes along the lines of Opportunity, Freedom and Responsibility.
Now I'd like to begin getting specific. One particular reform measure that we can rally around in concert with the growing quagmire of Iraq is a ban on political contributions by defense contractors.
According to the Center for Public Integrity, 16 of the top 20 corporate political donors also (SURPRISE!) have the largest government contracts.
We could go for the whole enchilda and fight for a complete ban on contributions by ALL federal contractors, but I am a pragmatist as well as a reformer.
As the public grows increasingly concerned about Iraq, more citizens ask, "Why did we really go there?" Pointing to the windfall profits of Halliburton, Bechtel, Carlysle, etc. will tell the story.
If we are serious about reform, we will not escape hitting some loyal Democrats. For example, Dianne Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum, is part owner of a contractor, Perini Corporation, that received $525 million in contracts for work in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A brief sample:
There is a clear pattern of paying to play, with the Iraq war being used to reward friends of the
Bush administration.
Corporation Donations (% to GOP) Contracts
Halliburton $756,000 since 2001 (95%) 2.3 billion (no bid)
Bechtel 1,000,000 since 2001 (60%) >$1 billion
General Electric $8 million in past 10 yrs $43 billion
Overall, defense contractors gave 65% of their political donations to the GOP.
Sources
Center for Public Integrity
List of contractors ranked by political contributions
List of Iraq and Afghan war contractors ranked by value of contracts
Article: US Contractors Reap Windfalls
Political MoneyLine
Defense contractors: 2003-2004 election cycle