Of all the GOP disasters in the past week, there is one that has thus far gotten little attention on dKos (unless I missed it, in which case it needs more attention anyhow) and would seem to me to encapsulate everything wrong with the Bush administration and his rubberstamp cronies.
That story is the firing of Stuart Bowen Jr, a Republican lawyer who had previously worked under Bush Sr and who was sent to Iraq to head the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. It was his job to track government waste and corruption, and he was by all accounts good at his job. He sent bribe-taking American officials to jail, exposed shoddy work by Halliburton and other contractors, and took the Army to task for not tracking their expenditures. So, naturally, Bush fired him. More on the flip.
The details of this story are fascinating (in the disgusting-fascinating sort of way with which I've grown accustomed to regarding the machinations of the Bush WH)-- Bowen was Republican, doing work that was well-regarded by members of all parties, fired by all accounts for repeatedly embarrassing the administration (with stories like
this). His office was eliminated in a sneaky, underhanded fashion that is facing backlash by members of both parties. To my mind, it is a move that perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with the Bush administration.
Bowen's office was terminated by way of what the NYtimes characterized as "an obscure provision" tucked into a large military appropriations bill passed last week that shuts down the office in Fall 2007. The provision was added behind closed doors by a GOP Rep from San Diego, Duncan Hunter (who, if this story blows up like it should, just shot himself in the foot for his 2008 presidential bid). Lawmakers from both parties are upset, with Senators Collins, Warner, Feingold, and Lieberman planning to submit legislation to keep Bowen's office open an extra year.
The firing of Stuart Bowen Jr. is the kind of mind-blowingly stupid, shockingly incompetent maneuver that although typical of this administration, still surprises me. Here is a man doing his best to clean up the mess that Bush created in Iraq. Bowen should be getting some kind of medal, but because it gives Bush a little bad press (alright, maybe more than a little), the administration gets a crony to eliminate the office, effectively giving cover to Halliburton and Bechtel, pissing off members of both parties, and undermining his own war effort in the process! It's a wonder he didn't just hand the job over to Michael "Heckuvajob" Brown.
If this story could get out big on Monday, I imagine a lot of more traditional conservatives would sit this election out. It's the perfect compliment, politically speaking, to the closeted Evangelical meth addict who will keep some of the so-called "values" voters at home. Tell your friends.