The right wing is having a field day with the news that their accusations of scandal in the UN Oil-for-Food program have found some measure of vindication in new reports of corruption. Of course, the Right will use this news as a cudgel to bash the UN. Bolton must be chortling with glee high up in his UN office.
Much as it may pain us to grant the Right this point, progressives and liberals should denounce these corrupt practices and demand accountability. It is an outrage that a food program was so ripped off.
However, we should also remind people that, under George Bush’s Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), $9 billion in funds from Iraq's oil for food program and new oil sales, has gone missing. (In addition to the billions of US tax dollars lost by Halliburton and others.) This is also an outrage but Republicans want to make it disappear down the Memory Hole.
A report last January from the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction reported on these losses to Congress. Unlike the Oil-for-Food funds lost before the occupation, the losses were attributed to poor bookkeeping and lack of transparency. Paul Bremer, CPA administrator, said they operated under difficult conditions (i.e., "hard work") and defiantly stated that the $9 billion of Iraq’s funds were responsibly spent even though he can’t say how. (Bush gave Bremer the Presidential Medal of Freedom in December of last year).
Congress seems to have taken Mr. Bremer at his word. At this writing, I’ve not found evidence that Congress is looking further into these lost billions. Republican rage fizzles out when Iraq’s money is “lost” by one of their own. However, the inspector general has opened a criminal investigation.
We need to start asking questions and raising this point LOUDLY now. For example:
- Who ran the CPA under Bremer? If the CPA was politicized by Republican hacks, then who are they and where are they now? If CPA staff were chosen not on the basis of foreign service expertise, but on domestic Republican Party loyalty, that would explain both the incompetence and the greed. Let’s research this and start naming names.
- Why won’t Congress investigate this matter and hold hearings?
- What can we find in the inspector general’s report and where does that lead? What are the best and most outrageous stories?
- How much of this money has gone to Iraqi and US politicians?
- With such incompetence and greed in the occupation administration, how can we realistically expect that the Iraqis will trust the occupation or the government our armed forces are establishing for them?
- Can Democrats add this issue to their reform agenda, backing both sensible UN reforms as well as reform of the Iraq occupation administration?
- How can we help Rep Henry Waxman raise this issue?
There’s a time bomb here for the Republcians and the job is perfect for dedicated netizens to light the fuse. I will post this at both www.dailykos.com and www.tpmcafe.com. Let’s see get on the right side of this fight and make it part of our broader reform effort.