Iraq War Corruption

Frank Rich has a powerful article in today's New York Times entitled SUICIDE IS NOT PAINLESS. The article can be found at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/opinion/21rich.html

For those who are not going to read the article, here is an excerpt:

"That Vatican-sized (Baghdad) complex is the largest American embassy in the world. Now running some $144 million over its $592 million budget and months behind schedule, the project is notorious for its deficient, unsafe construction, some of which has come under criminal investigation. First Kuwaiti has also been accused of engaging in human trafficking to supply the labor force. But the current Bush-appointed State Department inspector general — guess what — has found no evidence of any wrongdoing. Both that inspector general, Howard Krongard, and First Kuwaiti are now in the cross hairs of Henry Waxman’s House oversight committee... Representative Waxman is also trying to overcome State Department stonewalling to investigate corruption in the Iraqi government. In perverse mimicry of his American patrons, Nuri al-Maliki’s office has repeatedly tried to limit the scope of inquiries conducted by Iraq’s own Commission on Public Integrity. The judge in charge of that commission, Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, has now sought asylum in America. Thirty-one of his staff members and a dozen of their relatives have been assassinated, sometimes after being tortured.

"The Waxman investigations notwithstanding, the culture of corruption, Iraq war division, remains firmly entrenched."