This is What Congressional Oversight Looks Like

Below are clips from Chairman Henry Waxman's Oversight Hearing on Iraq. It's about time that Congress started doing its job of asking questions. For six years, Republicans gave this Admnistration carte blanche to conduct itself in any manner it so pleased. Now, things are different. Democrats are asking questions and expecting answers. Republicans are even joining forces with the Dems to get Cabinet agencies to comply with information requests. The wheels of Congressional Oversight are a bit squeaky, but thanks to Waxman, they are slowly beginning to hum along once again.

In this video, Paul Bremer, the once "Administrator" of U.S. occupied Iraq, talks about the lessons that Congress should learn about the time that we occupied Iraq as we move forward with rebuilding the country. He even suggests that Congressional legislation may be necessary. But, apparently, this is the first chance he's had to pass along any of his wisdom......(this video is very short)



While Administrator of the Coalition Provisional authority, Paul Bremer, was responsible for the oversight of giving hundreds of billions of dollars of contracts. We've all heard horror stories about who received those contracts. Thankfully, somebody thought ahead and required a certified accounting company to audit all of these contracts that were being awarded. But.....that company wasn't all it was cracked up to be.......(this video is around five minutes)



Here is a paragraph from the Washington Post article that this last video clip is about.

The CPA was designed to be a grand experiment in nation-building, a body of experts who would be Iraq's guide for transforming itself into a model for democracy in the Middle East. Unlike previous reconstruction efforts, it was to be manned by civilians -- advisers on politics, law, medicine, transportation, agronomy and other key areas. They were supposed to be experts, but many of the younger hires who filled the CPA's hallways were longer on enthusiasm than on expertise.

"Grand experiment in nation-building." So much for "grand experiments." But at least now we know part of the reason that our presence in Iraq has been a failure......(this video is around five minutes too)

Can Bush Really Write an Op-Ed?

Maybe. But it probably takes him a long time. Perhaps that's why he refuses to be "rushed" into a decision on Iraq! Then again, maybe he's just incapable of living up to his self proclaimed title of "Decider."

Anyway, John Aravosis has an amusing post over at America Blog that is worth checking out. He does a great job breaking down the Bush op-ed that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Those of us who enjoy seeing past the old, overused rhetoric will enjoy it!

BUSH "Won't be rushed...."

Our not so esteemed Commander in Chief, in the midst of consultations on Iraq, valiantly declared that he won't be rushed to a decision regarding Iraq. He began the press conference nearly twenty minutes late, seeming to underscore that point.

But, then he revealed during the question and answer period that he changed his speech at the last minute. He even declared something along the lines of "I didn't know what I wanted to say." So, he reverted to the same overused message that has driven his approval rating to a permanent home in the 30's.

We've now been in Iraq for nearly half a decade. "Mission Accomplished" was declared by Bush so long ago that I barely remember it. Nearly 3,000 American soldiers have paid the ultimate price for Bush's Iraq policy. Tens of thousands of others are injured, some permanently disabled.

This President was sent a very loud message by Americans on November 7. Instead of insisting he won't be rushed, he needs to be asking "how quickly can I rush?" Instead, the arrogance and short-sightedness of Bush and his Administration still dominate his public comments.

How many more lives will we lose and how many more billions will we spend before the Commander in Chief loses his political tone deafness? Bush doesn't seem to care how long it takes. Not a good sign.

Initial WH Reaction to Iraq Report

The White House held a press conference to respond to the report issued by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. They spoke at length on their recommendations in the Hart Senate Office Building Hearing room.

Bush spokesman, Tony Snow responded to a question by NBC’s David Gregory that “The President’s position is not ‘stay the course.’” Think Progress has an excellent timeline of how often the President has used ‘stay the course.’

As public support for Bush and the Iraq War declined, the White House replaced ‘stay the course’ with a new term, attempting to put the Democrats on the defense. In a September 28 campaign appearance in Alabama, Bush said “The party of FDR has now become the party of cut and run.” Media Matters and Raw Story have interesting background on ‘cut and run.’

The initial reaction from the White House is one of denial. Big surprise.