Davis, Bowen, and Hindsight

Last year, when news started to break that Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) Stuart Bowen was being accused of mismanagement, we wrote a blog that said:

"Not surprisingly, Virginia Republican Tom Davis has also opened an investigation into Bowen as well. Probably few individuals have better undermined Tom Davis' agenda of handing out goodies to defense and IT contractors than Stuart Bowen  who has exposed billions of dollars in contractor pilfering. We can hear the squeals of glee from here."

My tone clearly suggested that Rep Davis' interest in probing Bowen's alleged wrongdoing was misguided, and was fueled only by pique at Bowen's revelations of contracting waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq, rather than a genuine concern for good government.  It is true Davis has been the self-styled Representative to the contractors, and his acquisition reforms have set the taxpayers  back billions. But, while Bowen's good work probably didn't make him man-of-the-hour in Davis' mind, it does look like the SIGIR may need to clean up his own act.

As the months have passed, and as I've learned more lately from insiders about the charges that are the subject of an ongoing grand jury investigation, it appears Bowen and his Deputy Ginger Cruz really have turned the SIGIR shop into an unhappy home for the auditors and investigators who are all about saving the taxpayer money. In fact, the issue that continues to irk people there most (other than their emails being spied on) is the brazen abuse of per diem policy by some at SIGIR that allows staff to receive premium pay if they go to Iraq for 42 days.  The explosion of 43-day trips resulted in huge overtime benefits. The Washington Post found that:

"At least 30 SIGIR employees charged between 800 and 1,400 hours of overtime and compensatory time in 2006-- p to almost nine months of additional work stuffed into the year. Thirty-seven others charged between 200 and 725 hours of overtime and comp time.'The number of hours didn't wash,' said a senior SIGIR official. 'It's physically and mentally impossible to work that many hours.'"

So, in the end, I thought it was important to point out that on this one--along with his call for the removal of Special Counsel Scott Bloch and his support of whistleblower protections--Rep. Davis was barking up the right tree. The SIGIR needs to live up to the high standards it holds for others.

-- Danielle Brian

Comments

[Axel]

Dear Readers, July 15, 2008

Please allow me to more clearly identify and to the specific location as to the GAP, Government Accountability Project Article. The GAP Article is entitled 'The FISA bill & Telecom Immunity - Contact your Senator' Authored I presume by Jesselyn Radack.

Readers, Please note that after I responded to the Jessleyn Radack Article, I did a brief research and noted Ms. Radack is a highly educated and with a highly commendable and distinguished career. Also and recently it appears Ms. Radack has published a book entitled 'Canary in the Coalmine' which also appears to be suggested and from my summation as must read and from the summation of an interview by Mark Karlin of www.buzzflash.com and which is also available of the buzzflash website.

Again, thank you readers for your continuing concerns and good wishes and the best of luck within your hopes and aspirations and within your continuing proper and forthright endeavors and towards and on behalf of all.

Thank you and all for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Axel

[Bondo]

After the SIGIR saw how large the fraud was and knew Congress would be blocked by the Whitehouse in approving any additional resources, you begin to go native and also try to maximize your time in a hell hole. So, seeing how the SIGIR succumbed to the "I got mine you got your attitude" that was present, is no shock. After all, how many big fish will end up on the chopping block- none!

[Axel]

Dear Readers, July 3, 2008

As I have noted that the file topic for the POGO Archive is included as Congressional Oversight and Watching the Watchdogs and upon my recent response to a today's GAP, Government Accountability Project FISA Article of interest, I thought it may be prudent for me to attache that Article as a follow-up to the proper and forthright endeavors towards Oversight and Accountability within the subject topics of Congerssional Oversight and Watching the Watchdogs.
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ATTACHED ARTICLE

Dear Readers, 7/2/2008

As I presume is relevantly well known that I am an advocate of GAP and the many painstaking neverending superb and excellent endeavors and accomplishments of GAP on behalf of all and Whistleblowers in General. Also it appears admirable that the continued and neverending superb and excellent due diligence, determination and perserverance is of the highest calibre, integrity and dignity to our US Consttituion, Laws and Democracy and with the intent of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all and with the best possible respect and regard to God, Man and Country.

Although the perplexity and/or serious perplexity remains as it appears clear and unmistakeable that our US Legislatures the US Executive Branch and our US Supreme Court have to a relevant extent in our most crucial concerns have clearly and unmistakeably been seemingly negligent and/or in serious violation of High Crimes and/or Misdeamoners within the recent decade (and/or decades).

Including and aside from the recent blockage Impeachment Hearings, FISA concerns, Torture, alleged Illegal War, Patriot Act, a multitude of US Government Private Contractor Abuses, a apparently best seller book intitled 'The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" By former Los Angeles District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi and many other henious and/or hedious allegations that it continues to appear that there continues to be no passage of the recent superb and excellent Whistleblower Legislation and the has seemingly and apparently been approved by both the US Congressional and Senatorial Houses with by those Representatives and by an overwhelming and veto proof majority, YET NO PASSAGE OF THIS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND VETO PROOF LEGISLATION. How should our brave and courages US Citzens and all those many other people who continue to couragesly respect and support, defend and praise our proper and forthright endeavors towards Democracy and not expect to be retaliated and/or severly retailated upon?!!? (and by these very same Senatorial and Congressional Legislative Leaders?!!?

Additionally, please note that from my view and from the continuing recent silience from our US Senatorial and Congressional Representative Leaders that it continues to appear that we have no passage of the much needed, veto proof majority of this current superb and excellent Whistleblower Legislation and have to contend with the deplorable excuse that one lone Congressional Individual Representative is able to block this legislation for over a years. How can this behavior be construed other than Dispicable, sad and disgusting?

Hopefully we will be on a more proper and appropriate course of action after the forthcomming 4th of July holiday towards a more proper and forthright OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY and especially towards our great Country and Democracy with the endeavor of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all and with the best possible respect and regard towards our Democracy, Laws and Religion and towards God, Man and Country.

My continued best wishes with good luck in your recent Senatorial endeavors. As I have apparently exhausted my communication endeavors with our US Legislatures and with less than expected responses, you have my permisson to forward this blog response reply if it should assist and/or confirm your endeavors.

Thank you and all for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Axel
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Again, my many thanks to POGO for the time and consideration and in allowing me to vent my frustrations within these difficult times of concerns and especially within the above context to include Oversight and Accountability and withiin the best interest of all and especially to also include the venue and hopefully in the future the appropriate and jurisdictional venues for identification and for the resolves.

Thank you and all for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Axel

[Danielle Brian]

My dear KSBR and Connie,

I know you spank me because you love me, but I think your dislike of Davis is blinding you. I am not naive as to why Davis went after Bowen. He clearly had his own motives that involved protecting his peeps in the contracting world. But so what? That doesn't mean he wasn't also right. And I didn't give Davis credit for being right when this story first broke. I think it's really important for POGO's credibility that we point out when we misjudge, or make mistakes.

I also had originally thought the allegations against the SIGIR were kind of namby-pamby, but I've been talking to more and more people from that office, and morale is really not good over there. The general atmosphere is miserable, and not because they feel their boss is being unfairly persecuted, but rather that they feel he and his deputy are more focussed on self-aggrandizement than the important mission of the office. I agree with KSBR, it's not cause for removal -- but our criticisms of "bad guys" will ring hollow if we ignore the failings of the "good guys."

[Axel]

The Article appeared to me and as a continuing acknowledgement and of the mandated endeavor of SIGR to proper and forthright Accountability and Oversight. The Article appears to be to relay best wishes for SIGR in their endeavors towards this proper and forthright and mandated endeavor of Accountability and Oversight.

In my view, Congratulations POGO on another fine Article, especially in these frustrating times where compassion, respect and kind regards for others is difficult.

Thank you for your time and consideration on behalf of all and towards proper and forthright Accountability and Oversight.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[KSBR spirit]

Con's right. Danielle. You dropped the hard shell for the wrong guy. He is a snake but can't help but appear to look good some of the time because of all the sorry A.H.'s in his party. I don't know Bowen well enough to judge him. So what if he is a bit (less than, say, 1/4) tyrannical? He's not running for one of the ultra-phony 100 Best Places to Work List. (Where would POGO come out among nonprofits? Where would my enterprise come out?) Feds sometimes take liberties with their ability to seize any lever and make a stink if they are the least bit unhappy. If it were red-handed sexual harassment or bribery, I'd like to see him severely punished. But the complaints sound namby pamby. As for Davis, let his star sink into the soft, billowing wonderland of well paying jobs. My guess is either Carlyle or Booz Allen.

[Connie the Contractor]

Danielle –

Perhaps for the first time in the history of POGO, I am embarrassed for you. Tom Davis attacked Stuart Bowen solely because of Bowen’s skewering of Davis’ beloved contractor cabal. Any notion that Davis is interested in “good government” is pure wishful thinking. As it happens, once in a while Davis’ desire to “get” some government employee on behalf of his contractor sponsors coincidentally dovetails with an ethically challenged bureaucratic. Perhaps that’s what’s happened in the Bowen case, I don’t know. As they say, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Connie

[Axel]

One answer to resolve and at this late date and point in time appears to be empeachment and removal from office to include the empeachment and removal from of those whom prevent empeachment.

ANY OTHER ANSWERS?