Oversight, Schmoversight

One of the absolute hallmarks of the Bush Presidency has been the total lack of oversight and accountability. Congress and the courts have been effectively bypassed and the press was neutered by the threat of being denied access. Boy, that sure stopped Sey Hersch didn't it?

Persistent reports have been in the press about the regular use of no bid contracts. I'm not simply speaking about Iraq and Halliburton. This issue began springing up before the war. It seems there's an exception about contracts under $10,000 so agencies have been doing contract after contract at that level so as to bypass the bid process. Maybe Bush compares the bid process to diplomacy: it takes too long. No, he'd rather "expedite the process." Of course this is simply a term that means "we give the contracts to our friends and supporters regardless of costs." And without accountability and oversight.

Congress held a hearing last week because Bush actually wants to make new policy legaling this pathway to corruption. Guess whose Committee is examing this? Good old Tom Davis (R-VA) who is written about directly below. A former government procurement officer testified though that the new process:

.... called the Services Acquisition Reform Act, contains provisions that would loosen federal oversight on contracts and allow practices that are susceptible to abuse and fraud.

She described 13 of the legislation's 29 provisions as "problematic" and said they would result in "policy changes that the administration cannot support." Among them: a plan to allow more contractors to bill the government for their "time and materials" with no fixed cap on the total amount.

Now this came from someone who was a staunch Bush ally and appointee. Heck, she's even from Texas. If she's worried we all should be worried.