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Rice Defends Embattled State Dept IG
You didn't think there could be an entire House oversight committee hearing on corruption in Iraq without the exploits of Howard "Cookie" Krongard making an appearance, did you?
Krongard, recall, is the State Department inspector general accused by his own subordinates of scuttling Iraq-related corruption investigations and then retaliating against his accusers for snitching to Henry Waxman. (Allegedly!) Pointing to the hearing's cavalcade of State-related corruption problems -- cost overruns on building the U.S. embassy in Baghdad; lax supervision of a $1.2 billion DynCorp contract to train Iraqi police; that whole Blackwater thing -- Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) asked if perhaps having a more "vigilant" IG might have been helpful.
Rice's answer? Nah, not really.
Krongard, she said, "very much" wants to respond to the committee's "allegations against him," and she all but promised he'll finally testify. But she emphasized that, in several cases -- the DynCorp controversy, for instance -- the State Department had uncovered for itself the extent of corruption-related problems in Iraq and either provided that information to the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, or took action itself. Sometimes, even, Krongard's "very active" office contributes to "how we find things."
Why Rice thinks it's exculpatory that the State Department is aware of billions of dollars worth of corruption problems despite the problems' persistence is, well, a bit unclear. But take that, Waxman! Every now and then, Krongard actually does his job.
Comments (24)
Jake D. wrote on October 25, 2007 1:39 PM:GO RICE!!!
Anonymous wrote on October 25, 2007 1:42 PM:first again with apologist nonsense.
Jake D. wrote on October 25, 2007 1:53 PM:p.s.—i wrote my 'real name' on my middle finger and am showing it to you right now.
Anonymous:
The hate is swelling in you now. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant. It is unavoidable. It is your destiny.
JMOHR wrote on October 25, 2007 1:58 PM:The sycophant Jake D. again rushes in to defend this administration. Hitler would have loved you down in the bunker. Nero would have loved for you to join in a duet while Rome burned. What a poor excuse for a person.
Anonymous wrote on October 25, 2007 2:02 PM:sad old apologist. doesn't care that millions are being wasted in iraq. then again, neither does condi.
Jake D. wrote on October 25, 2007 2:06 PM:Give in to the Dark Side, JMOHR.
brian wrote on October 25, 2007 2:14 PM:I still find it hard to believe this TOOL is the Sec of State.
I'll never be convinced she's an intelligent person. She seems to be just as clueless as the late great Alberto Gonzales.
brian wrote on October 25, 2007 2:14 PM:I still find it hard to believe this TOOL is the Sec of State.
I'll never be convinced she's an intelligent person. She seems to be just as clueless as the late great Alberto Gonzales.
mohio wrote on October 25, 2007 2:15 PM:Anonymous,
moondancer wrote on October 25, 2007 2:20 PM:"doesn't care that millions are being wasted in iraq."
that's billions, with a b.
Let's stop feeding the troll.
I wonder why I find it almost impossible to both watch and listen to anyone in the current administration?
Its clear to me that C Rice hates America. Why else would she defend billions of our tax dollars be stolen. Why else would she hire incompetent traitors in the State Dept.
Anonymous wrote on October 25, 2007 2:21 PM:Jake maybe you can get Crusader Glen Beck to look into the conspiracy of America haters that have taken over our government.
"I'll never be convinced she's an intelligent person."
c'mon. she's full of useful knowledge about soviets and playing piano. that's better than being a horse show judge, right? (unless you used to live in new orleans.)
hmbnancy wrote on October 25, 2007 2:26 PM:I didn't hear one Congress(wo)man neither Dem or GOP ask the most relevant question at a hearing on corruption and the oversight of the State Dept. and IG...
After "assisting" the Iraqi government to develop a democracy for over 4 years, have there been any prosecutions for corruption in the Iraqi government or with independent contractors?
Baldrick wrote on October 25, 2007 2:31 PM:"Why else would she defend billions of our tax dollars be stolen. Why else would she hire incompetent traitors in the State Dept."
Well, it could be related to the ExxonMobil supertanker, "Condoleeza Rice". Perhaps she would like to have her name inscribed on the jockstrap of every mercenary in Iraq, say, or, perhaps Blackwater will name its new West Coast headquarters after her. Immortality in her case probably requires a lot of lying and covering up.
Carolyn wrote on October 25, 2007 2:36 PM:I almost gagged at the end of the hearing when Waxman thanked her for coming. Btw, are diebold and the others being watched, or are they quietly working on next November's fixes?
Supdog wrote on October 25, 2007 2:39 PM:Stonewall-o-rama. Shocking!!
I agree Rice isn't intelligent. She's pedantic and poised; even when spouting the most ridiculous garbage, she does it with the patient, condescending manner of a teacher lecturing an unruly first grader.
So what we got here is, using incompetence & corruption as our metric,
the worst president ever,
the worst SoD ever (Rumsfeld),
the worst SoS ever (Rice),
the worst National Security Advisor (also Rice...you go girl!),
the worst AG ever (Gonzales)
Not sure Cheney is worst VP ever, but I give him points for being the most evil and dangerous
Tross wrote on October 25, 2007 2:48 PM:Can anyone monitoring the comments please ban Jake D?
This is too important to constantly have to engage in meaningless bullsh*t from this guy.
I welcome substantive opposition, but he really is making it difficult to follow the discussions.
If he continues to hijack these discussions, I will have to monitor the hearings from another website. This is too important to put up with his crap.
mjshep wrote on October 25, 2007 2:58 PM:What Tross said.
Tim wrote on October 25, 2007 3:04 PM:Carolyn,
As the people who do the election machine verification are in the pocket of the Republicans, one can only assume that Diebold and the others are already working to ensure an outcome which suits their sponsors.
The people in question are Wyle, a defense contracting agency out of El Segundo, CA (and Huntsville, AL) and Systest, a Denver, CO company who was recently chided by the EAC for accepting money for a junket to FL by a lawyer representing a republican lawmaker.
Yes, there are sources. Link to the Denver Post story above.
foggylady wrote on October 25, 2007 3:15 PM:Rice continues the GOP tradition of doing nothing, knowing nothing.
Austin Cooper wrote on October 25, 2007 3:37 PM:I really get the feeling that all the heads of major and minor depts. sit around all day practicing their CYA phrases.
Betcha Rice has a bunch of Goodling-types running her shop, too.
In fact, only Cheney seems to give the impression of hand on anything..
in his case, hands on everything.
So, other than allow little Jakey, the phony veteran and false-argument dissemenator, to dominate the comments section -- what has everyone accomplished here today?
I mean, Jakey's getting his paycheck, and a little self-stimulatory 'frisson' out of it... what are we getting when we pay attention to him except spin wheels?
Jakey's purpose is to turn any discussion or expression of Left-opinion into a thread that's really all about him... and when criticized, his claims of having his free speech violated, and how it's so intolerant here in Left blogtopia.
So far, this thread is all about Jake --and not about the issue of a lying, dissembling and obfuscating Secretary of State.
(Cross-posted from similar Rice thread.)
TheraP wrote on October 25, 2007 3:53 PM:I have sent emails re the troll. Perhaps they need to hear from more of us.
DickTater wrote on October 25, 2007 4:02 PM:Yes, if only these people were as diligent at doing their jobs (even badly) as they are diligent about covering their asses and lying and obfuscating....we would be miles ahead.
Unfortunately, they spend their time greasing the rails for their corporate masters and throwing sand in our eyes.
Any Reichwinger who has ever made a peep about misuse of money or Dems Tax'N'Spend should be ashamed of themselves. Their party is the party of thieves and massive larceny. At least if a Dem did Tax'N'Spend....an american citizen (not a corporation, not a contractor, not a foreign entity) got the money and the benefit.
Jake D. wrote on October 25, 2007 4:17 PM:Gosh, guys. I've stopped posting here at TPMuckraker, and you are STILL sending e-mails?
TheraP wrote on October 25, 2007 4:50 PM:foggylady:
I've been thinking about that, the combination of incompetent young people hired to carry out the orders of a small clique, with the aim of funneling the treasury to their cronies. Naturally they had to hire incompetents, to hide their crimes. Incompetents who believed they were serving a "higher power" and bringing about the promised land. All the while being stooges for the criminals, who employed them.
Seems to me they are trying to hide two things here: (a) the crimes; (b) the incompetence brought about by the hired stooges.
And the whole thing is endemic in every department of the govt now!