WASHINGTON (AP) - An internal audit of some $8 billion paid to U.S. and Iraqi contractors found that nearly every transaction failed to comply with federal laws or regulations aimed at preventing fraud, in some cases lacking even basic invoices explaining how the money was spent.

Of the money paid during a five-year period - from 2001 through 2006 - $7.8 billion in payments skirted billing rules with some violations egregious enough to invite potential fraud, warned the Defense Department’s inspector general.

The findings provided fresh fodder for anti-war Democrats, who say the Bush administration has turned a blind eye to the problem of corruption and fraud by relying too heavily on contractors to manage the war.

“There is something very wrong when our wounded troops have to fill out forms in triplicate for meal money while billions of dollars in cash are handed out in Iraq with no accountability,” said Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

It’s not too often that I agree with Waxman, but this is one of them, BILLIONS of U.S. tax dollars are wasted in Iraq and our servicemen and women are hurting here at home, they need better care and more benefits yet our guys in Iraq are handing out money in handfuls, BIG handfuls…

In its report, the IG estimated the Army made more than 180,000 commercial payments from stations in Iraq, Kuwait and Egypt in the five-year period. The payments were made for various supplies and services, including bottled water, food and trucks.

There is an every day cost of doing business, and it’s not cheap to feed, clothe and care for a 140K man army in Iraq, and I have absolutely no qualms with money being spent on our troops as they continue to stay in that hell hole in pursuit of Iraqi Freedom, my issue lies in the rebuilding that WE are doing, that WE are paying for from our tax dollars as WE finance the reconstruction of a nation that is swimming in easily recoverable oil resources…

Call me old fashioned but the old axiom is ‘To the victor go the spoils’ and I hear many running their heads about achieving ‘Victory in Iraq’, well, other than oil, just exactly what spoils does Iraq have to offer??

In one example, $11 million was paid to a U.S. company without any record of what goods or services were provided, the IG wrote.

Where do you think they get the money for ‘black ops’?? And yes, we really DO have folks out there engaging in ‘black ops’…

Some so-called milbloggers say it’s all about hearts and minds, I dispute that, it’s about the almighty dollar and who can scam the most of it before someone calls them up for a personal accountability check…

Full Story Here:
Audit finds lax oversight in contractor payments

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