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 [Political Forum] That Awful Sucking Sound “We don’t know what we paid for” In Iraq: Auditors found that the Pentagon gave away $1.8 billion from seized Iraqi assets. There were 53 vouchers noting these payments but not even one adequately explained where the money went.

 [Alobar Greywalker: Magickal Record (aka Frater PVN, LA-BAJ-AL)] US spending in Iraq ignored rules: The review was seen as significant because, unlike previous critical audits of US spending in Iraq, it was the first time the Pentagon itself had revealed mismanagement on such a scale.

 [REAL LIBERAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH] DUMP THE PENTAGON: BLACK HOLE: That’sa quote from Mary Ugone, the Defense Department’s deputy inspector general for auditing, concerning massive Pentagon payments made during the occupation and war in Iraq for which there is no existing (or grossly inadequate) .

 [waccobb] Pentagon Audit Faults Payments to Contractors in Iraq: Many of the previous investigations of payments to contractors in Iraq have focused on the flawed effort to rebuild the country's decrepit electricity grid, oil infrastructure, transportation network and public institutions. The feeble accountability and spotty paperwork of the contracts examined by Kicklighter's office make it difficult to say what many of them were for, but the report indicates that many appeared to be for things as mundane as bottles of water, truck rentals and food deliveries.

[progressivedem.com] Pentagon Violated Federal Rules Giving Taxpayers' Money to War ...: "In one case, according to documents displayed by Pentagon auditors at the hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, a cash payment of $320.8 million in Iraqi money was authorized on the basis of a single signature and the words “Iraqi Salary Payment” on an invoice. In another, $11.1 million of taxpayer money was paid to IAP, an American contractor, on the basis of a voucher with no indication of what was delivered.

 [Blog from The Washington Independent - US news and politics - washingtonindependent.com] The Military's Subprime Mess: Another difference during this war is that lenders have the ability to communicate more with military personnel overseas. So while they are fighting in Iraq, they get emails and phone calls from lenders hassling them about their late mortgage payments.

[Iraq War Today] In Today's News - Tuesday, May 27, 2008: Commentary: Iraq Veteran Reflects Comrades, Loved Ones Contemplate Sacrifice Progress Shown at Pentagon Memorial IRAQ NEWS No Time for Al-Qaida to Regroup as Coalition, Iraq Forces Up Pressure Iraqi Forces Learn Combat Camera Skills .

[Kid Mercury's Blog] The Pentagon Takes Charge: Here are words to pin to the Bush years like a wilting corsage: "We don't know what we paid for." That's a quote from Mary Ugone, the Defense Department's deputy inspector general for auditing, concerning massive Pentagon payments made during the occupation and war in Iraq for which there is no existing (or grossly inadequate) documentation. In fact, according to the inspector general for the Defense Department, "the Pentagon cannot account for almost $15 billion worth of goods and services ranging from trucks, bottled water, and mattresses to rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns that were bought from contractors in the Iraq reconstruction effort."

[Freedom Alert!] US paying allies to fight war in Iraq: in Iraq continues. Testifying before the US Congress Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on 22 May, Mary Ugone, deputy inspector general of accounts in the Pentagon said that an audit of $8.2 billion spending related to

[Just Foreign Policy News] Just Foreign Policy News, May 23, 2008: Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric has been quietly issuing religious edicts declaring that armed resistance against U.S.-led foreign troops is permissible - a potentially significant shift by a key supporter of the Washington-backed government in Baghdad. The edicts, or fatwas, by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani suggest he seeks to sharpen his long-held opposition to American troops and counter the populist appeal of his main rivals, firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia.

[shockedawe.com] news: As Obama tells it, McCain, with his long career in Washington and his willingness to embrace Bush Administration policies on taxes, health care, and the war in Iraq, is part of what the American people are so desperately seeking change from. The political gods would have a hard time deliberately crafting a political climate better suited to Obama’s unique persona and message.

[stillred.com Blog] Pentagon cannot account for almost $15 billion: An audit report issued in November found that $5.2 billion of U.S. payments to buy weapons, trucks, generators and other equipment to support Iraqi security forces had major deficiencies in how items were accounted for, saying that the Defense Department did not know “what equipment is due in, due out, issued and on hand.” The inspector general found that the Defense Department could not account for 12,712 of 13,508 weapons, including assault rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers for Iraqi forces.

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