"Contractors Rarely Held Responsible for Misdeeds in Iraq" (The Washington Post 11/04/06) and "In Iraq Just Signing the Contract is No. 1" (The New York Times 10/25/06).  A discussion of these and other contracting abuses follows:

A little known truth about Washington has become more evident through recent news about three seemingly unrelated subjects:  Iraq, Katrina, and the nation’s richest counties.

Let’s start with the last first.  America’s three richest counties are all in Washington’s suburbs.  The Wall Street Journal offers a two-word explanatin for this phenomenon:  government contractors.  They have wealth courtesy of the United States taxpayer and these counties are where they live.

As for how they became wealthy, two words again tell the story:  Iraq and Katrina.  Enormous sums have been appropriated by Congress for reconstruction in Iraq and Louisania and Mississippi.  Yet one report after another has described how little evidence there is on the ground that this money has accomplished its mission.  Where, then, is the money?  You guessed it.  A very considerable portion of it is lining the pockets of these contractors.

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