Remember when Susan Collins investigated Iraq contractor fraud? Neither do I.

You would have to have had your head up your ass to be the Chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for the first four years of the Iraq war and not have seen the need to hold hearings on contractor abuses pretty much every damned day.

But that's just what Susan Collins did.

In all those years, with all those stories about Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater, and what have you?

One friggin' hearing. What a champ.

•  And, how many has Holy Joe had?

  Not many more, if any.

  by Phil S 33 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:51:54 PM PDT

  •  Little Senator in the Red Dress with the Squeaky

    Voice stood side-by-side with Holy Joe and then Holy Joe stood side-by-side with her on that little committee' that could.
    So  they  did.

    by deMemedeMedia on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:14:02 PM PDT

  •  Not fair to compare Collins to Joe

    She's not that bad.

    Great report -- wish our media did stuff like that more often.  

    As a matter of politics, I wonder if this is the right strategy against Collins.  I don't know Maine, but I know she is really popular there as was Chafee in RI.  We beat Chafee not by attacking him but by attacking the Rethugs and making the case that we couldn't afford another Rethug in the Senate, and indeed, people were thanking Chafee for being a "great Senator" as they voted against him.  Wonder if that is the right strategy against Collins or if this is.  Regardless of strategy, I like hitting her on this as a matter of principle.

    by NewDem on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:38:20 PM PDT

    •  I'm in Maine and she's NOT as popular

      as the media claims - but she has a really good fundraising group and knows how to make sure that military contracts keep coming in (BNAS is holding their own as long as she shills for them - ergot, people keep their jobs in southern Maine).  Follow the dollars - sad but true.  That doesn't lessen the fact that she is a Rethug through and through.

      by seefleur on Fri May 16, 2008 at 05:16:29 PM PDT

    •  Rec'd due to the media comment

      I'm impressed with this local station's serious coverage.  Our local stations in the Detroit market are all text messaging scandal all the time with the obligatory story about some virus or criminal scam that should keep you hiding in the basement in terror for a couple of days.

      by brightstar on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:55:14 PM PDT

•  Hey, give her a break...

  freedom was on the march.  Remember?

  by cleverblogname on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:52:11 PM PDT

•  Cmon Kangro--not like it's baseball

  Or something worthy of our time....

  We needn't waste valuable legislative time focusing on war profiteering...

  by SemDem on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:52:25 PM PDT

•  Heckuva job Susan

  by RumsfeldResign on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:52:31 PM PDT

  •  Yes!! Finally!! Nail Her on This!!!

    by serrano on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:03:44 PM PDT

•  All New England in Republicans are in trouble

  She better think of switching parties if she is to survive. Kind of the opposite of the old Southern Democrats who switched to Republicans (Shelby, Thurmond, Lott).

  Not as bad as the typical Republican, but if she is not doing her job of oversight, why even bother to be  a Senator?

  by organicdemocrat on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:52:59 PM PDT

  •  We don't want her criminal Puke Ass

    She should join the population in Leavenworth.

    by Dave925 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:03:40 PM PDT

    •  Dynamite Story!!!

      Can we get these guys on the National Scene???!!!

      by serrano on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:07:31 PM PDT

    •  Still, she is not the worst. Then again who are

      we comparing her with? Larry Craig? Sen. Stevens of Alaska? McCoin?

      by organicdemocrat on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:08:31 PM PDT

      •  McCoin, hysterical sums it all up fast!

        by bldr on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:13:46 PM PDT

        •  Sen. McCoin. Remember the Keating Five.

          The Savings and Loan debacle of the eighties happened on McCoin's watch.

          by organicdemocrat on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:16:26 PM PDT

      •  How about Sen Roberts?

        Republican, Kansas, chair of the intelligence committee from 2002 to 2007 stalled investigations into misuse of intelligence. Gave immunity to torturers if they did their torturing before Dec. 2005.  

        Quid Pro Quo:
        Bush raised $650,000 at a fundraiser for Roberts in June 2007...for his 2008 run.

        It's so hard to pick just one Republican who denied us the truth. Buncha criminals.

        by Panda on Sat May 17, 2008 at 12:37:32 PM PDT

  •  You mean "All Republicans in New England"...?

    by homoaffectional on Sat May 17, 2008 at 09:39:36 AM PDT

•  You would think the criminal liability....

  ...would extend to her inaction as well. I mean, it's clearly pretty blatant that she went out of her way NOT to find anything. It's not as if that wasn't the focus of her duties.

  by LanceThruster on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:53:29 PM PDT

  •  Accessory After the Fact

    Carries the same penalties as if she were the perp.

    Being charged and tried should give her the opportunity I am sure she craves to clear her good name. Right?

    by Dave925 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:02:55 PM PDT

•  See no evil, Hear no evil..

  by organicdemocrat on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:54:03 PM PDT

  •  You remind me of something Bob Dole said

    at a gathering of some sort at which Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon were in attendance:

    "Look, there's 'See No Evil,' 'Hear No Evil,' and 'Evil'."

    by Spud1 on Sat May 17, 2008 at 05:31:49 AM PDT

•  There's gonna be some post 43 repercussions...

  for gobs of these folks.

  :)

  ::::

  by nowheredesign on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:55:12 PM PDT

  •  Each and Every One

    Of these hopefully former elected officials Puke malefactors must be hunted down and whipped like the nasty curs they are.

    The full force of the law should be applied to the "accountability" crowd.

    by Dave925 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:00:25 PM PDT

  •  You think?....................eom

    by Hornito on Fri May 16, 2008 at 04:32:32 PM PDT

•  I wrote her a letter after the missing billions

  came to light - not in the corporate media, but from the left - surprise!! no response.

  by Molly M on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:55:20 PM PDT

•  Net worth

  Do the Revenue Service people ever check income tax and net worth of individuals who are responsible for oversight?

  When something as blatant as this gets past the smell test one wonders how.

  by ohcanada on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:55:32 PM PDT

•  Look, there is the real world, and then there ...

  ...is the parallel Republican dimension. Those many many hearings were held in that parallel dimension. Believe me. And Congresswoman Collins did a masterful job.

  by Meteor Blades on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:56:07 PM PDT

  •  So THAT's where the

    "Change You Deserve" is from! I thought they just pulled it outta their parallel butt.

    by Mother Mags on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:03:11 PM PDT

    •  Chuckle!

      by homoaffectional on Sat May 17, 2008 at 09:47:16 AM PDT

•  How Come

  Susan Collins looks like a man?

  Weird stuff.

  by Dave925 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 02:58:50 PM PDT

  •  Collins made by the same maker as Joe LIEberman

    While Collins looks like a MAN her shadow Joe LIEberman looks like one of the clowns from that B movie "Killer Clowns from Outer Space". Even without makeup. What would be the results if these two had children together? lol

    by imicon on Fri May 16, 2008 at 06:25:40 PM PDT

•  pardon me, senator

  but what exactly is "absolutely absurd" about tom allen's assertion here? you chaired the committee that should have properly looked into what has become a clusterfuck of biblical proportions. you held a single hearing with a single witness.

  in 4 years.

  absolutely absurd indeed.

  "after the Rapture, we get all their shit"

  It's time: the albany project.

  by lipris on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:00:29 PM PDT

  •  She was just following the Republican

    Business plan.  Yes, we are ruled by underpants gnomes.  Turn the page indeed!

    by Shhs on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:04:35 PM PDT

•  AND how much heat from DC Dems? the

  fascists are gonna run ads how the Dems did NOTHING while rome burned, AND

  they're gonna get away with it, CUZ

  the lame ass / sell out / incompetent sacks of shit called "Democratic Congresscritter / Senator" currently in DC can't do, or won't do, or don't do message worth a shit.

  While it is disgusting that she did pretty much nothing, she is a member of the fascist-enabler party, so

  we should be surprised?

  What is worse than her is WORTHLESS harry and nancy ... remember MORE Dems = better world?

  Better Dems would mean MORE than whipping fascist ass this Nov., it would also mean the end of these fascist bastards and their chief fucking toadies.

  rmm.

  by seabos84 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:01:20 PM PDT

  •  Amen brother

    The traitors need to go to jail for a very long time, if not forever.

    by Dave925 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:05:33 PM PDT

•  Business Plan!

  Yes Republicans are the party of Underpants gnomes!

  by Shhs on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:01:58 PM PDT

•  Flash forward: Collins in January 2009:

  "Would you like fries with that?"

  -

  by Bill in Portland Maine on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:02:49 PM PDT

  •  Super Size Me, Baby!

    n/t

    by BigOkie on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:07:22 PM PDT

  •  From your lips to the FSM's ears! nt

    by seefleur on Fri May 16, 2008 at 05:18:14 PM PDT

•  what else would you expect from a bushco

  cheerleader???
  tie bush around her neck and heave ho the worthless corpracitic sychophant. collins = bush = mccain = rove = trash

  by pickandshovel on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:06:34 PM PDT

•  So Who Do We Have

  In Maine, besides Bill I mean, to run against her?  No offense, Bill.  I mean, if you want to run I would send you some bucks for the campaign--But you still have to do Cheers and Jeers.

  by BigOkie on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:06:38 PM PDT

  •  Congressman Tom Allen is running against her:

    Tom Allen. Please donate if you can; I did yesterday.

    Tom Allen challenged her forcefully on her failure to do oversight.

    by lecsmith on Sat May 17, 2008 at 01:45:03 AM PDT

•  She has just been taking care of her people..

  Blackwater, Bechtel, Halliburton, etc.

  by jnhobbs on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:11:41 PM PDT

•  Kagro! Kagro! Kagro!

  Feel free to repost this above C&J.  I have to leave for the weekend (helping some friends open up a cottage near Boothbay Harbor), so I had to post now.

  I also have an item about the Channel 13 piece...hard to believe it's coming from a Sinclair Broadcasting station.

  Have a great weekend!

  -

  by Bill in Portland Maine on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:12:33 PM PDT

•  What did she DO about it?

  Apparently, she shrugged and let the gangsters continue looting the treasury. And undermining our troops. AND undermining the War on Terrorism.

  Great job, Sue.

  Oh, and, pardon me, but,

  How many people are on the "no-fly" list?

  This expensive distraction from ACTUAL TERRORISTS is a racketeering scheme disguised as a national security effort, and Sue Collins has done NOTHING about it.

  To her credit, Sue Collins authored a law prohibiting the Bush Administration from conducting warrantless searches of registered mail, which Bush specifically overturned BY FIAT, declaring that he could search registered mail without a warrant. If Sue Collins had called for this brazen fascist tyrant to be removed from office, then she might merit re-election.

  As it is, she's an enabler of fascism. If I were running her opponents campaign, I'd have all the enabling cued up for ads.

  by taraka das on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:15:47 PM PDT

•  it will shorten her farewell speeches

  not so much to remember her for...bye, bye Sue

  by ROADRUNNER DEM on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:26:40 PM PDT

•  I'm matching contributions to Tom Allen this week

  Here's my ActBlue page:

  http://www.actblue.com/...

  Please consider donating to the other races as well, but I'm matching the next $195 at $0.50 on the dollar for Tom Allen.  I picked up another $30 from a thread by Spud1 of turnmaineblue.com this morning - help me out, folks!

  by AnotherMassachusettsLiberal on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:26:55 PM PDT

  •  I gave Tom $20 when he declared for Obama

    Kinda' tapped out for now.  But thank you for your efforts!

    by badger1968 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 05:41:34 PM PDT

•  Suggestions and links

  Maine voters should be given one, single, clear example they can identify with... an icon of contractor waste, fraud, and abuse. Maybe some troops from the state of Maine have issues to bring forward?

  Below are some leads that might help.  I did not spot the egregious incident that first came to mind -- it went something like this... our troops were sent special treats so they could relax and enjoy themselves (and watch a major sports event on TV?)... but the contractors (KBR?)  got all excited and kept it to and for themselves.  The Splurge in Iraq.

  Senator Collins? -- Ask her:
  If it is too political to hold hearings to investigate contractor waste, fraud, and abuse  then in what way is it NOT too political if you fail to hold hearings.....especially when all the targets of investigation are linked to YOUR political party. Please explain how there is NO appearance of serious conflict of interest in your failure to act, especially in light of how much your predecessors conserve money:

  Truman Committee

  Truman gained fame and respect when his preparedness committee (popularly known as the "Truman Committee") investigated the scandal of military wastefulness by exposing fraud and mismanagement. The Roosevelt Administration had initially feared the Committee would hurt war morale, and Under Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson wrote to the president declaring it was "in the public interest" to suspend the committee. Truman wrote a letter to FDR saying that the committee was "100 percent behind the administration" and that it had no intention of criticizing the military conduct of the war.  The committee was considered a success and is reported to have saved at least $15 billion.  

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S.Truman#U.S.Senator

  Links to Iraq contractor stories........

   http://www.mydd.com/...

  " I made about $25,000; KBR wanted $40,000 to dig ditches [for six weeks] to help with the rain and level a parking lot."
  SNIP
  This is the first installment of a five-part blog series sharing the experiences of Rachel, an Iraq War veteran who was a firsthand witness to many cases of contractor abuse against the troops.
  It seems that, each day, I wake up and read a new way in which private contractors are taking advantage of our troops in Iraq. New reports surface that illuminate the greed and corruption of these private companies, hired through multi-billion dollar contracts to support the health and security of American soldiers. These services are too important to be performed without oversight and accountability for the devastating results that occur. From electrocutions due to faulty wiring and the provision of contaminated water, to rape, arbitrary shootings of Iraqi civilians, and tax evasion, the stories pile up with such a magnitude of horror, it is truly conscience-stirring for even the most jaded among us.

  And yet, so many of these stories remained buried in the mainstream press. It saddens me that so many of these soldiers have received disgusting and hazardous treatment while defending our country, and are unable to make their voices heard.

  More voices:
  http://www.corpwatch.org/...

  The Mother of All Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Documents (too hot to handle):
  "War is a Racket" by Gen. Smedley Butler.

  http://www.lexrex.com/...

  by LNK on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:41:44 PM PDT

  •  War Profitieering Commission

    Bush did away with the WPC that was part of the 2007 Defense Authorization bill:

    U. S. Representative Tom Allen today condemned a "signing statement" issued yesterday by President Bush as he signed the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.  In the statement, the President asserts that he is not bound to comply with two provisions which Representative Allen sponsored in the House.  Section 841 of the bill would establish an independent Commission on Wartime Contracting to investigate Iraq and Afghanistan wartime contracts and the contracting processes. This Commission is based on then-Senator Harry Truman's special Committee during World War II. Representative Allen and Representative John F. Tierney (D-MA) sponsored this provision in the House and Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) sponsored the companion legislation in the Senate.  Section 1222 of the bill bans spending of any appropriated or authorized funds to establish permanent military bases in Iraq. Representative Allen first introduced legislation to prohibit funding for permanent bases in Iraq in 2005.

    Representative Allen noted that the provision in the legislation to create a commission to root out waste and corruption in contracts awarded in both Iraq and Afghanistan was a direct result of the failure of previous Congresses to conduct hearings and investigations despite widespread reports of waste and abuse.

    by Spud1 on Sat May 17, 2008 at 05:17:57 AM PDT

•  And Joe LIEberman continues this tradition of....

  treason by impeding and investigations into this maladministration. Katrina? No problems there. FISA? Nothing to see here.

  by Hornito on Fri May 16, 2008 at 04:28:53 PM PDT

•  the Chinese shoot 'em and harvest their organs

  Now, i'm not suggesting the US should do the same. I'm just saying.

  by subtropolis on Fri May 16, 2008 at 04:38:12 PM PDT

•  I know Maine since I was born and live there

  Rep. Tom Allen is running for the Senate against Sen Susan Collins. I think a majority of Mainers have had enough of Collins. Tom Allen has been good for Maine and the USA in his role in The House. It is time to remove Sen Collins and send Tom Allen to the Senate in Collins place. We need less Republicans to turn things around. Rep Tom Allen is a fighter and plans to vote against funding the war in Iraq.  Ayuh..

  by imicon on Fri May 16, 2008 at 04:38:55 PM PDT

•  From Maine

  Let's not help or dignify Suze by saying things like "she's not as bad as the rest of the Republicans."  It's like saying "Goering wasn't as bad as Hitler."  And yes, I'll stand behind that.  Suze has been nothing but a cheerleader for the worst President in our history.  Her complicity has resulted in the untimely and unnecessary deaths of thousands of young Americans, the bankrupting of our nation, and the coming climate crisis that could be far worse than both.  She is a miserable hack, and I'm ashamed she is from Maine.  Do not dignify this woman.

  by badger1968 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 05:51:28 PM PDT

  •  Resulted in the untimely and unnecessary deaths

    The catch phrase in this and Allen's argument against Collins and every cheerleader that turned a blind eye to the Bushco efforts.

    As criminal as pulling the trigger themselves because not only did it get us mired in Iraq and lead to the endless killing of Americans, coalition forces and Iraqis, but it led to the recruiting efforts that foster hatred of America worldwide and led to the demise of any goodwill we had after 9/11.  

    by Maura Satchell on Sat May 17, 2008 at 04:34:10 AM PDT

•  Here is a list of some of the things she did

  investigate, from diploma mills, to unused airline tickets to whether Minnesota was ready for a SARS epidemic. Enjoy.

  by Spud1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:26:51 PM PDT

•  History will not be kind to Susan Collins

  But then, history doesn't have to. Susan Collins has garnered the obligation of the rich war makers that have profited so obscenely from Bush's war and Susan's malignant negligence in her duty of oversight.

  Collins will be obliterated in the coming election, but her future is assured as a lobbyist or a pet "consultant" on the board of Haliburton or one of the other war profiteers sucking blood and money from this country and the world.

  Any vague dreams Susan Collins may have had of being remembered as a benefit to society have been destroyed by her corrupt support of BushCo's war. When you tell us that the best way to do oversight is to avoid oversight, we recognize your doubletalk.

  So wear your flag pin with your George Bush Plutonium Albatross necklace, Susan Collins. It stinks like hell, and it's extremely toxic. You've earned it.

  by jimbo92107 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 10:22:51 PM PDT