Iraq Inspector: U.S. Must Change Course

CBS Evening News: Stuart Bowen Recounts Billions Wasted In Reconstruction, New System Needed For Afghanistan

(CBS)  It's not what U.S. taxpayers want to hear from the man charged with monitoring how their money was spent in Iraq:

“Billions of dollars were wasted in the Iraqi reconstruction enterprise,” said Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

But now, as attention - and more tax dollars - are turned to Afghanistan, Bowen warns the U.S. effort there is headed the same way, reports CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan.

“Thirty-two billion dollars later, we don't know a whole lot about what's happened to that money,” Bowen said.

It's so critical that the Bowen was called in by the Obama administration, within a week of the inauguration.

“We had meetings over there on specifically how the Iraq lessons apply to Afghanistan,” Bowen said.

“So that’s a particular concern right now?” Logan asked.

“Number one, I would say, yes,” Bowen said.

Number one because Iraq's reconstruction has been a disaster and the new administration knows they have to make dramatic changes or Afghanistan will be even worse.

“Be sure that you're building to the need of the local level,” said Bowen, who warned that if that was not done, the reconstruction would fail.

Bowen knows all about the failures in U.S. reconstruction efforts. In Iraq, he's done over 300 investigations and more than 250 audits and inspections, getting out across the country. He was shocked by what he found:

“You have multiple departments carrying out similar missions without effective communication,” Bowen said. “You get redundancy, you get waste, and you hinder the U.S. mission.”

“The bottom line is the U.S. has to change the way they do business in reconstruction, the system is flawed?” Logan asked.

“That’s exactly right,” Bowen said.

The challenge now is to apply those lessons from Iraq to the even greater needs in Afghanistan.

[motown67usa]

The Special Inspector General has been reporting on this problems from the moment it was created. The U.S. used bad contracts where companies were paid no matter what they quality of work, allowed delays and overruns. Most importantly, the U.S. went into Iraq with a best case scenario and didn't think that it would have to pay for most of the reconstruction, Iraqi oil would do the job. They also got sidetracked by the security situation which drained away millions of dollars. In a review of the U.S. work called "Hard Lessons" the Inspector General concluded that the U.S. had failed to reconstruction Iraq. It didn't have the planning or resources to do the job. There was far too much waste, and the number of successful projects were far below projections. The one success was rebuilding the Iraqi security forces, something that wasn't even included in the original planning. For more see: musingsoniraq.blogspot.com

[vm7488-2009]

I thought Obama promised to bring our troops home immediately - what happened with that promise?
Was Obama lying?
------------ Posted by TruePirate09 at 6:16 AM : Mar 17, 2009


I don't know if you're a democrat who was too hopeful or another one of those Radical Rightists seeding misinformations.... But I know the facts that Obama didn't say "I promise I will send the troops back home immediately (within the next few seconds if possible)". Don't you know how the process works?

It's either you're a deliriumed Obama fan or you don't even know who Obama is or what he talks about because you listen to too much Rush Limbough (who is also another embarassing idiot. Damn I wish Obama accepts his debate to wipe his ass on the floor with my puke).

[fedup12]

Posted by TruePirate09 at 6:04 AM : Mar 17, 2009

Bubba is really a derogatory term more appropriate for Republicant Southern White Nascar Trash.

Please, at least try to get your insults right.

[Newster1]

?Thirty-two billion dollars later, we don't know a whole lot about what's happened to that money,? Bowen said. "

Same thing that happened to all the rest under King George the last's reign.

[flsunjnky]

I thought Obama promised to bring our troops home immediately
Posted by TruePirate09

Maybe that's your problem, you think too much. He made no such promise.

[formrusmcsgt]

I thought Obama promised to bring our troops home immediately - what happened with that promise?
Posted by TruePirate09 at 6:07 AM : Mar 17, 2009

Obama campaigned on a promise to bring troops home within 16 months, which is the time-table set out in the agreement with the Iraqis made after the election.

So, to answer your question, it's right on track.

[formrusmcsgt]

Posted by american_11-2009 at 5:48 AM : Mar 17, 2009

You know, xenophobia IS treatable......

[formrusmcsgt]

Dubya reminds me of the Seinfield show when George (appropriately named, eh?) decides to do the exact opposite of his inclinations because they are always wrong.

Dubya obviously never saw the episode....

[antoniof123]

What ever happened to the campaign promise of bringing our troops home once elected? Oh yeah - that was to win the Presidency - now it is much tougher than ever imagined.
Ladis and gentlemen, how is that snake oil working for you with this administration?
Posted by TruePirate09 at 5:37 AM : Mar 17, 2009

You know you should stop trying to twist words around you kind the Rush people kept us in Iraq and Americans decided that you and your ilk would not be the ones to lead PERIOD.

Now I am no longer expalining it to the conservatives they are too dense to understand the only way to deal with you is to further remove you from power.

The GOP was sent a clear message to work with the Democrats and to moderate if they don't they except a blood bath again in 2010.

[sandy19731]

Neither Obama nor Bush is/was a fascist. Let's just let that one go.

[sandy19731]

Definition of Fascism (Webster).

Fascism: A political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.

[formrusmcsgt]

Number one because Iraq's reconstruction has been a disaster and the new administration knows they have to make dramatic changes or Afghanistan will be even worse.
---

Ahhh. The dubya mark of administrative excellence....make a total disaster of it and leave it for someone else to clean up.

[megawhy]

What a freaking idiot, living in some extreme right-wing la la land. Why don't you go back to whatever fascist fantasy-land you came from.
Posted by cj7jeepstir at 4:26 AM : Mar 17, 2009
------------------------
The facists are now in power...go look up the definition! And La La Land...is the other name for the Obama Administration. Man, you need to stop with your drugs..it is messing you up!

[megawhy]

I think we need to turn Stuart Bowen loose on the Obama Adminstration. I wonder how many trillion s of dollars are being wasted? What's obscene is what Congress and the Obama Administration is doing to this country!

[cj7jeepstir]

Well guess what? If the Liberals and the News Media hadn't been supporting the Terrorists in Iraq the entire time, there wouldn't have been a "War" to interfere with reconstruction. Just more sick Liberal Hypocrisy that they will use as an excuse to Cut-N-Run from Afghanistan.

Posted by neo267-2009 at 2:34 AM : Mar 17, 2009
_______________________________________

What a freaking idiot, living in some extreme right-wing la la land. Why don't you go back to whatever fascist fantasy-land you came from.

[missingamerica]

?Thirty-two billion dollars later, we don't know a whole lot about what's happened to that money,? Bowen said.

Hint: Look to KBR's and Halliburton's present and past employees.

[grabandgo]

Lets put all of them in prison. Americans have had enough of the greedy people.

[neo267-2009]

Well guess what? If the Liberals and the News Media hadn't been supporting the Terrorists in Iraq the entire time, there wouldn't have been a "War" to interfere with reconstruction. Just more sick Liberal Hypocrisy that they will use as an excuse to Cut-N-Run from Afghanistan.

[ajjaxtheleast]

The wail was that the dems were sitting around WAITING for the
government to do something for them.

Now who is it that's stomping around SCREAMING for the government
to do something for them?

Not even trying to appear as if losing the election
didn't stun them.

[ajjaxtheleast]

The final assement of Bush's invasion of Iraq wont be complete
until the dead and displaced Iraqis are back in their homes
and can respond to the polls.

Any Clinton mess is fixable,,, but a couple hundred thousand
Iraqis, some of which will be able to and some of which will be unable to
assure you,,, Bush's mess is permanent.

Eight years of death and destruction all around George wasn't enough
,,,had to add the thievery of billions of our worked-for dollars.