ABC: "The Pentagon rejected qualified experts for reconstruction work in Iraq because they were not deemed loyal to the Republican party, according to the former chief of staff of the Washington Office of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Frederick Smith. 'Some people were overlooked because they didn't meet the political saliva test,' Smith, now retired, told ABC News. Smith said political appointees at the Pentagon, including a special assistant to the secretary of defense and White House liaison, James O'Beirne, led the screening. ... In a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Waxman complained the Pentagon was refusing to cooperate and threatened to issue a subpoena for O'Beirne's testimony and Pentagon documents."

More on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee Iraq hearings from the WSJ's Scot Paltrow:

A congressional investigation into waste in Iraq reconstruction work by U.S. contractors threatens to mushroom into a wider inquiry into Pentagon contracting practices in general.

Under questioning by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Defense Contract Audit Agency chief William Reed confirmed that unsupported and questionable costs found in Iraq reconstruction contracting total more than $10 billion -- nearly three times the previous public estimate.

David Walker, head of the Government Accountability office, Congress's audit agency, said lax contracting practices in Iraq are merely "the tip of the iceberg." They are symptomatic of loose Defense Department contracting practices over all, he said, and he urged the committee and Congress in general to conduct a broad investigation into the way the Pentagon awards and oversees contracts.

Mr. Walker said, "There is no accountability. Organizations charged with overseeing contracts are not held accountable. Contractors are not held accountable."

Posted by Laura at February 16, 2007 11:06 AM