Money being wasted in Iraq

Your Bush administration at work.

The AP reports on an investigation into the progress of reconstruction in Iraq. At least one-third of the money spent so far has gone to pay "administrative" expenses.

Overhead costs ate up about a third of five major reconstruction projects in Iraq, according to a government audit.

The audit by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction found the administrative costs — including transportation, mobilization, administration, personnel support and security — ranged from 11 percent to 55 percent at the projects, consuming $460 million of the $1.3 billion spent.

The report suggested that some of the costs may be underestimated because the government did not consistently track the administrative amounts or require companies to report them in the same way.

Bush hasn't even bothered to count the dollars flowing into Iraq. And, of course, every one of these dollars is allocated outside of the normal budgeting process, because Bush does not want it on the books. He does not want you to know how much of your money he is funnelling into the pockets of his and his party's corporate donors.

The next time Bush or one of his mouthpieces starts talking about how much progress is being made in Iraq, I wish somebody would ask what that means.