Why We Fight


Ah, Kleptocracy:

According to U.S. and Iraqi officials, bribery and outright theft are flourishing in virtually every Iraqi ministry, and some of those ill-gotten gains are being used to kill American troops.

...

"According to the report, these are some of the ministries where corruption seemed to be rampant: the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Oil, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Water Resources, Finance, Electricity, Labor, and Social Affairs, Displacement and Migration, Science and Technology. I mean, what's left?" Kroft asked.

"I was gonna ask you that. Okay? It's pretty much across the board in every ministry," [State Department’s Office of Accountability and Transparency in Iraq chief of staff James] Mattil replied.

Mattil says shortly after the unclassified report was leaked to the press last summer, the State Department decided to make it classified.

Asked for what reason it was classified, Mattil said, "The embarrassment factor, I would think."

But the State Department's decision to try and bury the report didn't change the facts in Iraq. In some cases, Mattil says the corruption involves outright theft of government funds, or bribery, with some of the money finding its way into the hands of insurgents or Iraqi militias.

"In other cases, it is the militias and insurgents themselves who control some of the ministries, who are involved in the corruption and funding their activities through these actions," Mattil said.

Asked if this is known and condoned by Prime Minister Maliki, Mattil said, "It's known and tolerated by the prime minister and other officials within the government."

"And they're aware of the level of corruption?" Kroft asked.

"Yes," Mattil said. "They would have to be."

"The point that must be clear is that that the American and the Iraqi funds are now going to the militias. And both Iraqis and the Americans are being killed with that. And this is the big problem," [former Iraqi judge and anti-corruption advocate] Radhi told Kroft.

The situation got so bad, Radhi says his investigators could not even enter certain government buildings.

Here's the entire story.

The lives of our soldiers and our tax dollars "at work." I think the only appropriate reaction is...heckuva job.