IS THIS THE BEST THEY CAN DO? Conflicting reports on military outsourcing / An attempt to cover-up monstrosities of war & misuse of gov't funds [news]

Article (propaganda source #1): "Report Details Iraq Contract Failures"
Source: Washington Post
Excerpt(s): A $722 million contract to rebuild Iraq's oil and gas production facilities was marked by multiple changes, cost overruns, failure to meet schedules and lack of oversight, according to a new inspector general's report... The contract managers assigned about 30 specific task orders for KBR to carry out, Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq, found. His report, released yesterday, found that the task orders "took longer than planned; were frequently modified, scaled back, and/or terminated; and increased in cost over time." The report also found that the Iraqi government "may not be properly maintaining the rebuilt facilities and equipment that cost hundreds of millions of dollars" and "does not appear to be committed to completing and using some projects."
Link to Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011302789.html?hpid=sec-nation

Article (propaganda source #2): "Inspector General Says Iraq Contract Going Well"
Source: Washington Post
Excerpt(s): The latest report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction offers something relatively rare: Good news about burgeoning contracts and the government's oversight... It seems that Aegis Defence Services, Limited, which has received about $624 million to provide security services to the Defense Department, has been found to perform "satisfactory to outstanding" on contract obligations. Government overseers, meanwhile, have properly awarded and monitored the Aegis contracts, according to the report. "SIGIR found well-supported contract awards to Aegis; appropriate government oversight of Aegis's bills, inventories, performance, and operations; and contract performance assessed as satisfactory to outstanding.
Link to Full Story: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/government-inc/2009/01/good_news_from_iraq.html?wprss=government-inc

Cartoon by khalil@bendib.com, click on image to see large version