Could D.C. Bribery Have Cost Troops Lives? I asked this in 2006

Could D.C. Bribery Have Cost Troops Lives?
Exclusive: In Finding How IED Targeting Went Awry, Investigator Found Trail Of Gifts And Earmarks

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2008

(CBS) The No. 1 killer of troops in Iraq is the roadside bomb, called IED's, short for "Improvised Explosive Device." By 2004, the top request from the U.S. command in Iraq was the ability to target IED networks.

Congress poured in tens of millions of dollars to a company called MZM - but deaths and injuries continued to soar, CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports for Follow the Money.

It was the job of intelligence officer Maj. Eric Egland to find out why.

"It was my job to do a field evaluation of this program," Egland said.

In an exclusive interview, Egland told us he discovered stunning lapses on the part of MZM, which only hird a third of the employees they were paid for

"What you're hoping for is fewer IED injuries; more IEDs targeted and found?" Attkisson asked.

"Yeah, help the combat units go after the networks that are using IEDs against us," Egland said.

But what really was happening?

"The capability that was being funded was given an unqualified contractor, who failed at even the most basic level to provide the right people, the right resources and the right capability to help our troops deal with the No. 1 threat in Iraq," Egland said.

With American lives at stake, Egland couldn't imagine how a company like MZM got such a crucial contract. His next assignment took him to a place where he could find the answer: The Pentagon.

There, Egland did some digging and found MZM had gotten millions in Defense contracts - courtesy of Rep. Duke Cunningham, R-Calif., in the form of earmarks, grants of money without the normal public review.

As member of the House Intelligence Committee, Cunningham was able to keep the earmarks even more secret than most by making them "classified."
go here for more

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/18/cbsnews_investigates/main4274337.shtml

But in March 2006, I asked the question straight out.
Friday, March 03, 2006

Did Duke Cunningham Kill Troops?
When Duke Cunningham was selling out his soul on "business deals" for the defense department he cut those deals for his own pocket. The issue here goes deeper than just greed. This man dealt with the lives of the troops. For all the deals he pulled off the troops didn't get the best for the money. The troops are the ones who suffered.
Past can present a futureAmid all the negative, Randy "Duke" Cunningham still can take some positive, responsible steps
March 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Tomorrow, Randy “Duke” Cunningham will go to court and find out where he'll spend the next part of his life.The safe bet is federal prison, punishment for taking $2.4 million in bribes as a U.S. congressman.March 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Prosecutors: Greed only motivation: The contracts former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham browbeat the Defense Department into awarding two contractors who showered him with money and gifts were not in the nation's interest, according to documents filed by prosecutors yesterday..................
The U.S. Attorney's Office said “the evidence indicates that Cunningham's motivation was to ensure that his co-conspirators gorged themselves at the national trough regardless of the national interest.”
The prosecutors said Cunningham enthusiastically conspired with defense contractors who complied with his escalating demands for cash, furniture, trips and other bribes.They are requesting that Cunningham receive the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The papers are part of a final push by lawyers on both sides to set up their arguments for Friday's sentencing by Judge Larry Alan Burns.The papers also provide the most detailed description so far of Cunningham's corruption. Prosecutors cited graphic examples of how Cunningham browbeat, threatened and intimidated Pentagon officials and his own staff so that millions of dollars went into the pockets of the contractors.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/index.html
Think about all the talk out of the GOP. How many times have you heard them say that they are the ones to be trusted with our security? How many times have you heard them say that they are the ones who care about the troops?So far they have pulled off invading two countries after 9-11 was allowed to happen and the GOP just passed it off as not Bush' fault. How was Bush supposed to know that he was supposed to be paying attention to security matters when he took over the chair in the Oval Office?
The GOP instead of thinking of the country which was just attacked as well as the Pentagon itself, thought of covering up for one of their boys. It wasn't just Bush's failure to pay attention. He appointed an entire cabinet of ignorant morons just as out of touch with reality and common sense as he is.Then add in what happened with Katrina, the warrantless wire taps, outing of a CIA agent, paying off reporters, using tax payer funds for one religion he liked. The GOP said let him do what he wants because he is the one who was elected. Well they didn't get that part right either. The court put him on the job the first time and Diebold did it the second time.
The GOP let him do what he wanted with Afghanistan and now over four years later, the troops are still there as well as dying at a faster rate. They let him do what he wanted with Iraq. Three years later, the troops are still there and dying at a faster rate.The GOP controlled Congress has held him accountable for nothing. That is until now and they have to run for their jobs again. Now all of a sudden everything the people they called Bush bashers has been proven true and everything Bush has said is being proven lies. Well, where were they when this nation needed them to stand up to Bush and say no?Then we have Cunningham. He couldn't have pulled off his deals and arm twists if the GOP actually took the lives of the troops seriously. Nothing mattered to them when it was not an election year.
Anyone who happens to be a good liar, like Bush and the rest of those who want to stay in power more than they want to take care of this country, can say anything they want but when it is all said and done, none of their words are truth. We have seen the results. We know troops died because of armor was not sent. We know the Halliburton deals gave the troops tainted water and spoiled food as well as hundreds of millions in over charges. How many troops died because Cunningham was greedy and the GOP didn't care? We know how many troops died because they didn't care why the troops were sent in the first place.
http://namguardianangel.blogspot.com/2006/03/did-duke-cunningham-kill-troops.html

But that was on my other blog no one paid much attention to after I messed up the feed. At the time of this posting it was pulling a couple of hundred hits a day.


But the first time this came up was in 2005

Tuesday, November 29, 2005
DEATH IN IRAQ AND THE MONEY THAT BOUGHT IT
If that scandals that have rocked Capital Hill in the last four years were not enough we now have a powerful member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee admitting he took bribes from a defense contractor. Not only had this contractor Mitchell Wade of MZM paid him off in bribes, he was also a large backer accused of forcing his employees of contributing to his campaign.

http://namguardianangel.blogspot.com/2005/11/death-in-
iraq-and-money-that-bought-it.html

Be angry about all this now and you will be if you are honestly paying attention. But you still have to ask yourself why you have not been paying attention all along to any of this while our troops are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Democrats have tried to hold hearings on all of this when the GOP held all the power. They held hearings in basement rooms with only CSPAN covering them. No one paid attention to what was being done to the troops or for the troops when anyone dared to question Bush on it. As time goes by, people like me are vindicated and it should feel good but it doesn't. We failed to get the people who supported Bush to pay attention in time to save some lives and a lot of limbs in the process along with a lot of wounded minds.