Blowing Whistles

Blackwater's Iraq contracts mostly come via the State Department. The State Department, meanwhile, has an Inspector General, Howard Krongard, who's supposed to prevent any shenanigans. Or else, as Brian Beutler reports, he could just get up to his own shenanigans:

But Waxman's committee has long been investigating that very office, as well. Recently, seven people working for Krongard alleged that Krongard himself had, in Waxman's words, "interfered with on-going investigations in order to protect the State Department and the White House from political embarrassment." Two of those whistleblowers -- former Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John DeDona and his erstwhile deputy Ralph McNamara -- resigned specifically because of Krongard's meddling.

How did Krongard respond? Allegedly by threatening to terminate anybody else who dared speak with congressional investigators. Two of his employees -- special agents Ron Militana and Brian Rubendall -- have agreed to speak publicly anyway.

There's something breathtaking about the arrogance, corruption, and incompetence here. Bush has some basic reasons of self-interest to want the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to go well. And yet even that kind of motive seems to have no real pull, no ability to get the administration to take the job of governing seriously.