The News Story That Got Away

Yesterday, the NY Times devoted about four column inches to a story deep inside the paper about how the U.S. Army decided not to withhold 15% of money it suspects Halliburton is overcharging them, despite the advice of its own auditors and federal rules that call for withholding in cases like these. That 15% amounts to tens of millions of dollars in this case. Why would the Army do that? I don't know for sure, but I do know that Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the main proponents of this rushed, ill-considered war in Iraq, is the former CEO of Halliburton!

What does it say about the current state of our nation when such a large apparent conflict of interest is politely shrugged off by nearly everyone in Washington? Where's a special prosecutor when you need one?