Where is John McCain's outrage at THIS government spending?

Intelligent people of goodwill can argue about whether the U.S. needs to spend as much as it does on defense. The same people who are willing to go along with John McCain's refusal to support the G.I. Bill because it's too expensive (and might keep kids with no other prospects from re-upping until they're killed in the war that McCain promises to continue indefinitely) are the same ones who screamed bloody murder at the thought that a sick child whose parents aren't living on the street might be getting SCHIP coverage. But you'd think they'd scream equally loudly at the money being squandered at and by war profiteers in Iraq -- money that could pay for half the GI Bill or 2/3 of the expansion of SCHIP:

A BBC investigation estimates that around $23bn (£11.75bn) may have been lost, stolen or just not properly accounted for in Iraq.

The BBC's Panorama programme has used US and Iraqi government sources to research how much some private contractors have profited from the conflict and rebuilding.

A US gagging order is preventing discussion of the allegations.

The order applies to 70 court cases against some of the top US companies.

War profiteering

While Presdient George W Bush remains in the White House, it is unlikely the gagging orders will be lifted.

To date, no major US contractor faces trial for fraud or mismanagement in Iraq.

The president's Democratic opponents are keeping up the pressure over war profiteering in Iraq.

Henry Waxman, who chairs the House committee on oversight and government reform, said: "The money that's gone into waste, fraud and abuse under these contracts is just so outrageous, it's egregious.

"It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history."

In the run-up to the invasion, one of the most senior officials in charge of procurement in the Pentagon objected to a contract potentially worth $7bn that was given to Halliburton, a Texan company which used to be run by Dick Cheney before he became vice-president.

Unusually only Halliburton got to bid - and won.


Missing billions

The search for the missing billions also led the programme to a house in Acton in west London where Hazem Shalaan lived until he was appointed to the new Iraqi government as minister of defence in 2004.

I hope the Obama campaign is prepared to confront John McCain on his curious silence on war profiteering, which may be partially due to this.