Providing accountability

Monday, March 9, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

During the Bush administration the federal government started giving out billions of dollars in contracts, often to White House friends and Washington insiders, without requiring competitive bids. Many of those contracts went to the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, where there was little oversight of how the money was spent.

Federal prosecutors have filed charges against several people alleging fraud and bribery related to the no-bid contracts. In addition, government watchdogs say those contracts cost taxpayers billions of dollars because of uncontrolled spending and waste. The Associated Press reports there are now more than 140 investigations into contract fraud in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

So last week we were glad President Barack Obama ordered new rules to end the Bush administration’s policies that led to waste and fraud in government contracting.

“In some cases, contracts are awarded without competition,” Obama said. “In others, contractors actually oversee other contractors.”

The president was joined by former rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at the announcement of the new rules. The Republicans’ track record on the issue was abysmal during George W. Bush’s eight years as president, but we hope Obama’s initiative draws bipartisan support.

Accountability and transparency could become a hallmark of the Obama administration. The president has stated repeatedly that the public must know how government is spending its money. The White House created a Web site — www.recovery.gov — for citizens to track progress of spending. And the stimulus bill signed by Obama last month contains $330 million for oversight, including $221 million to strengthen the inspectors general and $25 million for the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ nonpartisan watchdog.

Earl Devaney, former Interior Department inspector general, will head the Accountability and Transparency Board, created to oversee the stimulus spending. He said the goal is to stop fraud and waste before it happens “as opposed to just simply detecting it and doing investigations and audits.”

Such a common-sense approach is long overdue, as is the Obama administration’s focus on accountability. Beyond being the right thing to do, Obama’s actions could help restore the American public’s faith in government.