Congressional Oversight

Why Are the Media More Interested in Blago Than in Unraveling the Bailout Mystery?

Arianna Huffington | Posted 01.08.2009 | Politics


Arianna Huffington

Have you heard what's going on with the government's almost trillion-dollar bailout and how your money is being spent? Do you know all you need to know about who's managing all that taxpayer money? Not if you're getting your news from cable TV. Judging by where the media are focusing their attention, you'd think the Blago/Burris/Reid and Kennedy/Paterson/Cuomo soap operas are the biggest issues facing the nation -- and that little thing about the potential collapse of the world's largest economy is just a sideshow. Which is strange, because the bailout is a fascinating story. Not so much a whodunit as a who's-doing-it. This mystery is unfolding right in front of us, and the size of the victim pool could very well depend on whether we unravel the mystery in flashback or while it's still in progress.

Elizabeth Warren, TARP Overseer

HuffPost | Posted 12.16.2008 | Politics


Check back for updates Elizabeth Warren, Harvard Law professor and economic thinker, has been appointed to chair the five-person Congressional over...

Detroit Drives to DC and Dr. Deming Invents Japan

Steve Parker | Posted 12.06.2008 | Business


Steve Parker

We've had enough threats from our sworn enemies -- we don't need them from Detroit executives. These CEOs and their boards of directors must go, whether by car or jet or skateboard, they must go.

Five Mistakes by DC and Detroit Hurt Detroit Three's Survival Shances

Steve Parker | Posted 11.18.2008 | Business


Steve Parker

Sen. Reid's new bailout bill for the Detroit Three does not set additional fuel-economy requirements, nor does it establish a government oversight board. That's two strikes against getting our money's worth.

Today, Talk About America's Future with a Veteran

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 11.11.2008 | Politics


Lorelei Kelly

Today we are sorely lacking informed public debate on national security and what it means to serve just when today's threats put us beyond the protection of the armed services.

Financial Crisis: 60 Minutes Revives Investigative Journalism

Stephen H. Baum | Posted 10.27.2008 | Media


Stephen H. Baum

Even on subjects as hot as the financial crisis, much of the "news" and comment we see on TV lacks real critical thinking. 60 Minutes has revived investigative journalism. More please.

Nature Abhors a Vacuum but so do Wingnuts: The Bailout and our National Security

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 10.03.2008 | Politics


Lorelei Kelly

Conservative lip service to ideas like free markets and a strong defense produced neither. These "values" were never actually turned into priorities for policy making.

The Whole World Is Watching--And It's Not Pretty

Larry Gellman | Posted 10.03.2008 | Business


Larry Gellman

From halfway around the world, it all seems simple. The question is if we are going to keep blaming Washington, Wall Street, mortgage lenders--everybody but ourselves--for our problems.

The Hidden Costs of the Bailout

Aaron Harber | Posted 09.28.2008 | Politics


Aaron Harber

Unless you believe Washington politicians are financially more astute than the traders on Wall Street, it's easy to see who is getting conned and who is doing the conning.

Bankrupt in Every Sense

Jeff Schweitzer | Posted 09.26.2008 | Business


Jeff Schweitzer

The very fact of the crisis, and the response to it, provides incontrovertible proof that the founding ideas supporting conservative thought are bankrupt in every sense.

The Fiscal Meltdown Reveals the Democratic Deficit

Benjamin R. Barber | Posted 09.19.2008 | Business


Benjamin R. Barber

In response to this financial crisis, consumers must become citizens again, reclaiming their democratic right to fiscal transparency, political oversight and market regulation.

49 Days Out: I've Got a Blackberry to Sell You...

Jesse Lee | Posted 09.16.2008 | Politics


Jesse Lee

The McCain campaign now claims that when McCain said "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" he was actually talking about American workers. If you believe that, I've got some ad time to sell you.

DoD Shirks Congressional Oversight of Sexual Assault in the Military

Rep. Louise Slaughter | Posted 08.04.2008 | Politics


Rep. Louise Slaughter

It is unconscionable that women who are sexually assaulted while serving their country in the military should have to make the decision between confidentiality and justice.

Congressional Oversight: It's a Tough Job but Someone Has to Do It

Chellie Pingree | Posted 08.01.2008 | Politics


Chellie Pingree

When leaders in Congress abdicate their oversight responsibility -- as happened from 2000 through 2006 -- and give the executive branch free rein, bad things happen. Let us count the ways.

Bipartisan Scandal: Congress' Edifice Complex

John Fund | Posted 07.21.2008 | Politics


John Fund

Why does Congress hand out money to name buildings, bridges -- everything under the sun -- after its own living members? Until the 1960s, people had to die before they were memorialized in granite.

Pelosi Secures Her "but"

Linda Milazzo | Posted 07.18.2008 | Politics


Linda Milazzo

Pelosi's response to a viewer who asked why she took the impeachment of George W. Bush off the table is categoric proof of her incompetence, dereliction of duty, disdain for the Constitution and disregard for the people of this nation.

"Let our Congress Tweet"

Craig Newmark | Posted 07.10.2008 | Home


Craig Newmark

Okay, the deal is that current Congressional rules actually confuse them from talking to us via the Net, which is required for participatory, grassroo...

Why Congress Treats The Constitution Like A Toy

Art Brodsky | Posted 06.25.2008 | Politics


Art Brodsky

On FISA, our "legislators" had to legislate, or else they would be made to look bad by a president whose policies are now opposed by about 80 percent of the American people.

Don't Turn Contracting Reform Over to the Generals!

Dina Rasor | Posted 06.23.2008 | Politics


Dina Rasor

While I am loathe to agree with this administration, it is a large mistake to expect anyone in the military's general officer corps to reform this ruinous contracting mess.

Senator Sam's Challenge to Presidential Power

Julian E. Zelizer and Bruce Schulman | Posted 06.04.2008 | Politics


Julian E. Zelizer and Bruce Schulman

We seem to be back to the summer of 1973, although in some respects Bush's extension of executive power has been much more dramatic than anything in that period.

Executive Privilege: Let Congress's Contempt Suit Proceed

Emily Berman and Aziz Huq | Posted 06.02.2008 | Politics


Emily Berman and Aziz Huq

The executive is assigned the tools to respond to danger -- which also makes it the branch that poses the greatest risk to our own liberties and the branch in greatest need of oversight.

Contractor Self Arrest: How Realistic Is This?

Dina Rasor | Posted 04.05.2008 | Politics


Dina Rasor

The whole notion of contractor self policing is absurd at best. The self-reporting process is a useful mechanism for major contractors to limit their liability by settling with the government for pennies on the dollar.

Jason Linkins

Harry Waxman And The 22-Year Old Arms Contractor: There Will Be Hearings

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 03.27.2008 | Politics


Earlier today, the New York Times reported on AEY, a Miami-based military contractor run by 22-year old Efraim Diveroli and his personal masseur/VP Da...

Clinton, Obama: A Modest Proposal in Lieu of a Badly Wrecked Train

Marshall Grossman | Posted 03.05.2008 | Politics


Marshall Grossman

Hillary, Barack: this cannot continue to be about you. One of you is going to have to take one for the team, and it has to be soon.

House Dems Near Surrender on Bush Spying

Ari Melber | Posted 03.04.2008 | Politics


Ari Melber

Tuesday's Washington Post reports that House Democrats are close to granting all of President Bush's demands for more domestic spying powers and telecommunications amnesty, in exchange for, well, nothing.