Bureaucracy in Times of Crisis

Mr. Bremer had an op-ed in the NYTimes last week with observations on the lessons he learned in Iraq and the interpretations of his new book. As a bureaucrat, I found this interesting:

"I should have also insisted on exemption from the usual bureaucratic and contracting rules. This lesson was brought home to me in a dramatic fashion a few weeks after I arrived. We had learned that six major hospitals in Baghdad urgently needed new generators to run their operating rooms and air-conditioning plants. Our budget director told me I could use American funds, which were subject to United States federal contracting rules, or Iraqi government funds, which were not. Using American money, he told me, would mean waiting four to six months for the generators. We used Iraqi funds and got the equipment in eight days. In the future, Congress must make provisions for legitimate exemptions."

Fair enough, but as soon as GAO and the press find fraud in the use of money, Congress has to do something, which is to add levels of review. See my post on body armor.