Critics of King George Need Not Apply

This is from The Progress Report:

The U.S. federal government spends roughly $315 billion annually on contracted goods and services, making it "the largest consumer of goods and services in the world." Shielded from accountability by a secretive executive branch and a drought of congressional oversight, the cash-flush federal contracting process has become a prime source of government corruption. Most notably in Iraq and in the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast, the last several years have seen an explosion in contract fraud, waste, abuse, and cronyism. Now Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson is facing calls to resign after he admitted during a recent speech that he once canceled a government contract with a business because the CEO was critical of President Bush. Improper and potentially illegal contracting practices have apparently become so commonplace that top White House officials share stories about them openly.