Rumsfeld blames procurement scandal on lack of 'adult supervision'

[The Straight Story]

Rumsfeld blames procurement scandal on lack of 'adult supervision'

By George Cahlink
[e-mail]

Defense Secretary Donald Rumfeld said Tuesday that a lack of "adult supervision" of a key Air Force procurement official led to the biggest procurement scandal to hit the Pentagon in decades.

Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon press conference that a high rate of turnover among political appointees led to too high a degree of independence for Darleen Druyun, the former No. 2 procurement official at the Air Force. Last month, Druyun was sentenced to nine months in jail after admitting to favoring Boeing in several different contract negotiations before taking a $250,000-a-year job with the Pentagon's second-largest contractor.

Rumsfeld said that during Druyun's service as the Air Force's deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and management from 1993 to 2002, the people in positions above her, including the Air Force secretary and the service's assistant secretary for acquisition, rotated in and out of their jobs several times. Druyun's military counterpart, a three-star general, had limited authority to make acquisition decisions.

"When you have that long a period of time with that person the only continuity and no one above her and no one below her, I'm told what she did was acquire a great deal of authority and make a lot of decisions, and there was very little adult supervision above, below, or on the side," Rumsfeld said.


more:
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1104/112404g1.htm

[asjr]

1. Well, Donald, I thought you were in charge of the Pentagon.

[Coryoth]

3. Mr Rumsfeld doesn't run anything...

Well, at leats not when it comes for taking responsibility for the actions of any over which he is supposed to have oversight. He's quietly avoided responsibility for pretty much anything.

[newyawker99]

7. Hi Coryoth!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[htuttle]

2. That's supposed to be your job, asshole

:eyes:

[TrustingDog]

4. perhaps the whole country is ready for some adult supervision...

ya ghoulish asshole.

[calimary]

5. Well, that's what they said when they butted in after Clinton -

"the adults are back in charge."

They ARE?

WHERE?

This guy sounds like he's won the "Ashlee Simpson Sound-Alike Contest." Surprised he didn't blame it on the band.

[TrustingDog]

6. bunch of porn kings is what they are.

[Cocoa]

8. procurement is untidy

people do bad things, that's why pencils have erasers, etc.