Our Say: How to waste $600M without breaking a sweat Science vs. crime

Do you ever wonder how the U.S. government could spend so much money in Iraq? Look no further than the contracts it awards.

According to a report assembled by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, $600 million was wasted on canceled reconstruction contracts. About 42 percent of the 1,200 contracts were canceled because of poor management or substandard work. The rest were discontinued by the government because of changing requirements or a lack of funds.

The number of contracts involved is a small percentage of more than 50,000 awarded in the effort to rebuild the war-torn country. But it is nonetheless...