Created: 6/7/2009 8:23:29 PM 
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An independent panel investigating contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan has a bleak assessment for how tens of billions of dollars have been spent since 2001. A report by the Wartime Contracting Commission, obtained by The Associated Press, documents poor management, weak oversight and a failure to learn from mistakes. One example cited by the report is a dining facility at a U.S. base in Iraq. The decision to build it was based on bad planning and botched paperwork, but it's too far along to stop. The pricetag: $30 million. More than 240,000 private sector employees support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The report is scheduled to be made public Wednesday at a hearing by a House committee.
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