Truthout roundup 6/4

Truthout's Maya Schenwar on the Department of Defense's outsourcing oversight of contractors; Clinton stops short of conceding; McCain gambling on Gramm; Israeli prime minister warns Iran; Congress attempts to stop the Pentagon propaganda machine; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

Maya Schenwar DOD Contracts Out Contractor Oversight
http://www.truthout.org/article/dod-contracts-out-contractor-oversight Maya Schenwar, of Truthout: "The Department of Defense (DOD) now employs contractors to keep contractors in check in Iraq, under a new framework for war industry management solidified last month. In April, the Pentagon split its largest military contract in Iraq - formerly belonging to the Houston-based corporation KBR, Inc. - among companies Fluor and DynCorp, in addition to KBR. A fourth company, the British-American service provider Serco, is responsible for managing and overseeing the other three, according to its contract, signed last year and now in effect."

Clinton: "No Decisions Tonight"
http://www.truthout.org/article/clinton-no-decisions-tonight Sam Youngman, of The Hill: "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), a winner in the South Dakota primary but defeated in the battle for the nomination, sounded a farewell note to the campaign trail Tuesday night, but she stopped short of conceding defeat to presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). In her remarks to supporters in New York, Clinton said she would take a few days to talk with party leaders and supporters before making a decision 'with the best interest of our party and our country guiding my way. This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight,' Clinton said to thunderous applause."

John McCain's Gramm Gamble
http://www.truthout.org/article/john-mccains-gramm-gamblePatricia Kilday Hart, of The Texas Observer: "The GOP presidential nominee is relying on the ex-senator who helped bring you the mortgage crisis and Rick Perry. In the early evening of Friday, December 15, 2000, with Christmas break only hours away, the US Senate rushed to pass an essential, 11,000-page government reauthorization bill. In what one legal textbook would later call 'a stunning departure from normal legislative practice,' the Senate tacked on a complex, 262-page amendment at the urging of Texas Sen. Phil Gramm. There was little debate on the floor. According to the Congressional Record, Gramm promised that the amendment-also known as the Commodity Futures Modernization Act-along with other landmark legislation he had authored, would usher in a new era for the US financial services industry."

Olmert Vows to Squelch Iran's Nuclear Hopes by "All Possible Means"
http://www.truthout.org/article/olmert-vows-squelch-irans-nuclear-hopes-all-possible-meansAgence France-Presse: "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that Iran's quest for nuclear capacity must be stopped by all possible means, and urged the world to warn Tehran of its devastating repercussions. In a keynote speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Olmert, whose three-day visit to Washington has been clouded by calls at home for his resignation over suspicion of graft, also said he believed peace with the Palestinians was 'truly attainable.'"

Banning Military Propaganda Could Be Hard to Do
http://www.truthout.org/article/banning-military-propaganda-could-be-hard-do Anne Flaherty, of The Associated Press: "Congressional Democrats want to ban Pentagon propaganda on the Iraq war, but they are likely to find that enforcement is easier said than done. An existing legal prohibition, for example, didn't deter a Pentagon program aimed at influencing retired military officers frequently interviewed in the media. It also didn't prevent a culture within the Bush administration that former White House spokesman Scott McClellan claims favored propaganda over honesty in selling the war to the public."