Walking, Chewing Gum, Etc.

As we just noted, Collins flack Steve Abbott opined yesterday to PolitickerME.com that, when it came to investigating Iraq war contracting, Collins simply had more important things to do:

Steve Abbott, campaign manager for Collins, said in the three years Lautenberg pushed the issue, the committee dealt with reports from the 9-11 commission and the Hurricane Katrina hearings. They oversaw mergers involving 22 federal agencies--the biggest reorganization in modern history. They dealt with intelligence reform.

But let's unpack this.

As we've seen, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) was already agitating for hearings by September, 2003.

Now, the 9/11 Commission Report wasn't published until July, 2004. And Katrina didn't even hit until August, 2005 . (More on Collins' incomplete, Bush-friendly Katrina investigation here.)

That leaves "mergers involving 22 agencies"--presumably, the creation and integration of the Department of Homeland Security--and "intelligence reform."

But from the beginning of the Iraq war till the day Lieberman and Lautenberg penned their letter, I count zero hearings on intelligence reform and only six related to launching the Department of Homeland Security.

So holding a mere six hearings left Collins too busy to look at Iraq spending? What on earth is Abbott talking about?

In fact, those six hearings left plenty of time for the junior senator to conduct a thorough investigation of Iraq war contracting.

How do I know?

Because Collins found time, during that period, to probe Great Lakes Restoration Management and tissue banks, among more than a dozen other subjects.

And in the months that followed, she investigated everything from the cost of the census to the Defense Department's premium airline tickets.

I'm not saying those hearings were frivolous: They may have been issues well worth pursuing.

But clearly, Collins can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Bottom line: The junior senator had every opportunity to probe Iraq war contracting. But she chose not to.