corrente

Back a couple of days ago it was big news that CACI, one of the two "contractors" providing "information technology" assistance to the Army at such places as Abu Ghraib Prison (and others) in Iraq, was being cut off from all dealings with the US government, severely investigated, doors padlocked, computer and paper records seized and..

...oops. That's what would happen if we lived in a just world. What happened here in Bushco land was that CACI got new contracts. A whole mess 'o contracts in fact:

WaPo 8/1

CACI International Inc. of Arlington won a five-year, $75 million contract from the Naval Sea Systems Command to provide systems integration, software development and business process support for information systems at U.S. Navy shipyards

Hampton Rds. Virginian-Pilot

[Local company] T-Solutions underwent giant changes in order to handle the Navy subcontract that AMSEC LLC, a Virginia Beach maritime supplier, divested in March. CACI International Inc. is the prime contractor.

Those two stories may in fact be about the same contract, with the VP story just a little-local-company-makes-good feature. This next one however is an entirely different kettle of fish--nasty, stinky fish that glows in the moonlight:

Washington Technology

After five years of planning and research, the National Archives and Records Administration today took the next step in dealing with the flood of electronic records agencies produce each day.

Harris of Melbourne, Fla., will receive $10.6 million and Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin will get $9.5 million in the first year for design and prototype development.

Harris’ team includes Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. of McLean, Va., CACI International Inc. of Arlington, Va., and Information Manufacturing Corp. of Rocket Center, W.Va.

Finally we get to the story that started this whole thing. Turns out it's a bookkeeping adjustment, switching the management of the original evil contract from the Department of the Interior to the Army:

WaPo

CACI International Inc. was awarded a new contract for its controversial interrogation services in Iraq, the Army said yesterday.

The contract, which was awarded [without competitive bidding BTW--ed.] directly by the Army and is officially called a bridge contract, includes a four-month base period worth $15.3 million and two optional one-month extensions worth up to $3.8 million each.

The Army official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon will issue a request for proposals from contractors seeking to compete for the interrogation work in Iraq sometime in the next few months. The optional extensions to CACI's latest award will be used only if the competition has not been completed by December.

The original contract, awarded by the Interior Department a year ago, was issued under an umbrella contract intended to be used for the purchase of information technology products and services. Last month, Interior Department spokesman Frank Quimby said the agency is going to "get out of the interrogation business."

For some good news to end with, at least somebody else out there besides thee and me is not happy about this nasty mess:

Wired News

CACI has been sued in a Washington, D.C. federal court by civil rights campaigners who accuse the company of conspiring with U.S. officials to torture and abuse prisoners in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.

CACI has described the lawsuit as being "malicious and farcical" and has denied the allegations "in their totality."

Oh me oh MY did they deny. However, there's even better news--CALPERS is on the case. It's so good it deserves its own post, especially for CACI's response. A more sancimonious, flag-waving, Sousa-march-almost-playing, tears-to-the-eyes bringing piece of drivel has seldom been seen. Remove small children, the elderly, and those with weak stomachs from the room.