Miami Herald calls for Resignation of NASA IG

Posted on Fri, Jun. 15, 2007


Miami Herald Editorial

NASA needs a better watchdog

OUR OPINION: SCATHING REPORT FINDS POOR PERFORMANCE,
BAD JUDGMENT

As inspector general at NASA, it's the job of Robert ''Moose'' Cobb to blow
the whistle whenever he finds something wrong, usually by issuing reports
critical of his own agency. Recently, however, the tables were turned. Mr.
Cobb found himself the target of a scathing, 289-page report substantiating
allegations that he abused his authority and had created at least the
appearance of being too chummy with the managers he's supposed to be
policing. Apparently, NASA's managers are perfectly happy with this cozy
arrangement because he's still on the job.

Poor performance

The report was issued by the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency
(PCIE), which investigates complaints against inspectors general. It decided
to look into Mr. Cobb's performance after receiving 18 complaints against
him, including 79 allegations.

It would take too much space to outline all the alleged shortcomings, but a
partial list would include resisting investigations that might embarrass
NASA, bullying his staff and otherwise failing to show the sort of judgment
and leadership the position requires.

Investigators determined that Mr. Cobb never acted illegally. They did not
substantiate the 79 allegations, but they found enough evidence of poor
performance to warrant a recommendation that he should be punished -- up to
and including being fired.

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, a leading congressional expert on NASA, has also
called for his dismissal, as have other members of Congress. Yet after a
hearing on Capitol Hill last week in which Mr. Cobb stubbornly refused to
concede any wrongdoing, the inspector vowed to stay on the job and the Bush
administration continues to support him.

As Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa pointed out, IG offices are
supposed to impartially investigate and audit operations within their
agencies. But according to the PCIE report, Mr. Cobb repeatedly told his
staff that one of his priorities was to avoid embarrassing NASA. ''He has
used the power of his office to insulate the agency from critical
investigations,'' Sen. Grassley said.

No `charm school'

To top it off, Mr. Cobb has an abysmal relationship with his own staff, to
whom he refers as ''beaurons,'' his shorthand for ''bureaucratic morons.''
He apparently does not communicate with many of them because of mutual
distrust.

This is not a problem that can be fixed by sending Mr. Cobb to some sort of
management ''charm school.'' The IG at NASA plays a vital role in protecting
the lives of its employees, most prominently the astronauts, and looking for
waste, fraud and abuse in a $13 billion budget. Mr. Cobb apparently does not
understand the role of the IG and should be removed to make way for someone
who does.

http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/e...ry/140354.html