defense department

August 23, 2012 - Congressman Todd Akin (R-Mo.) has sparked controversy with his wildly un-scientific remarks about rape and pregnancy -- but he's hardly the only politician with eyebrow-raising views on the matter.

August 15, 2012 - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), House Aerospace Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney are among those citing an inflated figure for military budget cuts slated to take effect next year.

August 6, 2012 - Reportedly a psy ops specialist, Wade Michael Page was also a frustrated neo-Nazi and the leader of a racist white-power band based in North Carolina.

July 20, 2012 - Frank Gaffney Jr. of Virginia wrote the controversial report that five members of Congress cited in calling for a probe into alleged Islamist infiltration of the U.S. government. Now known for his anti-Muslim extremism, including efforts against an Islamic center in Tennessee, Gaffney played a key role in shaping U.S. security policy after 9/11.

December 16, 2011 - With the U.S. war in Iraq declared to be officially over, a look at the conflict's costs by the numbers.

September 28, 2011 - The $2 billion suit claims that private contractors including Houston-based KBR and their insurers routinely lied, cheated and threatened injured workers while ignoring a federal law requiring their compensation.

April 28, 2006 - Over at TAPPED, Matthew Yglesias notes a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (covered in the Washington Post) analyzing spending for the Iraq war. Apparently it's a slow read until the end: